Jump and Other Stories

The main character of the title story, the soldier begins his story contained in a hotel room. His parents, looking for better economic opportunities, moved from Europe to South Africa, where he’s born. His family’s immigration to South Africa echoes many immigrant stories. As a youth, the soldier assimilates into their culture by enrolling in a parachute group, but the racial segregation in South Africa eventually drives the soldier and his family to resent their Black neighbors. The solider is arrested by Black soldiers on the beach for taking pictures and spends time in jail. After his release, he’s filled with malice: “They had smashed his camera and locked him up like a black and he hated them and their government and everything they might do, whether it was good or bad” (8). His hate drives him to become a counter-revolutionary, a war criminal. His story concludes with him trapped and debating suicide. He reflects and sees his journey in life is one of regret: “He is not listening: the swell and clash, the tympani of conflict, the brass of glory, the chords of thrilling resolve, the maudlin strings of regret, the pauses of disgust—they come from inside him” (4).