“God! she screamed in her heart, take everything I have! Take the whole lot, but don’t take Benjamin!”

Even though Benjamin does not look like her other children—he is white—he seems to be her favorite. She goes to great lengths to raise him, to fight to keep him, and to keep him in her memory once he is taken away. It seems that an act of providence placed him on her doorstep, and perhaps this is what gives her the additional feeling of attachment and responsibility for him. 

“Why the good God had to leave the hens so grey and dull and give all the beauty to the males, no one could tell” 

The women in the novel work harder, physically, than their husbands. Barta shoulders the load because Elias becomes trapped inside from his fear of the elephants. Fiela works because Selling is physically exhausted, unhealthy, and limited. What the women have is physical beauty, except in the curious inversion of the ostriches. Even in the case of Kicker and the breeding, Fiela is forced to rely on the attributes of males in order to prosper. 

“How can a man think out his plans with a woman breathing down on his neck all the time?” 

In the van Rooyen household, sexism runs rampant through Elias, the father. He blames the women in his life for most of his troubles. It is worth noting that his daughter, Nina, defies his authority at every chance, and his wife, Barta, manages to keep a secret from him for most of their lives. Ultimately, the most sexist character is shown little respect.