Heart of Charity There were approximately 4,586,838 white people in the country of South Africa, amounting to 8.9% of the country's population in the 1940’s. Many natives in Africa during this time became filled with fear and uncertainty that they would never reclaim their country again since the white man was taking it over. In “Cry, the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton, James Jarvis, a white man and a loving father, eventually exhibits an understanding and sympathy for the people of South Africa. Paton emphasizes that although Jarvis transgressed throughout his life, he later began to heal his relationship with the natives of South Africa with discernment and charity in his ations. His son Arthur Jarvis, a white male who lived in Johannesburg,
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Infact, when James Jarvis discovered what Arthur did for a living and what he represented, he explains his relationship with his boy: “My son and I didn’t see eye to eye on the native question, John. In fact he and I got quite heated about it on more than one occasion” (Paton 170). Jarvis acknowledged that he and his son had not always seen “eye to eye,” as noted in the book. In fact, James Jarvis had never seen eye to eye with anyone. James lived as a man of power, so “he had given little time in his life to the savoring, and judging of words” (Paton 188). Arthur and James Jarvis’ impressions of societal problems were different on many levels. Yet, after his son died an untimely death, James begins to examine and consider what his son composed in his letters before he died. He digests the content of his son’s letters, he realizes how tenacious he had been with merely trusting others’ assessments of the societies’ split, and that he needed to be forgiven and redeemed. In general, whites during this period were lacking knowledge on how the natives lived from day to …show more content…
Jarvis was a man of power and strength, but when his son died, it made him realize how he has been using his power in the wrong way. He began to start listening to the natives, helping them, and beginning to build relationships with them. Through life, humans have a tendency to think of only themselves and the people they love, and they tend to not look beyond that fence of people. Unlike the common person, James Jarvis teaches that it is never too late to start making an impact. Therefore, Jarvis gives an example of Jesus’ heart towards the disadvantaged, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brother, you did it to me” (ESV Matthew
Infact, when James Jarvis discovered what Arthur did for a living and what he represented, he explains his relationship with his boy: “My son and I didn’t see eye to eye on the native question, John. In fact he and I got quite heated about it on more than one occasion” (Paton 170). Jarvis acknowledged that he and his son had not always seen “eye to eye,” as noted in the book. In fact, James Jarvis had never seen eye to eye with anyone. James lived as a man of power, so “he had given little time in his life to the savoring, and judging of words” (Paton 188). Arthur and James Jarvis’ impressions of societal problems were different on many levels. Yet, after his son died an untimely death, James begins to examine and consider what his son composed in his letters before he died. He digests the content of his son’s letters, he realizes how tenacious he had been with merely trusting others’ assessments of the societies’ split, and that he needed to be forgiven and redeemed. In general, whites during this period were lacking knowledge on how the natives lived from day to …show more content…
Jarvis was a man of power and strength, but when his son died, it made him realize how he has been using his power in the wrong way. He began to start listening to the natives, helping them, and beginning to build relationships with them. Through life, humans have a tendency to think of only themselves and the people they love, and they tend to not look beyond that fence of people. Unlike the common person, James Jarvis teaches that it is never too late to start making an impact. Therefore, Jarvis gives an example of Jesus’ heart towards the disadvantaged, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brother, you did it to me” (ESV Matthew