Alan Patons Cry the Beloved Country Essay - 907 Words

Alan Patons Cry the Beloved Country The book I have chosen to write about is Cry the Beloved Country. This book is about ambiguity and reconciliation. The main character in the story Stephan Kumalo has to deal his the struggle of his family, and trying to keep them together. The first few chapters of this book are place in a small town called Ndotshenti. But the action in this takes place in the largest city on South Africa, Johannesburg. Stephan Kumalo finds out there can be day light even when nothing in you life is going right. The area of Ndoshenti is known as the â€Å"Velds†, which in Zulu means the green grassland. The rural country is what describes Ndotshenti best; on the other side of the town lies the European†¦show more content†¦Stephan Kumalo decides to take a trip to the big city, to see if he can find his sister, and hopefully bring her back to his house. While there, he also planned to visit his brother John and see if knows the whereabouts of his son. So, he packs his bags and tells the people of the church he will be home in a few days. He arrives in Johannesburg and immediately he feels out of place. The reason for this is because he is not use to seeing the fast life. Industrialization is a new phenomenon for Stephan Kumalo. Hustlers immediately notice he is a countryman out of place, and take advantage oh Stephan Kumalo. He looses most of his money but finds a kind man to get him to where his brother lives. The next day he and his brother have an extensive conversation about their lives. John Kumalo tells Stephan that his son and Absalom are wondering about the city together. Stephan is not happy with his son’s decision to come to the big city. His brother tells him that there is nothing for young men in the countryside and there is an abundant amount of jobs for men his age in the big city. Next, Stephan hits the streets of Johannesburg trying to find his sister Gertrude and bring her back to Ndotshenti. Stephan fins her at a run-down motel and tells her what she has to. She agrees and she go gets her son and they prepare to leave with Stephan. When Stephan first takes a look at her he cam immediately see theyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Alan Patons Cry The Beloved Country847 Words   |  4 PagesReverend Stephen Kumalo, the protagonist of Alan Paton’s novel Cry, the Beloved Country, lives in the countryside of Ndotsheni. The countryside is in drought, over-farmed, and the land is dying. Despite all this, it is still representative of home and peace to the characters in the novel. It is the home of traditions and old trivial rules. However, a consistent theme it brings is young people leaving for the city, and therefore bringing new messages to South Africa as a whole. The novel presentsRead MoreAnalysis Of Alan Patons Cry, The Beloved Country962 Words   |  4 Pagesbut not doing anything to try and fix it will ultimately not solve the issue of racial division. In the novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, a wise man named Msimangu, and Arthur Jarvis, a well-respected activist, are characters that seek an end to the racial divide in the country of South Africa. Msimangu and Arthur Jarvis each uniquely seek an end to division in their country through teaching hope and working for justice. Msimangu teaches Stephen Kumalo about his hope for South AfricaRead MoreA Comparison of Country and City Life in Alan Patons Cry the Beloved Country602 Words   |  3 PagesThe country and the city life depicted in Alan Patons novel Cry, The Beloved Country portray two different aspects of life in South Africa in the later half of the 1940s. The country life in the book is Ndotsheni and the city life is Johannesburg. Neither country life or city life would be considered perfect. Both living areas enjoyed positive aspects and negative drawbacks. The country was looked at as the backward part of South Africa, and the city was looked at as the advanced part of SouthRead MoreFamilies Breaking Apart in Alan Patons Cry: The Beloved Country 754 Words   |  3 PagesIn Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton shows us how two families are breaking apart. The natives are suffering but they are not the only one who are suffering. A white person’s family is also falling apart. Stephen Ku malo is a native from Ndotsheni and he has trouble with his family from the start. John Jarvis is a white person and he is also experiencing trouble with his family. Stephen Kumalo’s family is in a bad condition. His sister, Gertrude, and his son, Absalom, left Ndotsheni a long timeRead More The True Meaning of Cry, the Beloved Country Essay1426 Words   |  6 PagesThe True Meaning of Cry, the Beloved Country      Ã‚  Ã‚   Many debates have been sparked by Alan Patons Cry, the Beloved Country.   Even the essence of the books title examines South Africa and declares the presence of the inner conflict of its citizens. The importance and meaning of the title of Cry, the Beloved Country is visible in Patons efforts to link the reader to forthcoming ideas in the novel, Patons description of South Africas problems, and Patons prayer for the solution of SouthRead More Cry the Beloved Country Movie versus Film Essay1055 Words   |  5 Pages Cry, the Beloved Country is a moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom. They live in an Africa torn apart by racial tensions and hate. It is based on a work of love and hope, courage, and endurance, and deals with the dignity of man. The author lived and died (1992) in South Africa and was one of the greatest writers of that country. His other works include Too Late the Phalarope, Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful, and Ta les from a Troubled Land. The book was madeRead MoreCry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton838 Words   |  3 Pagesindividuals. Alan Paton examines this problem in Cry, the Beloved Country. Throughout the story, Paton adds specific personalities to his characters to contribute to change. Characters in Cry, the Beloved Country went through hardships that changed them to realize reality and its outcomes. Paton accordingly creates a picture throughout his story to explain the problems in South Africa. There are many contributing factors of Paton’s idea to identify as being important for change to occur in Cry, the BelovedRead MoreCry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton696 Words   |  3 PagesCry, the Beloved Country is a novel with remarkable lyricism written by Alan Paton. Born as a white South African, Alan Paton grew up during a time period marked by racial inequality and later became an activist against apartheid. He was a devout Christian so many of his writings reflect Christian faith. As an activist, he wrote many books about South Africa and racial injustice. While traveling around Europe, he began writing Cry, the Beloved Country, which was published in 1948. That same yearRead MoreEssay on Racism Exposed in Cry, the Beloved Country1121 Words   |  5 PagesRacism Exposed in Cry, the Beloved Country      Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of Cry, the Beloved Country, is to awaken the population of South Africa to the racism that is slowly disintegrating the society and its people.   Alan Paton designs his work to express his views on the injustices and racial hatred that plague South Africa, in an attempt to bring about change and understanding. The characters that he incorporates within his story, help to establish a sense of the conditionsRead MoreApartheid and The Future of South Africa in Cry, The Beloved Country1044 Words   |  5 PagesArthur, Napoleon, and Msimangu, all characters from Alan Paton’s book, Cry, The Beloved Country, are used to share Paton’s points of view on the future of South Africa and the apartheid. Paton uses these characters to represent specific views; Arthur expresses clearly that the apartheid isn’t the right way to progress as a country, Napoleon exemplifies how Paton thinks people should take the anti-apartheid effort, and Msimangu explicitly expresses Paton’s ideas of an ideal leader. Arthur Jarvis was the