ANTH 272 Essay: Exploring Themes in Trevor Noah's Born a Crime Book

This essay provides an analysis of Trevor Noah's autobiographical work, "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood," focusing on the major themes explored by the author, including the love of a son for his mother, the surviving skills and strength shown by the black and light-skinned people in post-apartheid South Africa, and the devotion of a mother towards her son. The essay delves into specific examples from the book, such as Noah's mother's teachings on resilience and her protective actions, to illustrate these themes. It highlights the importance of understanding the historical context of apartheid and its impact on individuals and communities, and how Noah's narrative offers both a grim portrayal of the past and a hopeful outlook for the future, ultimately positioning the book as a significant contribution to Black Literature.

Running head: PEOPLE AND CULTURE OF AFRICA
People and Culture of Africa
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1PEOPLE AND CULTURE OF AFRICA
The hardships and the injustices faced by the people belonging to the black
community have found insightful portrayal in the works of various authors however the book
“Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” by Trevor Noah is a work which
discusses the issue not only in a thoughtful manner but at the same time in a light hearted
vein. The book is an autobiographical one and narrates the experiences of Noah as a child
who was born out of the union between a black woman and a white man and the title of the
book indicates this particular fact. The book presents a vivid description of the nation of
South Africa after the apartheid movement and what it meant to be a person with mixed
blood and skin color. The fact that sets this book apart from the other books written about the
lives of the black people and the community is the fact that Noah provides a grim picture of
the past which he had faced in the nation of South Africa post the apartheid movement
however instead of dwelling on just the hardships of his past life he accepts them as part of
his past and he looks forward with anticipation towards the future. The book is a pertinent
exploration of the lives of the black and light-skinned people in the post-apartheid South
Africa. This essay will provide an analysis of the book on the basis of the major themes
explored by the author in the work like the love of a son for his mother, the surviving skills
and strength shown by the black and light-skinned people and the devotion of a mother
towards her son.
The nation of South Africa is populated with people of both black and white skin
however it was seen that almost of the rights as well as the power of the nation were held by
the white skinned people of the nation. In addition to this, the black people were not only
deprived of their basic and fundamental rights but at the same time were subjected to various
kinds of inhuman treatments (Noah 2016: X). The cause of the black people was taken up by
Nelson Mandela who through his policy of non-violence and peaceful protest helped them to
gain status on par with the white skinned people. The author of the book Trevor Noah was

2PEOPLE AND CULTURE OF AFRICA
born in post-apartheid movement South Africa in the year 1984 as a matter of fact the book
under discussion here is set in the same time period (Noah: 2016: X). Furthermore, it is
significant to note that most of the incidents which are depicted in the book were actually
experienced by the author.
The book under discussion here is redolent with various incidents which pertinently
show the strength as well as the surviving skills that the members of the black community
and the light-skinned people of the post-apartheid South Africa needed to possess in order to
survive in the nation in that particular time period. The very first chapter of the book gives an
indication of the strength possessed by the mother of Noah when she throws him out of a bus
thinking that the people wanted to kill him (Noah 2016: 4). Furthermore, one of the survival
strategies used by the black skinned people is to mentally obliterate the pain which they feel
and in this regard the important lesson taught by the mother of Noah to him wherein she
advises him to not to “hold onto the trauma” (Noah 2016: 54). In addition to this, the mother
of Noah also believed in the fact that if pain were to be used effectively by the people who
were feeling it then it could help them in a significant manner. Her words to Noah regarding
this are significant to note in this particular context when says that “but don’t cry about your
past. Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don’t hold on to it. Don’t be bitter”
(Noah 2016:31).
The book can also be seen as an exploration of the love of a son for his mother. Thus,
it is seen that in various chapters of the book there are passages which portray the deep
feelings that Noah has for his mother and the significant influence that she has on him. For
example, there are various sections in the book wherein he says that one of the major
influences on his character has been the influence of his mother and she has helped him
almost every possible manner. Thus, talking about his mother and the contribution that she
has made towards the growth of his character Noah says that “My mom did what school

3PEOPLE AND CULTURE OF AFRICA
didn't. She taught me how to think” (Noah 2016: 89). At the same time it is seen that his
mother teaches him the most valuable lessons about life and also the need to accept to the
past and move forwards “Learn from your past and be better because of your past…….Don’t
be bitter” (Noah 2016: 31). In addition to these, the love that Noah has for his mother is also
being shown by the fact that although Noah is not an ardent believer in the machinery of
religion he still goes to the church every week with his mother just to make her feel happy
(Noah 2016: 21).
The love that a mother possesses for her children is perhaps one of the purest forms of
emotions and it permeates the heart of all the people irrespective of the fact whether they are
black skinned people or white skinned people. This particular concept forms one of the core
themes of the book and finds its portrayal in various sections of the book. For example, in the
her first chapter of the book it is seen that the mother of Noah throws him out of the bus
because of her deep love and her desire to protect him from the people who wanted to kill
him. It is in the same vein that elsewhere in the work she explains the difference between the
beatings inflicted by her on Noah and the beatings that the other would inflict on him with the
words “When I beat you, I’m trying to save you. When they beat you, they’re trying to kill
you” (Noah 2016; 64). Her deep love for him also becomes in the various valuable lessons
about that she gives to him through the course of the entire book itself.
To conclude, various literary works have been composed in the past that have tried to
explore the lives as well as the hardships endured by the people belonging to the black
community. However, the book under discussion here is very different from all of them since
it not only provides a pertinent insight into the grim reality of the lives of the black and the
light-skinned people of the nation of South Africa but at the same time offers new hopes for
the future as well. Furthermore, the book contains a plethora of themes and almost all of them
have been explored in detail in the various sections of the book and some of the most

4PEOPLE AND CULTURE OF AFRICA
important ones which the author has used in the book are the devotion of a son towards his
mother, the love of a mother for his son, the strength and the survival skills shown by the
black and the light-skinned people. Thus, it would be apt to say that the book is one of the
most important related to the genre of Black Literature.

5PEOPLE AND CULTURE OF AFRICA
Reference
Noah, Trevor. Born a crime: Stories from a South African childhood. Hachette UK, 2016.