Debbie Otenaike
Mr. Marc Batson
Ap Literature
21/09/15
Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis
In most fictional novels there is an existence of two main characters, a protagonist or the hero of the story, and an antagonist that might be portrayed as the villain. However this is not always the case. In Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton, the notions of protagonist and antagonist rivalry is ignored as the author creates parallel lives for the two main characters Stephen Kumalo, and James Jarvis. By sharing the similar experience of losing a child, Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis, disconnected not just by race but also distance, informs one about the other by revealing similar traits under their grief. Both Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis are searching for their sons physically, and emotionally through out the course of the novel, thus showing the fact that the two men lacked a relationship with them and knew not who their sons really were. Kumalo’s search for his son is more physical as he does not even know the location of his son, whereas Jarvis’s search for his son is about trying to figure out who his son really is. For example, when John Harrison was talking to Jarvis and his wife about Arthur, his son, “Jarvis filled his pipe slowly, and listened to this tale of his son, to this tale of a stranger” …show more content…
There is no protagonist or antagonist in the novel, both men share the same experiences but through different lenses of the world. Jarvis from a wealthy importuned perspective, and Kumalo from a lower, less privileged perspective. Both men are put through suffering, but through their suffering learn to feed energy of each other, to open up their hearts and to try and help fix the inequality that exists. Alan Paton explores the righteous way to handle the loss of someone special and how to turn a negative situation into a constructive
Mr. Marc Batson
Ap Literature
21/09/15
Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis
In most fictional novels there is an existence of two main characters, a protagonist or the hero of the story, and an antagonist that might be portrayed as the villain. However this is not always the case. In Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton, the notions of protagonist and antagonist rivalry is ignored as the author creates parallel lives for the two main characters Stephen Kumalo, and James Jarvis. By sharing the similar experience of losing a child, Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis, disconnected not just by race but also distance, informs one about the other by revealing similar traits under their grief. Both Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis are searching for their sons physically, and emotionally through out the course of the novel, thus showing the fact that the two men lacked a relationship with them and knew not who their sons really were. Kumalo’s search for his son is more physical as he does not even know the location of his son, whereas Jarvis’s search for his son is about trying to figure out who his son really is. For example, when John Harrison was talking to Jarvis and his wife about Arthur, his son, “Jarvis filled his pipe slowly, and listened to this tale of his son, to this tale of a stranger” …show more content…
There is no protagonist or antagonist in the novel, both men share the same experiences but through different lenses of the world. Jarvis from a wealthy importuned perspective, and Kumalo from a lower, less privileged perspective. Both men are put through suffering, but through their suffering learn to feed energy of each other, to open up their hearts and to try and help fix the inequality that exists. Alan Paton explores the righteous way to handle the loss of someone special and how to turn a negative situation into a constructive