A Chance for Equality
Struggle is evident in every individuals life and for some, there is more struggle than others. Some believe that fighting for what a person believes in can be worth it the struggle. Racial struggle can be extremely difficult and demoralizing. In the novel, Waiting for the Rain, by Sheila Gordon, Gordon develops the idea that struggles result when a choice is made to defy conformity. Racial equality may become possible if struggles are overcome. For Tengo, defying conformity becomes a struggle because he tries to get education. As a result of this, Oom Koos the farmer becomes his biggest liability. Oom Koos tries his best to keep Tengo on the farm, but he is confident that once Tengo experiences "...the stink and dirt and noise of the city..." he will come running home (Gordon, 82). This is a scare tactic coming from Oom Koos that he tries to force upon Tengo, but Tengo pays no attention to it. Defying a master's wishes is hardly excusable, but Tengo is not going to stop until he gets an education. As a result of this, Tengo would soon learn much more about the world around him than he anticipates.

Tengo overcomes his lack of education by going to Johannesburg to get more out of life than tilling the land; as do blacks who conform to Apartheid (segregation). Once he arrives, he is introduced to a white family that his aunt works for. He is told that a white priest named, "...Reverend Gilbert [who is] the minister at the Methodist church...[Tengo’s] aunt [attends, has] taken an interest in him." ( ). In addition to this, the minister agrees to catch Tengo up on his studies. Meeting selfless white people in Johannesburg persuades Tengo that there are decent people in Johannesburg. But soon Tengo’s learns about the inequality in South Africa, and he is soon presented with a chance to fight for it. "You think I should become a freedom fighter?" Tengo asks (162). "Freedom