Cry Beloved Country

Cry Beloved Country

Throughout the story, Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton introduces beauty and depth in details and symbolism. Paton contrasts the positive morals of the home land with the moral depravity and corruption of Johannesburg, brought on by extreme racism as well as by social and racial injustice. Paton effectively uses these contrasting settings to construct a moving novel about the social and racial injustices experienced by the native South African. Through Paton’s use of vivid details his audience is able to see the morality of the homeland through the lives of Stephen Kumalo and Mr. Jarvis as well as the adverse effects of Johannesburg on the lives of Absalom and Gertrude.

Paton first introduces his audience to a land of beauty and splendor saying, “these hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it… The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil. It holds the rain and mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof” (33). Paton parallels this striking and open setting with the moral righteousness and purity of the character of Pastor Stephen Kumalo. Kumalo serves as the quintessence of goodness throughout the work, and he feels that the traditions and morals of the home land provide him with his outstanding character. Both Kumalo and the home land serve to symbolize the uninfluenced, unadulterated society of years past. However, soon after the readers are introduced to these rolling hills they also find that a drought and poor farming techniques are turning the green grass brown. The land’s transition from untainted to corrupt mirrors Kumalo’s evolving perception of people’s ways of life during his visit in Johannesburg. As Kumalo arrives in Johannesburg, he finds that his son is missing and his sister has become a prostitute. These details disturb Kumalo, who then attempts to “save” his family members from the evils of Johannesburg by reminding them of the moral codes of the home land. Mr....