Nadine Gordimer is known as a writer of the modern period. The modern period was a time of inevitable ruin, disillusionment, stoicism and pessimism. His writings imaginatively and morally shape South Africa. Women were gaining more rights and Gordimer did not favor feminism in his writings, but rather racial issues. This story connects Marais Van der Vyver and a young black boy, Lucas. “The Moment Before the Gun Went Off” by Nadine Gordimer powerfully explains how the narrator's point of view, attitude, and voice reflect the view of blacks in South Africa. The point of view of "The Moment Before the Gun Went Off" is a nation divided between whites and blacks. The theme is about apartheid. This was a system of racial segregation in South Africa. The story is voiced by someone who knew Marias personally. Farmer Marias Van der Vyver accidentally kills his black servant on his way to the hunting grounds. Irony is presented when Marias reveals that his father always told him not to carry a loaded gun in the truck. Throughout the story you can feel that Marias is struggling with Lucas' death. Marias talks about other shooting stories, but this story will make headlines. Marias acts because his fate is already revealed: “He knows that the story of the Afrikaner farmer - regional party leader and commander of the local security commando - who shoots a black man who worked for him fits perfectly into their version of the South Africa. (Gordimer 2850). Even if it was an accident, the public won't see it that way. The author's attitude is described as revulsion. His opinion is that the policies are not right and should not be implemented. The anti-apartheid banners and immorality... half paper... power and persuasion. A father trapped in a situation where there is no positive outcome, where he chooses his pride over a moral decision. His integrity is clearly defined in the end when he clears his name. Racial issues and personal tragedy allow all emotions to tell the story. “The Moment before the Gun Went Off” by Nadine Gordimer effectively guides how the narrator's point of view, attitude, and voice reveal the vision of black people in South Africa. Works Cited Erritouni, Ali. "Apartheid Inequality and Postapartheid Utopia in Nadine Gordimer's July's People." Research in African Literatures 37.4 (2006): 68-84. Premier of academic research. Network. April 1, 2014. Gordimer, Nadine. "The moment before the gun went off." The Norton Anthology: English Literature. 9th ed. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: Norton, 2013. 2850-2853. Press