Book Review – Cry, the Beloved Country

Alan Paton’s Classic Tale of the Tragedy of Apartheid

Jun 12, 2009

First published in 1948, Cry, the Beloved Country established Paton as one of South Africa's greatest writers and remains a world classic today.

Although the novel is set in South Africa, Cry, the Beloved Country was actually written while the author was on a tour that took him to Europe and the United States. The manuscript was finished in San Francisco and sent to various American publishers by a couple in Fairfax, California. It was quickly picked up by Scribner and became an overnight bestseller.

The Beauty of South Africa

Many critics and readers alike will agree that the land of South Africa is actually one of the most important characters in the novel. Paton paints a hauntingly beautiful portrait of his native land, which makes the evil that takes place in it under apartheid even more tragic. The title of the novel comes from a passage in which Paton personifies the beauty of the land and juxtaposes it against the fear and hatred that threaten to destroy it: “Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end. The sun pours down on the earth, on the lovely land that man cannot enjoy. He knows only the fear of his heart”.

Throughout the novel, Paton draws attention to both the literal and figurative demise of the land. The apartheid system that fails to properly educate blacks leaves them ignorant of healthy farming methods and crams the majority population onto small plots of land, so that the earth becomes over-grazed and over-cultivated. The lack of available land forces young people to leave their tribes when they come of age and venture into Johannesburg, where they end up in virtual slavery in the mines or turn to crime and prostitution.

The Irony of Apartheid

The plot centers around Reverend Stephen Kumalo, an Anglican minister from the small town of Ndotsheni who journeys from his home to discover the whereabouts of his sister Gertrude and that of his only son, Absalom, both of whom left the village for Johannesburg and have not been heard from since. Paton introduces the city to the reader through the eyes of the humble, naïve parson, who is by turns in awe of and afraid of its tall buildings, modern technology and bustling streets.

Kumalo is befriended by a fellow minister named Msimangu who takes him in and helps him in his search. With Msimangu’s help, Kumalo finds Gertrude and her son before she can completely wreck her life. Unfortunately, by the time he locates Absalom, the young man has been accused in the murder of a prominent white man in the city, Arthur Jarvis.

The crime that Absalom is accused of is used by the author to effectively convey the irony of the apartheid system – whites in their attempt to subjugate the black majority become themselves enslaved to fear and victims of uprising and rebellion on the part of the repressed. Indeed, the great irony of the novel is that the man who Absalom is accused of killing is actually a leading voice in the fight of sympathetic whites seeking to uplift blacks.

Through Jarvis’ writing and the internal struggle of Msimangu, who is angry with the system but sees his anger as a sin, Paton eloquently outlines the flawed logic and racial prejudice that form the foundation of apartheid. One of the most profound statements of the novel comes from a conversation between Msimangu and Kumalo in which the former speaks of the system that keeps power away from blacks. He fears that by the time whites try to make amends, it will be too late. “ ‘I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating’”.

Redemption and Mercy

Although the ending of the novel is bittersweet, readers will be satisfied by the lesson of redemption and mercy even in the face of tragedy. Things come full circle when Jarvis’ father reaches out to Kumalo, although he is the father of his son’s killer. The elder Jarvis uses his wealth and influence to save Kumalo’s starving village and the reverend is befriended by his grandson, who is innocently unaware of the connection between his murdered father and the parson.

The relationship between the elder Jarvis, his grandson and Kumalo symbolizes the potential of a South Africa that overcomes its racial barriers and of the ability of future generations to rise above the failings of their ancestors. Cry, the Beloved Country tells not only the story of South Africa but also of the healing that results when humans find redemption in their own hearts.

The copyright of the article Book Review – Cry, the Beloved Country in African Literature is owned by Alana Tutwiler. Permission to republish Book Review – Cry, the Beloved Country in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.