Fear In Cry The Beloved Country

Have you ever looked into the main factors that make a plot line function? Well, in Alan Paton’s Cry, The Beloved Country, fear plays an integral role in South African society. This can be seen in how the plot moves, in the souls of African natives, and in the white society.

Fear is a major player in the lives of the native population. The quote “Deep down the fear of a man who lives in a world not made for him, whose own world is slipping away, dying, being destroyed, beyond any recall,” (Pg 44) describes how the old tribal system that most natives have relied upon for thousands of years is being destroyed and replaced by a modern “democracy”. This new government has been made mostly for whites by whites, and left natives lost and quite fearful. Because of this, many of the lost natives have turned to criminal ways to survive and avoid the fear of death, these
They also have a number of fears. One thing whites are scared of is crime, specifically native crime. The quote “I tell you, Jarvis, we’re scared stiff… Yes, of native crime.” (Pg 173) shows once again that crime is a very large problem for the whole population, not limited to blacks or whites. Many of the crimes are hinted to be violent ones, like break-ins and attacks, which are much scarier than other crimes. However, there is a much greater fear. The quotes “It would be a serious matter if there was a strike. For there are three hundred thousand black miners here” (page 222) and “But they can do great damage … and bring the great industry of South Africa to a standstill” (page 223) shows the other fear. The fear is that of the black majority realizing that they have more power than the white minority. It shows in the numbers. There are only a few white mine owners but hundreds of thousands of black miners, and if they wanted, they could bring South Africa to a screeching halt. This is scary thought if you are the one in power, and want to stay in