Hope and Beauty Character Analysis in Age of Iron

Hope and Beauty are Florence’s daughters. Their names offer a symbolic counterpoint to the brutality and despair of the Apartheid regime; they represent the beauty and hopefulness of South Africa’s future rather than its morally bankrupt and cruel present. Hope and Beauty are minor characters in the novel, perhaps because hope and beauty are hard to come by under the Apartheid regime. However, their few appearances are symbolically notable. In particular, when Mrs. Curren travels with Florence to Guguletu to search for Bheki, she leaves Hope and Beauty behind—literally and metaphorically—before stepping out into the ravaged streets of the city. What she sees is Guguletu makes Mrs. Curren wonder if there is any hope and beauty left to salvage.

Hope and Beauty Character Timeline in Age of Iron

The timeline below shows where the character Hope and Beauty appears in Age of Iron. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...trouble. However, Florence is not so sure. That afternoon, Vercueil works on the lawnmower while Hope and Beauty, Florence’s daughters, play nearby. Beauty repeatedly walks up to Vercueil to try and... (full context)

When they arrive in Guguletu, Florence takes Mrs. Curren, Hope, and Beauty inside a house. There, she introduces Mrs. Curren to one of her cousins,... (full context)

Mrs. Curren has a dream where she envisions Florence walking with Hope and Beauty down Government Avenue. In this dream, Mrs. Curren puts on a circus act,... (full context)