Alan Paton’s, Cry, the Beloved Country, is a compelling novel that really puts the reader in the perspective of South Africa during the early 1900’s. It is a story of discrimination, determination, and forgiveness. It tells the story of a brave father and leader who is willing to risk it all for his family. The novel is consistent of two main themes throughout: the breakdown of traditional family and society structures within the black African population and the economic inequalities between black and whites in South Africa. Both themes are equally important, but both also have a different meaning behind them besides the issue of segregation. This essay will break down and take a deeper look into each theme throughout the chapters of the novel and discuss the importance behind each one.
Cry, The Beloved Country begins with Reverend Stephen Kumalo receiving a letter asking him to go to Johannesburg, a city in South Africa. He is asked to come to help his sister, Gertrude, who has become sick. After some convincing, Kumalo makes the expensive and difficult journey to the city to help Gertrude and to find his son, Absalom who traveled to Johannesburg and never returned. Upon arriving in Johannesburg, Kumalo is welcomed by Msimangu, the priest who sent the letter. Kumalo soon finds out that Gertrude is a prostitute and sells liquor. He persuades her to come back to their village of Ndotsheni with her son. Kumalo and Msimangu then begin the difficult search in Johannesburg for Absalom. They visit John, Kumalo’s brother, who they found out is a successful businessman and politician. They direct them off on a series of one clue after the other to find Absalom. Kumalo eventually comes to find out that Absalom has gotten a girl pregnant and has spent time in a reformatory. While this is all taking place, news is going around announcing the death of a white crusader for racial justice named Arthur Jarvis. He has been murdered in his home by a group of burglars. At the same time, Kumalo and Msimangu come to realize that the police are searching for Absalom. Confirming their worst suspicions, Absalom is arrested for the murder of Arthur Jarvis. Absalom confesses to being at the crime scene, but also states that Matthew, John Kumalo’s son, was there as well and they did not intend to murder Jarvis. John and Kumalo are soon in battle on finding the best lawyer for their sons, even though they will worsen each other’s cases. Absalom’s pregnant girlfriend is saddened by the news, but agrees to move to Ndotsheni with Kumalo as his daughter-in-law. The police eventually bring the news to Jarvis’s father, James Jarvis, about his son’s death. He leaves immediately for Johannesburg and reads Arthur’s articles and speeches about social inequality. James begins to question his own prejudice judgements as he grieves the loss of his son. Kumalo and James meet unexpectedly and both attend Absalom’s trial. The trail is straight to the point and Absalom is sentenced to the death penalty. Before Kumalo leaves his son, he arranges a marriage for Absalom and his pregnant girlfriend and says goodbye. However, upon leaving in the morning, Kumalo comes to terms that Gertrued disappeared. He leaves with his new family and brings them to Ndotsheni. Kumalo is shaken up from the whole situation and realizes how his people have lost the structure he once taught them. James Jarvis is too having similar thoughts and reconsiders the prejudice around him. He begins to help out the village of Ndotsheni by sending them milk. He then constructs a plan to build a dam for them and hires an agricultural expert to help with their farming struggles. In return, Kumalo sends Jarvis a sympathy wreath to express sorrow when his wife dies. Jarvis sends a thank you back and offers to help build a new church for the congregation that was on the verge of transferring. Before the time of the Arthur’s death, the Jarvis and Kumalo run into each other where they express their feelings about the village and Jarvis’s grandson. They both speak and weep of Arthur before returning home.
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The novel focuses on two main settings, the South African province of Natal and the town of Johannesburg. Natal is full of lush hills and valleys and is where Kumalo is originally from. The first chapter explains it’s hills’ beauty and how it overlooks the fairest valleys of Africa (pg. ). It goes on to describe its lush grass that holds water for the streams and provides food for the cattle. As the hills drift down to valleys, the landscape begins to change. The grass is destroyed from cattle grazing and fires and look red and bare. The crops are ruined and the streams have run dry. Johannesburg is quite different than Natal for a variety of reasons. It is a much larger city with crowds of people everywhere. There are traffic lights and paved roads unlike in Natal. The dominant language in Johannesburg is Afrikaans, a Dutch based language. This is first main concept of economic difference between the black and whites. The contrast between the settings, the valleys and hills in Natal and between Natal and Johannesburg, directly relates to the inhabitants lives. The opposition between the areas in Natal represent the different ways the people are able to be productive where they live. The green grass is not only good for the cattle, but supports human life, whereas the valleys are ugly and not suitable for daily living. The contrast also depicts the underlying segregated society. The rich white rulers symbolically live at the top of the hills where living is easy and comfortable. Black South Africans are inconveniently placed in the valleys were the land is poor. The other comparison happens between the town of Natal and the city of Johannesburg. The comfort Kumalo lives in Natal is entirely different than the chaos in Johannesburg. Natal is lived in order and comfort with organization and cooperation among the people. Johannesburg is quite different. Kumalo is powerful in Natal, but as soon as he arrives in Johannesburg he is looked at as very small and weak.
Overall, a large theme for Alan Paton’s novel is that inequality leads to injustice. Black South Africans are put on a very limited amount of land compared to the white community. This land is often low on natural resources and has poor soil due to the lack of water and overuse of planting and grazing. This diminishes the land and makes it hard to live off of. For this reason, many of the inhabitants leave Ndotsheni in hopes of finding work in the cities, like Gertrude and Absalom. Johannesburg, however, provides them with only limited opportunities and a disconnection with their family that eventually leave Gertrude and Absalom to rely on an income through crime. Their lives only reflect on the rest of Johannesburg as the city is only a collection of run down neighborhoods full of black gangs that are directed towards whites. The poor burglarize and soon are caught with little sympathy. Both sides of the segregation blame the other side for the violence they created among the city. There is little understanding from either side of the segregation and the theme of inequality leading to injustice seems as if it will go on forever.
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