HOW DOES DALENE MATTHEE REPRESENT FIELA'S CHILD'S RACE AND IDENTITY THROUGH CHARACTERIZATION? On a mountain side in Long Kloof, there is Fiela Komoetie who is devoted to her son - a three One night she finds a young boy of twenty crying on the doorstep like a castaway lamb. On the other side of the mountain, in the Forest, are the Van Rooyen. Many years ago, the three-year-old son of Elias Van Rooyen, a woodcutter, and his wife Barta disappeared. In Fiela's Child, Dalene Matthee passionately portrays ideas about identity to the reader. He uses the story of Benjamin, a white boy raised by a black woman, to communicate his thoughts on the nature of identity, not only in Benjamin's situation, but also in everyday life. Identity is popularly regarded as a combination of personality, feelings and beliefs. Fundamentally, identity defines who a person is. It is used to describe and distinguish people's personalities. It's what makes people unique. Some may believe that identity and personality are similar or the same, but personality is simply an insincere impression and does not involve a person's hidden feelings and beliefs. That is, how we were raised is what defines us; it is what we become or what we are and that cannot be changed in any way until we embrace a different culture or decide to change the way we do things. Describing how Benjamin struggles between the Komoetie and the Van Rooyen, Matthee effectively says that identity can be acquired after birth, but cannot be replaced once instilled in a person. The main character, Benjamin, finds himself as a child lost in a tropical African forest; is found and cared for by a black family for nine years and literally… half a sheet of paper… that white racism is not completely limited to South Africa. It is possible, for example, that some whites in America might gain in humanity if they could say with an open heart, "My mother is Africa." Here are some quotes from readers: "Everything a novel can be: compelling, inspiring, shocking, unforgettable and timeless." - Grace Ingoldby, "Fiela's Child is a pageant that broadens and humanizes our understanding of the conflicts that still affect Southern Africa today." - Francis Levy Works Cited (1992, September 1). Retrieved February 26, 2013, from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fielas-Phoenix-Fiction-Dalene-Matthee/dp/0226510832Garg, R. (2008, November 7). Retrieved February 26, 2013, from Marked By Teachers: http://www.markedbyteachers.com/international-baccalaureate/linguals/fiela-s-child-identity.htmlMatthee, D. (2010). Dalene Matthee's books. 1.