A BAG OF SWEETS (Agnes Sam)

AUTHOR: Agnes Sam (1942 – present)

South African Indian writer
Grew up in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) near their family business.
“South African Indians like me have lost mother tongue, family
name, religion, culture, history, and historical links with India. Cut
off from India, apartheid has further separated us from other
communities in South Africa, thereby exacerbating our isolation.”
Studied zoology, psychology, and teaching. Worked in Zambia as
a Biology teacher.
Went into exile to England in 1973. Returned to South Africa in
1993.
Participated in negotiating the Recognition Agreement of the trade
union in the E.C. Provincial Legislature.

TITLE: The title refers to the bag od sweets that Kaltoum hands her sister,
Khadija to get her out o the family business.

BACKGROUND: Muslim culture – men attend the mosque on Fridays between 12:00
and 14:00.
Giving gifts are considered good manners and it strengthens the
bond between giver and receiver. In A bag of sweets Kaltoum
gives Khadija sweets to get her out of the shop.

SETTING: The story takes place in the home and family store of a Muslim
family.

CHARACTERS: Kaltoum – the eldest sister; heads her family after her parents’
deaths; manages the family store on Fridays when her brothers
attend the mosque; unable to deal with Kaltoum’s marriage to a
Christian man; conscious of what the community would say should
Kaltoum and the family welcome Khadija back into their home and
lives; cold-hearted; holds grudges; stubborn to forgive; blames
Khadija for their parents deaths.

Khadija – married a Christian man which alienated her from her

family; driven by love for her family, husband and baby; kind and
friendly; misses their family traditions and especially her elder sister
with whom she had a special bond; frequently visits the family shop
in an attempt to reconcile with her family; suddenly one Friday
Khadija does not return to the shop and that leaves her sister with
conflicting feelings of relief and guilt. Kaltoum’s pride and religious
upbringing stand in the way of her forgiveness of her sister.

Abdul - Kaltoum and Khadija’s eldest brother; wants nothing to do

with Kaltoum and her husband; cannot forgive Kaltoum; blames
Kaltoum for her weakness of not showing their sister the door when
she comes to the shop. Rigid in his religion and family loyalty.

PLOT: A young Muslim woman called Kaltoum assists in the family shop on
Fridays when her brothers attend prayers at the Mosque. One day,
she is surprised to see her estranged sister, Khadija, entering the
shop. Khadija left the family three years before to marry a Christian
 man. She has been calling at the family home daily after the passing
away of their parents, hoping for a reconciliation. The family refuses
her entry and ignores her time and time again. She then decides to
change track and meet the eldest sister at the shop on Fridays.
Kaltoum continues to ignore the advances of her sister, even though
she knows that as the eldest, she had the ability to change the mind of
her family members. On a whim, she gives her sister a bag of sweets
but continues to ignore her, until finally Khadija does not come back
on a Friday.

NARRATING STYLE First-person narrator – Kaltoum

AND LANGUAGE: Surprising twist – Khadija does not come to the shop anymore and
now it seems as if the narrator misses her or at least feels guilty
that Khadija was never welcomed back by her family.

SYMBOLS: The bag of sweets – represents Kaltoum’s sense of guilt and her
inner need to reach out to her sister. Yet, she stubbornly persists in
pushing Khadija away.

THEMES: Change:
Lack of tolerance: The family’s intolerance is the reason why they
cannot forgive Khadija for marrying a Christian man. It is ironic that
the devoted Muslim family would be unforgiving and intolerant to
one of their own and towards the Christian amongst their midst.

Bitterness: Our feelings of bitterness often make us unforgiving

and relentlessly proud. Kaltoum and her brothers cannot forgive
Khadija and are driven by their bitterness towards her. Kaltoum’s
brother cannot understand why Kaltoum would still tolerate
Khadija’s visits.

Family relations: Sometimes family members fight or disagree,

making it difficult to understand the other family member/s. In this
story Khadija is alienated from her family or marrying a Christian
man. Instead of sharing in her joy, they meet her with silence and
rejection.

Forgiveness: When people find it difficult to forgive, they find it

difficult to reconcile with those they blame. Khadija’s family blames
her for their parents’ death and for embarrassing the family by
marrying a Christian.

Pretence: Kaltoum keeps up pretences. Her feelings towards

Khadija soften when she realises that Khadija reminds her much of
their mother; nevertheless, Kaltoum pretends that she does not
care and keeps on rejecting Khadija.

Expectation vs reality: Khadija hopes that her family will

eventually forgive her and welcome her back into their midst. In
reality, it is Kaltoum’s stubbornness that stands in the way of
forgiveness.

FIGURES OF SPEECH: Simile: ‘as cold as the last kiss I gace anyone’ (. p67)
‘hands resting easily on the cold glass counter like a bird’s wings,
relaxed, yet with the potential of unimaginable flight’ (67)
 Metaphor: ‘one days as in a trance, I reached for a fistful of
sweets (p. 69)

Personification: ‘her hands running across the keyboard’ (p. 67)

Irony: A bag of sweets is supposed t bring a sense of joy to the

receiver. Yet, in this story it acts as a form of insult to Khadija, who
is disrespected and treated as if she is a child.

Kaltoum never speaks to Khadija when she comes to vsit at the

shop but then, one day, when Khadija does not come to the shop,
Kaltoum misses her.

TONE AND MOOD: Tone: gloomy (Kaltoum expresses her negative thoughts)
Mood: Sad, angry and upset

EXPOSITION: The narrator introduces us the relationship between her sister

Khadija and herself. She also introduces the tension between the
two of them.

RISING ACTION (CRISIS We learn about past events that drove a wedge between Khadija
AND CONFLICT): and her family – she married a Christian husband and has a baby
with him. Her parents have never forgiven her till their deaths.
Now Khadija tries to reconcile with the rest of her family but they
persist in alienating her. Khadija keeps on calling on her sister,
Kaltoum, at the family store on Fridays, hoping that Kaltoum would
take the lead in forgiving her. Yet, Kaltoum stays relentless.

CLIMAX: Kaltoum hands Khadija a bag of cheap sweets – to Khadija it

seems like a sign of reconciliation but Kaltoum stays cold towards
Khadija. This gesture angers her brothers who think that Kaltoum
is softening towards Khadija and that she might be ready to
welcome Khadija back into the family. When Kaltoum realises how
much Khadija resembles their mother, she almost changes her cold
attitude towards Khadija. But in the end it is her stubbornness, lack
of forgiveness and sense of intolerance that prevent her rom
reaching out to her sister.

FALLING ACTION AND Khadija stops coming to the store on Fridays, Now suddenly
RESOLUTION: Kaltoum misses her presence and she feels regret for the way she
treated Khadija. Kaltoum waits for Khadija’s visit long after closing
hours, hoping she would return but Khadija does not come back.

Love conquers all. Or does it?

 ACTIVITIES
1. Match the descriptions in COLUMN B with the characters in COLUMN A.
COLUMN A COLUMN B
1.1 Abdul A eldest sibling who takes care of the family
1.2 Kaltoum B cause of the family rift
1.3 Christian man C condemns reconciliation
1.4 Khadija D rejects the Muslim tradition altogether
E loves unconditionally
(4)

2. Summarise what has happened during the ‘past three years’ in this family. (3)

3. What does the first paragraph of the story reveal about Khadija’s personality? (2)

4. Contrast Kaltoum’s and Khadija’s interaction with each other during Khadija’s first
visit to the store. (2)

5. Refer to p. 67: “her hands …unimaginable flight.

a) Identify the figure of speech used here. (1)

b) Explain how Khadija’s hands gave her freedom. (2)

6. Why is the following statement FALSE?

Khadija waited till her parents passed away before she tried to make amends
with her family. (1)

7. Refer to p. 69: ‘I had been the closest … left the shop.’

a) What is the setting of this extract? (1)

b) Discuss the theme of culture and religion as it is portrayed in this extract. (3)

8. Kaltoum says: ‘It isn’t as if she turned Christian. She just married one.’ What does this
reveal about Kaltoum’s outlook? (2)

9. Compare Kaltoum’s feelings towards her sister in the beginning to her feelings towards
Khadija at the end. (2)

10. Discuss the significance of the bag of sweets in this story. (2)

11. Do you think Kaltoum is putting up a front that she does not love her sister or is she real in
her feelings of disdain? (2)

12. Open-ended response. Kaltoum is a coward. Discuss your view.


MEMO
1. Match the descriptions in COLUMN B with the characters in COLUMN A.
COLUMN A COLUMN B
1.1 Abdul C condemns reconciliation
1.2 Kaltoum A eldest sibling who takes care of the family
1.3 Christian man B cause of the family rift
1.4 Khadija E loves unconditionally
(4)

2. Summarise what has happened during the ‘past thee years’ in this family. (3)
Khadija married a Christian man, left her family to start a new family with him and her baby.
Their parents were heartbroken by Khadija’s decision and pined away until they passed
away. Khadija was never allowed into family home again.

3. What does the first paragraph of the story reveal about Khadija’s personality? (2)
Khadija has a sunny personality, friendly, almost like a fresh ‘breeze’ when she enters the
shop. She is talkative, not vindictive and she seeks reconciliation with her family.

4. Contrast Kaltoum’s and Khadija’s interaction with each other during Khadija’s first
visit to the store. (2)
Khadija is cheerful and chatty whilst Kaltoum is cold and insensitive, critical.

5. Refer to p. 67: “her hands …unimaginable flight.

a) Identify the figure of speech used here. (1)
Simile

b) Explain how Khadija’s hands gave her freedom. (2)

Khadija could play the keyboard and piano well – that would have given her
freedom of artistic expression, a pastime. She could also operate a typewriter well –
that could give her the freedom to take up a job outside her family home and give her
the liberty of being a self-sufficient woman.

6. Why is the following statement FALSE?

Khadija waited till her parents passed away before she tried to make amends
with her family. (1)
Khadija also came by her parents house every day but they would never let her in
or speak to her.

7. Refer to p. 69: ‘I had been the closest … left the shop.’

a) What is the setting of this extract? (1)
The family store, one Friday when Khadija comes to see Kaltoum while their
brothers are at the mosque.
b) Discuss the theme of culture and religion as it is portrayed in this extract. (3)
Our culture and religion often dictate how we interact with people. Khadija disappoints her
family when she marries a Christian man. They alienate her from the family home and
family traditions. Khadija seeks reconciliation but the relentlessness of her brothers and
sister, Kaltoum, stand in the way of any forgiveness and reconciliation.

8. Kaltoum says: ‘It isn’t as if she turned Christian. She just married one.’ What does
this reveal about Kaltoum’s outlook? (2)
Deep in her heart Kaltoum would be ready to forgive Khadija and resume their special
relationship. However, in the male-dominated society within which the girls grew up,
Kaltoum is almost brainwashed into upholding her brother’s point of view, which is one of
unforgiveness. She might also stubbornly want to repay Khadija the embarrassment she
herself suffered when she had to find out about Khadija’s marriage “with all the rest”.

9. Compare Kaltoum’s feelings towards her sister in the beginning to her feelings
towards Khadija at the end. (2)
In the beginning Kaltoum is cold and unapproachable. At the end, when Khadija does
not return to the store, Kaltoum seems to miss her sister’s visit and actually waits for her
to return till after closing hours.

10. Discuss the significance of the bag of sweets in this story. (2)
The bag of sweets may at the same time be a gift of forgiveness and reconciliation –
this is how Khadija perceived the gesture. Her face lit up upon taking the bag of sweets
from Kaltoum. However, the bag of sweets may also be an insult since it was a bag of
cheap sweets handed to Khadija in an attempt to get her out of the shop. It is after
Kaltoum gave her these cheap sweets that Khadija does not return to the store,
implying that she got the unspoken message that she was not welcome there anymore.

11. Do you think Kaltoum is putting up a front that she does not love her sister or is she
real in her feelings of disdain? (3)
Open-ended.

12. Open-ended response. Kaltoum is a coward. Discuss your view. (3)

Open-ended

