Notable, on one view, for prefiguring the concerns of Gordimer's later fiction – it too "interrogates the complexities of white liberalism," and explores how legal segregation can undermine meaningful interracial relationships.

Afterwards, a young black girl thanks them for the performance – not because of its content or quality, but because "it's made us feel that perhaps we could try and occupy our leisure in such a way, and learn, ourselves, and also give other people pleasure."

After a life of thankless sacrifice, the Saiyetovitzes, who are shopkeepers, are rejected by their grown-up daughter, Miriam – they are invited to her house only once, after the birth of their grandson.

"[1] Kirkus Reviews said that the stories had "sensitivity and distinction," exhibiting "moments of deep knowledge and a penetration of the currents below the surface of action and words.

"[1] Anthony Delius lauded her "meticulous imagery and observation," as well as her tendency to end stories "in a swift emotional blow or the snapping of a tiny nerve or a dull disillusion.

[11]Contemporary studies have revisited The Soft Voice of the Serpent with a comparative eye, seeking to trace the development of Gordimer's fiction writing over time.

"[12] It also shares with her later work an interest with race and unequal power dynamics, though it tends to explore these themes through the prism of the inner life of, and personal relationships between, individuals, rather than in an overtly political way.

[12] However, John Cooke argues that Gordimer underwent significant creative change in the years following the publication of The Soft Voice.