The Author, Alan Paton, is a dedicated and opinionated Christian, linking his writing to his beliefs. Since he was born, he has been a Catholic, giving him a deep religious background. Because of his deep Catholic background and what he’s done because of it, Bishop Clayton named him a member of a diocesan commission appointed ‘to discover what it believed to be ‘the mind of South Africa””(Callan, 35). He also developed a strong conscience because of his theological virtuesd. “Because I am Christian I am a passionate believer in human freedom, and theredore in human rights””(Blooms). Being such a passionate christian really made a big part in making him who he became and really was the foundation for events in “Cry, the Beloved Country”.
Paton’s …show more content…
He thought the Church’s duty was “to bring comfort in a desolate world through being God’s instrument of peace and His good power”(Hestenes, 106). And also “The Church was for him the home of the friends of Christ, a supernatural family united in the worship of God in a shrine where temporal distinctions of race or class or sex are transcended.”(Hestenes,106).
Religion has a huge influence in Paton’s writing as you can tell by the scenarios and characters actions. The source of inspiration for Paton’s writing came “his experience colored by his Christian ideals and his own reading and thinking”. His past religious experiences are incorporated in cry the beloved country, so you can say in a way the book is somewhat a biography, “the novel is informed by Paton’s deepest personal experiences in earlier circumstances that changed his …show more content…
Stephen Kumalo, the main character, embodies the redemptive value of suffering. Stephen is “a man committed to the Christian way in its fullest sense’ (Callan,30). Paton describes Stephen as “my humble hero” in his autobiography, A Journey Continued. Stephen’s name is connected with Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr who was cruelly stoned to death, Stephen Kumalo’s name implies the way of suffering. Thus Paton created another metaphor, this time for the Christian journey, in the character and quest of Stephen Kumalo “ who “on a spiritual level, faces the temptation and despair before going forward in faith to endure the pain of his son’s fate”. “He suffers tremendously in the quest for his son, his brother and sisters, all whom have fallen on evil days” Even though his brothers and sisters were sinners, he still risked his life to save them, showing an enormous amount of character and truly describing who he
Paton’s …show more content…
He thought the Church’s duty was “to bring comfort in a desolate world through being God’s instrument of peace and His good power”(Hestenes, 106). And also “The Church was for him the home of the friends of Christ, a supernatural family united in the worship of God in a shrine where temporal distinctions of race or class or sex are transcended.”(Hestenes,106).
Religion has a huge influence in Paton’s writing as you can tell by the scenarios and characters actions. The source of inspiration for Paton’s writing came “his experience colored by his Christian ideals and his own reading and thinking”. His past religious experiences are incorporated in cry the beloved country, so you can say in a way the book is somewhat a biography, “the novel is informed by Paton’s deepest personal experiences in earlier circumstances that changed his …show more content…
Stephen Kumalo, the main character, embodies the redemptive value of suffering. Stephen is “a man committed to the Christian way in its fullest sense’ (Callan,30). Paton describes Stephen as “my humble hero” in his autobiography, A Journey Continued. Stephen’s name is connected with Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr who was cruelly stoned to death, Stephen Kumalo’s name implies the way of suffering. Thus Paton created another metaphor, this time for the Christian journey, in the character and quest of Stephen Kumalo “ who “on a spiritual level, faces the temptation and despair before going forward in faith to endure the pain of his son’s fate”. “He suffers tremendously in the quest for his son, his brother and sisters, all whom have fallen on evil days” Even though his brothers and sisters were sinners, he still risked his life to save them, showing an enormous amount of character and truly describing who he