Cry Beloved Country
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 associated with Kumalo’s journey to Johannesburg. Nevertheless, it tries to foreshadow the rebirth of Ndotsheni and the valley of Umzimkulu. Consequently, this passage means to show both Ndotsheni and South Africa are entering a new age of prosperity
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The first instance of this being demonstrated is immediately after Kumalo wakes up, “he thought of all those that were suffering”. (Paton, 310) His first thought after waking is that of all those who have suffered as a result of the socioeconomic and political injustices of apartheid. This is akin to Jesus in Hebrews 2:9 who discovered the suffering of his people and awoke to the anguish, leading him to preach the word of God in that troubling time. He then thinks of Absalom’s wife, “she was loving enough, but this husband had given her so little, no more than her others had done.” (Paton, 310) The story of Absalom’s wife is reminiscent of the story of Ruth, as she had to move from home due to poor conditions and her husband died. Continuing on this analogy, Kumalo acts as the supporting figure, much like Boaz in the book of Ruth, providing food, shelter, and a small source of income. Towards the later phase of Kumalo’s grieving, he mentions Jarvis’ grief as he was “bereaved of his wife and his son, and his daughter-in-law bereaved of her husband, and her children bereaved of their father”. (Paton, 310) For a black man in South Africa at the time to lament so profusely for a white man is uniquely rare due to the divide caused by apartheid. The intensity with which Kumalo mourned is apparent through the repetition of “bereaved”, which is written thrice in this particular sentence.
The first instance of this being demonstrated is immediately after Kumalo wakes up, “he thought of all those that were suffering”. (Paton, 310) His first thought after waking is that of all those who have suffered as a result of the socioeconomic and political injustices of apartheid. This is akin to Jesus in Hebrews 2:9 who discovered the suffering of his people and awoke to the anguish, leading him to preach the word of God in that troubling time. He then thinks of Absalom’s wife, “she was loving enough, but this husband had given her so little, no more than her others had done.” (Paton, 310) The story of Absalom’s wife is reminiscent of the story of Ruth, as she had to move from home due to poor conditions and her husband died. Continuing on this analogy, Kumalo acts as the supporting figure, much like Boaz in the book of Ruth, providing food, shelter, and a small source of income. Towards the later phase of Kumalo’s grieving, he mentions Jarvis’ grief as he was “bereaved of his wife and his son, and his daughter-in-law bereaved of her husband, and her children bereaved of their father”. (Paton, 310) For a black man in South Africa at the time to lament so profusely for a white man is uniquely rare due to the divide caused by apartheid. The intensity with which Kumalo mourned is apparent through the repetition of “bereaved”, which is written thrice in this particular sentence.