the 1940’s in South Africa that shows the struggles of a black priest named Stephen Kumalo. He travels from a region called Natal to the metropolis of Johannesburg in search of his sister and son‚ Absalom. Kumalo finds out that Absalom murdered the son of a white man named James Jarvis who also lives in Natal. His worst fears come true when Absalom is hanged later in the story; however Jarvis ends up helping Kumalo to rebuild his village‚ Ndotsheni. Throughout the novel‚ Alan Paton touched on the
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Reverend Msimangu states that power is corrupt‚ John Kumalo became caught up in the never-ending chase for power‚ and the “native issue” existed ultimately because of the white people’s thirst for power. Evidently‚ power was the crux of many issues in South Africa during the 1940s-1950s. Msimangu drew an insightful point about power‚ stating that what the people viewed as “power” only corrupts‚ and that love is the real “power”. He said to Stephen Kumalo that “Some of us [natives] think when we have power
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moral reconciliation. Stephan Kumalo is often displayed as the protagonist of the book‚ even though Paton emphasizes racial differences by using the points of view of many different individuals. Throughout his journey to find his son‚ Absalom‚ Kumalo is seemingly fighting an inner battle. Kumalo can be seen slowly diminishing‚ mentally and emotionally‚ as the outcome keeps taking turns for the worse. The first time where Kumalo weakens‚ is when he receives the letter from Msimangu
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Africa. Although the government has intervened to protect the people‚ some of these effects are still present in our societies. The setting begins in a small village in South Africa where Reverend Stephen Kumalo receives a letter asking him to go to Johannesburg to help his ill sister. Kumalo gets together all their savings and takes a train hoping to find not only his sister but also his son who left and never returned. In the city he finds the pastor who sent this letter who welcomes him and helps
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Cry‚ the Beloved Country and Injustice‚ Fear‚ and Family Nothing is ever perfect. All systems have their flaws. Sometimes more flaws than any good. That was the way it was in South Africa during the apartheid‚ people had to break away from the family and their tradition just to get food and a little money. The corrupt government spread ideas of inequality and injustice‚ forcing people to live in fear of their lives. In his protest novel‚ Cry‚ the Beloved Country‚ Alan Paton uses the interaction
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the good friends? These are the ones Kumalo kept. He made it clear what kind of friends he chose when he was speaking to Absalom‚ “You mean they were the kind of friends that a good man could choose‚ upright‚ hard-working‚ obeying the law?” Msimangu was exactly this kind of friend. Instead of just looking out for himself‚ he often put Kumalo’s well-being before his own. This man truly cared about others‚ a rare and wonderful quality. As if being there for Kumalo and helping him deal with Absalom’s
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Although Alan Paton’s novel‚ Cry‚ the Beloved Country‚ is centered around the apartheid in South Africa‚ he explores forgiveness and the choice to cast someone aside. Paton’s two main characters‚ James Jarvis‚ a white farmer‚ and Reverend Stephen Kumalo‚ a black pastor‚ search to forgive throughout the novel. These men chose to welcome the ability to forgive and be forgiven in their lives. Many people don’t realize that forgiveness is a choice - it is an integral part of our lives - perhaps even
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South Africa. It alludes to and sometimes even blatantly states the conditions necessary for the end of apartheid and the beginning of peace. South Africa in the 1940’s was in trouble. Kumalo‚ a priest‚ was able to see through the prejudices of the world and assess the situation. When inconvenient to involve Kumalo in the investigation‚ the depth of South Africa’s disparity was illustrated directly through the stories of horrifying happenings in character’s conversations. Finally‚ we see that Msimangu
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In Cry‚ the Beloved Country by Alan Paton‚ he shows us a final moment when Kumalo goes to the top of a mountain overlooking East Griqualand. He then repents his sins‚ gives thanks for those who helped him‚ conducts a personal communion‚ then mourns the hanging of his son as the sun rises. Contrast and diction used by the author evoke an elegiac sentiment in the reader‚ and‚ moreover‚ creates an auspicious atmosphere. This passage acts as closure for the death of Absalom and‚ accordingly‚ the strife
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gone and the Earth will turn against the people. In the novel‚ Cry‚ the Beloved Country‚ the reader can see that the land is going to be an essential part. Paton uses the country to represent many of the happenings that contribute to the journey of Kumalo. Paton describes the land as sacred. The belief of the people is that the land will always support them and in return the land is something that they can exist on only if it is looked after and cared for. In the very first chapter Paton writes
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