At the Edge

In the story “The Fall Guy”, we are introduced to four young men, Billy, Stanley, Goolam and Muragase. Right from the start it is evident that Billy is an upright young man, different form the others. Billy was a casual drinker, only having “a shot or two on very special occasions”(133). He was also chairperson of the Mayville Physical Culture Club. While at the Isipingo Temple Festival, Billy, even though not religious, felt that turning …

…girl and swore her, also revealing his sexual frustration. Goolam was small and wiry, he had noticed it but didn’t fully accept it, as he needed to have a “skafe” every so often to make him feel like a man. All of the friends shared similar traits, except for Billy who was different in many ways, but hardly ever expressed his feelings as he deemed it inappropriate to voice himself to such a crowd.