In Sindiwe Magona’s novel Mother to Mother the protagonist, Mandisa, is telling her story to Mrs. Biehl because she is trying to help Mrs. Biehl understand the human condition and how it played a role in the tragic loss of her daughter. Mandisa is not asking Mrs. Biehl to forgive her son for his part in Amy Biehl’s death. She is not asking Mrs. Biehl to feel sympathy for Mxolisi or the people of South Africa. In fact, there are times when it almost seems like Mandisa is criticizing the intelligence of Amy Biehl for putting herself in a dangerous position by entering Guguletu. The message to Mrs. Biehl that Mandisa is trying to perpetuate is that larger circumstances had a hand in the death of Amy Biehl and that on August 25, 1993, more than one child was lost that day. The human condition can be defined as the “subconscious sense of guilt and agony” over humanity’s ability for love and sensitivity and yet at the same time can be capable of “greed, hatred, brutality, rape, murder and war” (“Definition of the Human Condition”). As humans, we have the capacity to create good in the world, but as Mandisa shows, we also have the ability to perpetuate evil. She explains to Mrs. Biehl that there was always the possibility that her daughter might have gotten “herself killed by another of these monsters that our children have become” (Magona 2). Apartheid in South Africa not only ripped the towns and families apart, it took the innocence of the children of the country and turned them into a vengeful mass, determined to make their voice heard by any means necessary. Magona’s novel opens with “My son killed your daughter” (Magona 1). From the beginning, Mandisa is not trying to hide the fact that her son is to blame. She is not in denial, nor does she try to make excuses for him. Mandisa understands that Mxolisi is at fault, but she goes on to state “you have to understand my son. Then you’ll understand w