The major theme recognized in this story “The Moment Before the Gun” is metaphorical, because the author has cleverly symbolized the tone of the story by the title. of the theme, which also represents the period of the African segregation period where a hidden relationship between a white father (Van der) and his illegitimate black son Lucas, bonded during their twenty-three short years of living and working at the Shared farm and hunting expeditions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. To the outside world, it simply looked like a white farmer, Van der, employing the labor and skills of a young black boy, Lucas, to help him. the farm, but in reality it was the hidden lifestyle of a black boy and a white man living in Africa during the era of racial segregation, Van der was a man of community and security , who was also married to a white woman with children of his own, none of whom knew that the black boy named Lucas was the illegitimate son. This was the secret that presented itself after that tragic moment when the white farmer and his black son were on their way to a hunting adventure. , the boy standing in the back of the truck as he always did to observe the prey, his father driving the vehicle, when the loaded gun inside the cab exploded while driving over a bump from the road, the bullet came between the two men, killing the black boy and pushing him out of the truck, the man turned around and got out to run towards the boy, picked him up and noticed that he had been shot, tragically leading him to the police station. to innocently confess to the accident. The truth came out when Van der presented his police report, telling the police it was an accident, crying that he loved the boy, that he was more to him than a farm worker, he (Lucas) was his son. Guilt racked by grief and loss, not only for the death of his illegitimate black son, but also for having to keep the personal nature of the strong bond between father and son a secret, a secret hidden even from Lucas, but now at twenty -three years old, Lucas died from an accidental shooting, and knowing in his heart that a child's love should be openly expressed. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay He also knew that he would suffer the double tragedy due to this black and white political conflict, the irony of that which politically dominated and infested Africa with racial hatred and segregation. How he cried and silently remembered the sweetness of this secret real-life situation, his hidden affair with Lucas's mother and times spent with his son, times when blacks and whites had no no social boundaries in what was once a gentle place in time. Before the gun goes off.'