The Sisters by Pauline Smith

Summary

Marta and Sukey live on a farm with their father, Burgert de Jager.
Their mother dies due to stress caused by their father's obsession with land and water rights.
Their father borrows land from neighbour Jan Redlinghuis, promising to repay but fails.
Redlinghuis demands Marta as a wife instead of repayment.
Marta sacrifices herself for her father's land.
Redlinghuis mistreats Marta; she grows weaker and dies.
Sukey blames their father. Redlinghuis commits suicide in guilt.

Land and Ownership – Land is a symbol of wealth and power, but obsession with it leads to destruction.
Patriarchy – Women are treated as property, with no say in their future.
Sacrifice & Duty – Marta sacrifices herself to protect her father's farm.
Obedience & Submission – Marta obeys without question, reflecting societal expectations of women.
Bitterness & Sin – Sukey's anger leads her to question faith and justice.

Narrator: First-person (Sukey de Jager). Provides a personal and emotional viewpoint.
Dialogue: Old-fashioned, mimicking Afrikaans structure ("this night will I").
Repetition: Used for emphasis ("bitterness and sorrow").

Redlinghuis' farm = "Bitterwater", showing that his water is not a blessing.
Water = Blood, symbolising the cost of survival.

Marta – Kind, obedient, accepts her fate without complaint. Represents self-sacrifice.
Sukey – Strong-willed, questions injustice, judges her father and Redlinghuis.
Burgert de Jager – Obsessed with land, blind to his family's suffering, later regrets his actions.
Jan Redlinghuis – Greedy and cruel, but ultimately feels remorse and takes his own life.

Sorrowful & despairing – Highlights Marta's suffering and Sukey's anger.
Hopeful (ending) – Burgert seeks forgiveness, and Sukey realises judgement is not hers to make.