Cry The Beloved Country Analysis

Cry, The Beloved Country, a book written by Alan Paton, is a novel about a man trying to find his lost family, but all the while describing the racial injustices of South Africa. It takes place in South Africa during the times of the apartheid, and shows many examples of just how bad the racial segregation was. This book was very enlightening in the aspect of racial injustice by showing how it affects the lives of the ones being discriminated. This book was split into three different sections, all telling basically the same story but from different aspects. The first section was told by Stephen Kumalo, the main character. It starts with an anonymous narrator describing the land of South Africa and how it is tired and cannot take anymore. It then shifts to Stephen Kumalo. He begins telling the story of how he got a letter from Msimangu about his sick sister, Gertrude. Once he arrives in Johannesburg, he finds that it is completely different from what he is used to in his homeland. He eventually finds his sister and realizes that she is not sick at all in the physical sense, but she is mentally sick as she is a prostitute and sells illegal liquor. After he finds his sister, he then sets out on a quest to find his son. They visit many people along the way. It is …show more content…
It tells the story of a man trying to find his long lost family that never returned home, and intertwines his life with that of a white farmer. They eventually get past all of the racial injustice that is taking place around them and end up good friends despite the tragedy between their families. This is a book that should be widespread and read by all high school students who do not know what racial injustice is like. Ultimately, this book is very enlightening in the aspect of racial injustice by showing how it affects the lives of the ones being discriminated and everything around