Discuss the issues that cause the women Helen, Elsa, Katrina, and Patience in the play to despair. Reflect on whether these issues are tied to the setting of the play or the historical time in which the play is set.

The female characters in The Road to Mecca exhibit little hope for a fulfilling future life. Miss Helen is elderly and fears that her creativity is slipping away; the fulfillment that art brings her will not be available to stave off despair. Elsa is concerned for her friend’s well-being, but even more so, she is preoccupied with second-guessing her decision to have an abortion. Katrina’s desperation inheres in being young and feeling trapped; although only a teenager, she is already married and pregnant, and her husband physically abuses her. Patience, of whom we learn from Elsa, can be considered desperate because poverty affects her maternal responsibilities, as she must walk many miles with her child.
The play is set in the early 1970s, a period when South Africa was in the grip of an oppressive political system. Helen’s creative freedom began only after her husband’s death. Elsa expresses more social consciousness of the contradictions of women’s options; she explains that the townspeople are threatened by Helen’s work because it does express her freedom. Katrina’s difficulties are compounded by the discrimination codified in apartheid. Elsa works with students of color, but her attitudes are condescending. The play overall focuses on the white people’s problems.