Age of Iron

by

J. M. Coetzee

Age of Iron: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Mrs. Curren writes to someone who she calls “you” about what is going on in her life. She writes that she found a homeless man lying outside of her home, in an alley where “you” used to play. The man is asleep and smells like a mixture of alcohol and urine. Mrs. Curren had just returned from her appointment with Dr. Syfret, who diagnosed her with terminal cancer. When she comes upon the homeless man, she is trembling. She warns him that he cannot stay outside her home. For a moment, the man does not move or even seem to register what she says. However, he eventually gets up and walks away without saying a word.
Age of Iron is composed of a series of letters from Mrs. Curren to her daughter. Because she addresses her daughter as “you,” it is as if she is talking directly to the reader. This quality gives the entire novel a feeling of intimacy, while also adding to its political efficacy, as Coetzee wants to make his reader feel as though they have a stake in the concerns of South Africa, which was at this time under its apartheid regime (which upheld racial segregation).
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Apartheid in South Africa Theme Icon
Quotes
Mrs. Curren steps into her home and thinks about her diagnosis. She tells “you” about how she longs for you—her daughter—and how she wishes you were still there with her. She wants to give her daughter a hug and feel as though she will live on in her daughter once her physical form is gone. However, because her daughter is not there, she plans to face her death alone and record her experience in a series of the letters (which make up the content of the book).
Here, the novel starts developing a relationship between suffering and loneliness. As Mrs. Curren implies, physical suffering becomes much worse when one has to go through it alone. Additionally, this passage hints at one of the novel’s large questions; that is, what is the purpose of writing and recording one’s experiences?
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
The Value of Writing and Literature Theme Icon
Quotes
Mrs. Curren spends the afternoon doing chores to keep her mind off her diagnosis. In the evening, she goes outside and finds that the homeless man has returned. This time, he has a dog with him—a young collie. Mrs. Curren warns the man that she does not want a mess on her hands and then offers him something to eat. Without saying anything, the man follows Mrs. Curren inside. Mrs. Curren gives him a sandwich, which she thinks he gave to the dog when she was not looking.
Mrs. Curren has some compassion for the man, though she clearly desires to keep him at a distance. Meanwhile, the man himself is an enigma, as he remains silent under questioning; despite his rugged appearance, he does not seem to be hungry, assuming Mrs. Curren is correct about what happened to the sandwich.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Mrs. Curren, who is writing during apartheid in South Africa, reflects on the current state of Cape Town, where she lives. It has many homeless people and gangs. She does not fear the homeless people because they are harmless in her experience, but the gangs frighten her. The homeless population largely consists of Black people, who are unduly discriminated against because of apartheid.
Apartheid refers to the legally enforced system of racial segregation and discrimination that was in place in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. This policy categorized the population into different racial groups, granting considerable political and social privileges to white South Africans. Conversely, non-white South Africans, particularly Black people, faced intense racial discrimination, economic disparities, and a lack of political representation.
Themes
Apartheid in South Africa Theme Icon
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The following morning, Mrs. Curren brings the homeless man coffee and finds him urinating in the alleyway. She offers him work if he would like it. The man does not respond; he merely sips his coffee. Mrs. Curren starts to lecture him about how he is wasting his life. However, he still does not respond. When he is done with his coffee, he hands Mrs. Curren her mug, spits at her feet, and then walks away. That night, the man does not sleep in the alley near Mrs. Curren’s home. However, she sees some of his possessions nearby, so she knows he means to return. The next day, the homeless man comes back. Mrs. Curren senses him looking into her window, as she is watching television. However, she doesn’t turn around and acknowledge his presence. Instead, she turns up the sound on the television so he can hear it.
Mrs. Curren wants to help the homeless man but does not know how to help him if he will not help himself. Her frustration leads to condescension, which he does not take well to. Despite their differences, there are similarities between the homeless man and Mrs. Curren. Both are lonely people who are suffering in silence, and both of them are struggling to find ways to connect with each other.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Later, Mrs. Curren leaves to go shopping when suddenly, she collapses in pain. The homeless man hears her cry out and helps her inside her home. She invites him to sit down and then tells him about her cancer. Rather than address what she says, the man replies, “This is a big house, […] You could turn it into a boarding-house.” Mrs. Curren is uninterested in the suggestion. She explains that her housekeeper, Florence, usually stays in one of the rooms. However, she is out of town at the moment.
Although the homeless man’s demeanor is often callous, he does what he can to help Mrs. Curren when he sees she is in trouble. However, when Mrs. Curren tries to have a conversation with him about her troubles, he can only think of things to say that directly interest him—such as perhaps finding a place to live in Mrs. Curren’s boarding-house. As such, they talk past each other rather than to each other.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Mrs. Curren also tells the homeless man about her husband, who is now dead; and her daughter, who left for America in 1976. Her daughter is the same person who she is writing to—her only child. Mrs. Curren asks the man about his disability, as he previously mentioned receiving a disability pension. The man holds up his hand to show Mrs. Curren that three of his fingers crookedly curl in toward his palm. He explains that he cannot move them. Mrs. Curren asks the man if an accident caused the issue. The man nods but does not explain further. Then, Mrs. Curren tells the homeless man she will pay him if he agrees to cut her lawn. The man goes outside and starts the task but does not finish it. Mrs. Curren pays him for an hour’s worth of work, and then he leaves.
Mrs. Curren is eager to open up to the homeless man and share her life story with him. However, he has no desire to reciprocate. Still, a relationship starts to form between them. Rather than reject the work Mrs. Curren offered him as he did in the past, the homeless man decides to take her up on it. However, he performs the task she gives him on his own terms and does not complete it. Presumably, Mrs. Curren does not appreciate that he did not finish the job, even though she decides to pay him anyway.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
On his way out of Mrs. Curren’s home, the homeless man knocks over the litter box she keeps for her cats. He does not clean up the mess. Mrs. Curren thinks about how temperamental her cats can be, especially when it comes to feeding time. Then, she takes her pain medication and quickly falls asleep. In the middle of the night, she wakes up and hears the homeless man rifling through her things. In particular, she hears him take some money from her desk. 
The cats are Mrs. Curren’s only companions other than the homeless man because her housekeeper Florence is away. When he leaves, she has no more human contact. The knocked over litter box is a reminder that the cats get to live and defecate inside, while the homeless man must sleep outside and use the alley as a bathroom, highlighting the unfairness of the situation.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Feeling ill, Mrs. Curren spends the following day in bed. She feels too sick to eat or do anything, so she reads Tolstoy. The following day, she tries to get her car started but she cannot, so she asks the homeless man to help her. The homeless man pushes the car down the driveway, while Mrs. Curren tries to get the engine to turn over. Their plan works, so Mrs. Curren asks the man if he would like to go to Fish Hoek with her. The man gets into the car and brings his collie with him.  
Again, although the homeless man does not offer Mrs. Curren emotional warmth, he is willing to help meet her basic needs. He knows she will not get the car started by herself, so he helps. He is also willing to travel around with Mrs. Curren, although his willingness to do so seems based more in indifference than anything else.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Mrs. Curren stops the car at a scenic spot overlooking False Bay. She asks the homeless man if he is from the Cape. The man responds that he is but is willing to share little else about himself. Realizing she won’t get anything out of him, Mrs. Curren begins looking at the natural world around her. Moments later, she breaks down into tears and then starts wailing. When Mrs. Curren pulls herself together, she starts to apologize to the man, only to realize he is barely paying attention to her.
Mrs. Curren desperately wants to emotionally connect with the homeless man, but he is unwilling to share anything about himself. Mrs. Curren feels guilty about appearing emotionally vulnerable around a person who appears so emotionally stunted. She feels like she is placing a burden on him that he would never place on her.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Mrs. Curren has a hard time getting the car into gear, so the homeless man helps guide her through the process. She narrowly avoids an accident while pulling away from the outlook, which causes the man to shout at her. Eventually, they make it home in one piece.
At her age and in her condition, Mrs. Curren has a hard time doing anything by herself. Even the homeless man seems more knowledgeable about cars than her, despite not having one himself.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Later in the day, Mrs. Curren asks the homeless man to prune her garden. He tells her he does not know how. Mrs. Curren suspects he knows what to do but does not want to do it. Instead, she gives him other yard work to do. She promises to pay him, as long as he continues to help her out. However, she also warns him that she will not be giving him any more charity if he does not.
Mrs. Curren wants to help the homeless man, but only on her terms. She makes it clear that their relationship is hierarchical, and she decides whether he gets paid. More than anything, Mrs. Curren does not want to feel like she is being taken advantage of.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
For once, the homeless man shows he is listening to what Mrs. Curren is saying. He asks her why he would not deserve money if he did not work. Then, he questions whether anyone really deserves anything. Irritated, Mrs. Curren shoves her purse at him and says, “What do you believe in, then? Taking? Taking what you want? Go on: take!” The man does exactly as Mrs. Curren suggests. He opens her purse, takes some money out, and then leaves. A half hour later, he returns with fresh bottles of alcohol. While the homeless man lays outside on a found mattress and drinks, Mrs. Curren begins playing piano. Realizing that the man is probably listening to her, Mrs. Curren plays Bach to the best of her ability.
Mrs. Curren has never had someone like the homeless man question her. When she hands him her purse, she assumes he will back down and agree that it is wrong to take money from someone without working for it. However, instead, the man does exactly as Mrs. Curren asks and then uses her money to buy himself alcohol. Although flabbergasted in the moment, Mrs. Curren shows a begrudging respect for the man and shows that she still cares about him by playing Bach.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Quotes
The next day, one of Mrs. Curren’s neighbors calls her and warns her that she has seen a “vagrant” hanging around her house. Mrs. Curren explains that the homeless man is actually not a vagrant at all because he works for her. After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Curren decides she does not plan to answer it anymore. She has no desire to speak with anyone except her daughter and God.
Here, Mrs. Curren becomes defensive on the homeless man’s behalf. Although she has her own reservations about the homeless man, she dislikes how disrespectfully her neighbor speaks about him. Notably, the novel never mentions the homeless man’s race, so it is unclear if racial animus motivated the neighbor’s call.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Apartheid in South Africa Theme Icon
Mrs. Curren contemplates her death and the state of her house. She worries that her house is a big mess that someone is going to have to deal with once she is dead. Rather than fixate on her death, Mrs. Curren thinks about her youth instead, when she was happy and carefree. In her view, South Africa was a much better place during that time. Now, it has turned into a violent and dangerous place. Three years ago, someone broke into Mrs. Curren’s home and robbed her. To prevent future incident, Mrs. Curren had metal bars put on her windows. She values the safety they provide, even though they make her feel like a caged animal.
Apartheid began in 1948, most likely when Mrs. Curren was a teenager or a young adult. While race was certainly an issue in pre-1948 South Africa, a white child like Mrs. Curren would never have had to worry about it. Although there were violent struggles throughout the apartheid period, the late 1880s and early 1990s—when the novel takes place—were certainly the most violent, as Black South Africans began to openly rebel against their oppressive government.
Themes
Violence and Perspective Theme Icon
Apartheid in South Africa Theme Icon
Mrs. Curren falls asleep and wakes up a few hours later. She makes herself tea and then puts on a record. Outside, she sees the homeless man smoking in the alley, and she realizes he is listening to the music along with her. Mrs. Curren thinks about how her relationship with this man is strangely intimate. She wonders what it would be like to have sex with him, and if their souls are somehow intertwined.
Although Mrs. Curren hypothesizes what it would be like to be intensely intimate with this man, there is still a larger distance between them than she seems to want to realize. Although they are listening to music and watching television together, the wall between them says everything about their differing experiences of the world.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Sometime later—it is not clear how long—Mrs. Curren shows the homeless man pictures of her daughter and grandchildren. Then, she asks the man if he will send some private papers (the letters that compose the novel) to her daughter once she is dead. In response, the man says he is unsure if he is the right person for the job. He suggests getting someone else instead. However, Mrs. Curren insists that she would like him to do it. Eventually, he gives in and promises her he will complete the task.
Again, the homeless man does not jump on the opportunity to help Mrs. Curren with anything personal; he would prefer to keep himself at a distance. Similarly, Mrs. Curren wants to keep a certain distance from her daughter. She wants her daughter to know about the end of her life, but only after she is dead.
Themes
Pain, Suffering, and Companionship Theme Icon
Apartheid in South Africa Theme Icon