A Walk in the Night
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Reading log “Walk in the night and other Stories…”
I. Summary
The novella “walk in the night” by Alex La Guma is about “coloured” people of the District Six slum and their problems in Cape Town.
1. “Michael Adonis and the three men”
The first chapter out of nineteen is about Michael Adonis is a young, “coloured” man who follows the law in general and is rough with his fellows. He sits in a restaurant in the District six slum of Cape Town and looks across a street where a café is. There he sees a boy, called Willieboy with whom he was together in prison. Both have a chat until three criminals enter into the café. They look for Sockies to take him as a look-out man.
2. “Prejudices”
Michael Adonis leaves the restaurant and walks along the street, passes many shops. Then a man called Joe who hangs around in the harbour to get something to eat comes towards Michael and has a small talk with him. Two police officers also come and ask where Sockies, a criminal is. Further more they want Michael to empty his pockets. When they see money in Michael’s pockets, they accuse him of stealing the money. Michael gets angry but the police officers let him go in the end.
3. “The Taxi Driver”
Michael Adonis goes into a pub where he meets a man called Mr. Greene. There, Michael tells him of the incident with the two police officers. Later two other men and one called Foxy come along and ask him for Sockies again. A taxi-driver comes in and starts talking to Michael, also called Mikey. Greene tells them about a Negro who has just been hung up by whites. The taxi-driver remembers Flippy Isaacs who was killed with a knife by Cully Richards.
4. "Visiting an old man"
Michael Adonis leaves the pub in Hanover Street after a while and walks through the night when he meets an old white man, Mr Doughty. Michael follows the old man to their tenement where they start a conversation about their problems and of those coloured people have. Finally, both are drunken and Michael is so angry that he hits the old man who drops on a bed nearby with a pale face.
5. " The old man’s death "
Michael isn’t quite sure whether he killed Mr. Doughty, the old man or not. As fast as he could Michael leaves the room and hurries into his own one, knowing that the law would punish him for the probable death of the white man.
6. “The Patrol”
When Michael is back in his room two police officers drive in a patrol through the city of Cape Town, listen to the radio and watch the streets. When the drivers stop driving they continue their patrol on foot.
7. “The discovery”
Willieboy, the ex-prisoner passes the shop-windows in the streets and meets the three boys who ask him again for Sockies. Willieboy goes to the tenement where Mr. Doughty, the old white man and Michael live and knocks at the door. But Mr. Doughty does not open the door. A few minutes later Willieboy goes into Mr. Doughty's room. Then he sees that the old man is dead.
8. “Rich or poor?”
Franky Lorenzo also lives with his family in the seedy tenement, where Michael Adonis lives. Franky Lorenzo and his wife called Grace have five children. They are very poor and can’t pay their bills. They think they are rich because of having five children.
9. “The instructions”
Willieboy is shocked when he sees Mr. Doughty, the old man. Being shocked, he runs out of the room. Soon after Constable Raalt, the police officer talks to the other police officer in the patrol and shows his rage and that he would like to kill one of “those bushman bastards”. Later he goes into a club, where people play cards, snooker and other games. Raalt is the boss of these people and they earn the money for him.
10. "Wrong Intentions"
Michael is alone in his room when the woman, who saw Willieboy before knocks at Michael’s door. As Michael thinks that everyone may believe that he is the old man’s murderer he leaves the tenement. Foxy, who is one of the three criminals but also other members of the tenement notice his leaving and follow him.
11. “Restlessness”
Being shocked because of the old man’s death Willieboy runs away to a backyard room which is in the tenement. In the backyard room Willieboy meets a family and two American gangsters. They drink a lot of alcohol until Willieboy starts to make trouble. One man pleads him to leave the room, but Willieboy ignores it. Therefore a man pulls out his knife, hurts Willieboy and throws him out of the room.
12. “Who is the murderer?”
Constable Raalt sits next to his driver and now they have to stop because of the crowd in front of the old man’s tenement. The woman says that she saw the murderer of the old man. They go into the room where the dead man still lies on his bed. Constable Raalt examines the dead man without touching him and waits for the detectives.
13. “The offer”
Joe who usually hangs around in the harbour meets Michael Adonis in a little Indian café. Then Foxy and two youths come in. They still look for Sockies. Foxy asks Michael if he wants to fill in for Sockies. Joe advises Michael Adonis not to go with these three men.
14. “Scruples”
Willieboy walks through the city of Cape Town and sees an old man. He asks him for some money, but when he says that he has no money Willieboy starts hurting him. When Willieboy realises that the old man has absolutely no money, he runs away directly into the arms of the police.
15. “Trouble”
Michael Adonis meets the people, who wanted him to go with them, probably to commit a crime. When he is on the way to the billiard club to meet these people, Joe tries to convince Michael not to follow the other people. Michael Adonis tells him to go to hell. He enters into the café and Foxy and the two youths talk about business until they hear a gun shooting.
16. "Pursuit"
Willieboy tries to escape from the police officers and climbs up a house in District Six, Cape Town. Raalt, the police officer follows him and deactivates his flashlight. Willieboy tries to hide at first but later he runs into the street.
17. “Dangerous situation”
The police officer Raalt follows Willieboy and gets under big pressure when Willieboy runs into a crowd of people. Raalt finds him in the crowd and shoots at him. Then Raalt takes the boy into the petrol van and the two police officers drive away, back to the police station.
18. “Deadly break”
With the injured Willieboy in the petrol van Constable Raalt stops to buy a package of cigarettes on his way back to the police station. When Raalt buys the cigarettes Willieboy dies.
19. "The End"
Finally, Michael, the young coloured man stays in the club. Mr Doughty, the old man who was murdered by Michael is removed from his room and then the room is locked by the police. Joe who hangs around in the harbour is alone and happy back in the harbour. Franky sleeps peacefully in his bed with his wife.
