864 Paton, Alan
PaToN, aLaN Cry, the Beloved
Country (1948)
Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country is a tale set
in pre-apartheid South Africa, where an informal,
social segregation precedes the more famous for-
malized institution of apartheid. The novel follows
a black priest, Stephen Kumalo, on his journey to
the great city of Johannesburg as he searches for his
long-lost family members. Kumalo’s journey is not
a happy one as he finds his sister living in squalor,
raising a child on her own. His brother, John, is a
rich civil rights activist whose selfishness and lack
of piety are contrary to Stephen’s gentler, devout
nature. Worst of all, he eventually discovers that
his son, Absalom, is under arrest for the murder
of Arthur Jarvis, a white activist who sympathized
heavily with the native struggle for equality.
Due to a chance happening, Kumalo meets
James Jarvis, the father of the man killed by Absa-
lom. In a powerful scene, the ashamed Kumalo is
unable to even stand upon seeing the man whom
his son caused so much pain. Sadly, Absalom is sen-
tenced to death, whereas his coconspirators are set
free. However, the shared suffering of Kumalo and
James Jarvis leads to an unlikely friendship. Jarvis
donates water, supplies, and training to the people of
Kumalo’s small, struggling village, vastly improving
the quality of life for the poor black natives.
This tale is important in that it highlights the
suffering and struggle of a nation divided racially,
culturally, and economically. The native tribal struc-
ture has been destroyed, and a capitalist system has
been imposed on the country. There is rampant
crime, widespread poverty, and economic inequality.
However, the story ends on a hopeful note, as Paton
uses Kumalo and Jarvis to demonstrate the notion
that all South Africans must selflessly work together
and improve the state of their nation.
Kevin Fitzgerald
FamILy in Cry, the Beloved Country
Throughout Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country,
the theme of family takes a central role in the nar-
rative, best exhibited through the Kumalo and Jarvis
families. While Kumalo and Jarvis have strong ideas
of family that are tied to loyalty and love, other char-
acters, such as John Kumalo, shun the traditional
notion of family loyalty if that shunning results
in personal gain. The idea of the family seems to
be in peril throughout the novel, as characters like
Kumalo are faced with alienated kin, a disintegrating
tribal structure, and a society that is not conducive to
traditional family values.
Of course, the most prominent display of this
theme is the relationship between Kumalo and his
immediate family. Kumalo is already sad that he has
lost touch with many of his family members follow-
ing their migration to Johannesburg. His brother,
sister, and son have all moved from his small tribal
village to search for a new livelihood in the great
city. One day, he receives a letter from a fellow priest,
stating that his sister, Gertrude, is in grave danger.
He decides to make the journey to Johannesburg
and attempt to save his sister; he also decides that
he will attempt to locate the rest of his family while
he is there.
When Kumalo arrives at Johannesburg, he finds
that Gertrude has spent time in prison for prostitu-
tion and has mothered a child out of wedlock. He
is quick to help her and save the child from a life of
crime and poverty. A strong notion of family sur-
faces, as Kumalo is quick to love the child, despite
not even previously knowing of his existence. Also,
he is willing to take his sister and nephew to his
village of Ndotsheni and care for them. Gertrude
seems to genuinely want to change her ways and
repent for her sins. However, she runs off the day
before returning to the village, leaving behind her
son, whom Kumalo decides to keep.
After finding his sister, Kumalo has another
unpleasant experience with his brother. Initially, he
is enthused to discover that John has gained fame
as a politician and speaker. However, he is saddened
to discover that John has renounced the Catholic
Church, finding its teachings ineffective. While
proud of his brother’s great influence, Kumalo is
upset that he would deny his religion. There is a
small sense of betrayal in Kumalo, which is only to
be mirrored by John Jr.’s future betrayal of Absalom.
Kumalo’s final encounter with a family member
is by far his most trying. He embarks on a long
and mysterious search for his son that leads him to
Shanty Town, where he finds his son’s girlfriend,
who is pregnant. He also discovers that Absalom