The story "The Ultimate Safari" takes place in Mozambique, a country in Africa. At the time this story was written, Mozambique was going through a difficult period in it's history. Civil war was threatening the lives of many, and speaking out against the government could get you arrested or killed. Nadine Gordimer knew of these dangers and even helped to hide some of her friends from danger, putting herself at great risk. She knew that writing openly about the terrible things in going on in Mozambique could get her killed, and many of her books were banned. For this reason she chose to use a large amount of symbolism in "The Ultimate Safari."
When reading, you are told that the girl's grandmother and grandfather are very different. The grandmother is strong and big, where as her husband is thin and frail. The grandmother becomes a point of stregth for the children, and gives them the help they need to continue their journey. In a way she represents the strong will of all the refugees to survive and work toward peace. As the story progresses the family starts to move through the Kruger park. They must remain very quiet and cannot light any fires, if they are found they will be sent back home. One day, the grandfather is not feeling well and leaves to be alone while going to the bathroom. He never returns and they spend a day or two searching for him without ever finding him. The disappearances of the girl's mother and grandfather should not be over looked. The author is trying to make the readers aware that these things really are occuring. People leave for the store or for a walk, and never return. This leaves their families wondering what to do and how to move on.
One of the biggest uses of symbolism in the story is how Gordimer speaks of lions. The lions are very dangerous, much like the feared rebel fighters, or bandits. Whenever the lions are around the group must go very far out of their way to avoid them. One night the lions invade the camp and many refugees are afraid for their lives. The leader of the group is forced to yell and flail about in order to scare the lions away and save the people. There are also references to birds, these birds are much like the rebel soldiers as well. The birds are always circling overhead and feeding on dead animals, never leaving any extra meat. The rebel fighters in Mozambique would often come into towns and set them on fire. They would steal all the valuables and food, after this they would poison the well so no one would have clean drinking water. When the people finally reach the refugee camp they find shelter under a giant tent. This tent is home to families from all over the surrounding areas who were looking for safety and proper health care. The girl in the story describes the tent as a new community, a new home. There is a mixture of people, but everyone is living under one roof, in peace. The last, but most important use of symbolism comes near the end of the story. The grandmother has found a job in town and has used the money she made to buy the children school shoes and black polish. Everyday the children must polish their shoes under the watchful eye of their grandmother. They are the only children in the entire camp that have nice school shoes, and are very proud of that. To me these shoes and polish represent hope. A hope for the future that one day better things will come. That perhaps they can return home to Mozambique and find their mother again, without the threat of war and famine. This is a hope that many people of the world share, without hope their is nothing left for people to look foward to.