Cry Beloved Country

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a heartfelt novel that explores the destruction but also the coming together of a homeland. Stephen Kumalo is a priest from a small village tucked away in the hills of Africa. When Kumalo is forced to leave his small, safe village of Ndotsheni to the great city of Johannesburg, because his sister is in trouble, he is faced with the sad destruction of his homeland. Soon after arriving in Johannesburg he learns about Apartheid and how it is tearing his people and his land apart. Kumalo finds his sister and gets his first taste of how terrible things in Johannesburg really are. Once he helps his sister get out of her sad, unsafe and scary situation he begins searching for his son Absalom. Due to fear, …show more content…
Once Absalom left to Johannesburg he did not write to his father or keep in contact with him in any way. This is what ruined their relationship, people who don’t speak to each other or stay connected often lose the connection they used to have. When Kumalo first went to go see his son in jail the narrator really made a point to show how distant and unemotional they were to finally be reconnected. “There the son is brought to them. They shake hands.” (Pg. 129) This quote is an example of how distant they truly were. They didn’t hug or anything, they just simply shook hands, as if they were strangers meeting for the first time, having no emotions after not seeing each other for a long time. As people often say, “tragedy brings people closer together,” and Absalom and Kumalo are perfect examples of that. Absalom was imprisoned for the murder he committed and the entire time he was, his father tried his hardest to get him out and bring him home. A lawyer was found to try and help Absalom out of his situation, pleading that the murder was an act of fright and not on purpose. Kumalo and Absalom grew closer but in the end, Absalom was sentenced to the death penalty. “Still kneeling, the father took his son’s hands, and they were not lifeless anymore, but clung to his, seeking some comfort, some assurance. And the old man held them more strongly, and said again, be of good courage, my son.” (Pg. …show more content…
Kumalo’s faith in God was very strong in the beginning of the story, when he started to feel the pain and destruction of apartheid his faith dwindled, only to regain it once again. “The humble man reached in his pocket for his sacred book, and began to read.” (Pg. 44) When Kumalo was first traveling to Johannesburg on the train, that is what he did. He read the bible, hoping God would make everything right and easy so he could return home quickly. As time went on in Johannesburg Kumalo’s focus shifted from God to his son, his sister, and the destruction of his homeland. He talked with many people about God and their views but during his time in Johannesburg he rarely prayed or read the bible. He spoke with many other priests, but it was often about their homeland, rather than of God and his wonders. After everything in the great city was settled Kumalo headed home to Ndotsheni. When he arrived his faith seemed to come back, as if the city of Johannesburg, in all its terrible glory was satan and it had stolen the one good thing he had to hold onto, his faith. “There he prayed for the chief, and for the restoration of Ndotsheni.” (Pg. 267) After Kumalo returned to his hometown he began to pray again, for everything that needed to be recovered or helped. Clearly, Kumalo had