This meant that the white people were in control of the black people. The play was written around the 1970's when there was Apartheid in South Africa. After the apartheid had finished the play was more about how people overcame pressure and stress.
When the play was first preformed it was more like a political play, but audiences see it as based more on the human spirit. The Island was written by Fugard to show the situation between whites and blacks in South Africa. The play is all about contrasts in personal and political conflict.
How does Athol Fugard present personal and political conflict in the opening scene of the Island? Athol fugard presents the opening scene in a number of ways.