The Road to Mecca -
latest 2021
Study Guide Answers
SUMMARY: Plot/Theme
This play is based on the facts of the life and work of Helen Martins of
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Bethseda, South Africa. In Fugard’s foreword he describes the isolated
bleakness of the area, which is offset by Mrs. Martins, who has filled her yard
with heathen statues and sculptures, all facing toward Mecca.
Helen receives an unexpected visit from her much younger friend, Elsa
Barlow, who has driven eight hundred miles from Cape Town in response to a
letter that seemed to her a cry for help. Helen’s depression has two causes:
First, she realizes that her age is catching up with her, and second, she
resents the pressure she feels to leave her Mecca and go into an old people’s
home.
A third character, the Calvinist pastor, Marius Byleveld, comes to Helen’s
house, expecting that she has decided to sign the form that will finalize her
move to the old people’s home; however, she resists and decides to continue
living as she has.
Elsa has some serious problems of her own, which she does not reveal until
the end of the play. She speaks only of the African woman carrying a baby to
whom she had given a lift, food, and money, a woman she left trudging
patiently to some unknown destination. The stage setting for this play is
pivotal to understanding the theme. Helen’s house is described as “an
extraordinary room . . . the walls—mirrors on all of them—are all of different
colors, while on the ceiling and floor are solid, multicolored geometric...
ANOTHER VERSION:
“The Road to Mecca” is the story of the elderly Miss Helen and the
interventions of her friends Elsa Barlow and Marius Byleveld. In response to
Miss Helen’s plea for help in a letter, Elsa visits with her in an attempt to
renew her spirit and confidence. Marius, concerned for Miss Helen’s wellbeing, tries to convince her to move into his church’s care home. In the midst
of trying to do what’s best for the elderly artist, beliefs and friendships are
challenged. At the end, the love [Show Less]