cry the beloved country1

A detailed Summary of cry the beloved country1

Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, is the timeless novel about South Africa in the 1940's. As powerful white men use the land for their own benefit, the tribal system of the African natives is broken down and replaced by poverty, homelessness, fear, and violence. A black priest, Stephen Kumalo, ventures to the great city of Johannesburg in search of his lost sister and son. His journey demonstrates the unhealthy lifestyle and mutinous atmosphere of the black people; yet he is the beholder of forgiveness, love, hope, and the restoration of a country overwhelmed with problems.

The blacks in big cities, such as Johannesburg, are fearful of white men because they have all the power. They own the mines and factories, and make and carry out the laws. When fear is so deeply ingrained in a society, it can cause people to strike out in violence, or to submit and be voiceless to unjust authority. "Have no doubt it is fear in her eyes? 'I have nothing to tell,?she said. 'You have nothing to tell because you are afraid.'"(Pg. 46-47) The woman, Mrs. Mkize, is one of the many blacks who are terrified by the whites. She doesn't want the police to come to her house, and does not know if she can tr

Because there was such unnecessary hatred in South Africa, a young woman, Amy Beihl, was murdered. Ironically, she was working for the rights of the black people by whom she was arbitrarily killed. This relates directly to Cry, the Beloved Country, because Arthur Jarvis was killed much in the same way. The character of Msimangu was correct when he predicted that in the future his people would be too full of hate to allow changes to occur in South Africa.

This is exactly the frame of mind in which Jarvis so chivalrously aids the restoration of Ndosheni. There are many emotions Jarvis could have choosen to pursue when he discovered the connection Kumalo had with Arthur: revenge, hatred, despair. But Jarvis chose to forgive and move on.

It is this same panic that caused Absolom Kumalo to shoot Arthur Jarvis. Absolom, being a criminal, had reason to fear authority figures; and because Arthur was white, Absolom automatically associated him with supremacy and command. "'I told them I was frightened when the white man came. So I shot him. I did not mean to kill him.'"(Pg. 98) When so many white people are being killed by blacks, it can only increase the fear felt by both races: blacks because they do not wish to procure any trouble, and whites because they do not want to be the next victim.

In contrast, James Jarvis is a powerful man willing to sacrifice his time and money to restore Ndosheni. His actions were not brought

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Approximate Word count = 964
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English