Cry, the Beloved Country
Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.
Cry, The Beloved Country takes place during the historical period of growing racial tension and strife that led to the political policy of apartheid in South Africa, a policy in which the ruling whites enforced a system of strict racial segregation. In the time when the book is set, this policy has not yet been officially enacted, but the novel shows how economic inequality along racial lines sows the seeds of resentment, mistrust, and fear that leads to an idea like apartheid coming to seem like the only possible corrective (even though in reality it only continues the cycle of violence, crime, incarceration, and death).
The novel shows the rise of shantytowns. Nonwhites are pushed to the fringes of their own city, where housing is almost impossible to come by, and so they are forced to erect temporary camps that quickly become permanent. The shantytowns are full of crime and sickness, only worsening the poverty of their inhabitants. Children die, desperate people commit crimes to try to escape poverty, men are thrown in jail, men are killed, increasing the resentment, fear, and poverty—the vicious cycle continues. The novel captures this vicious cycle through the story of Arthur and Absalom : Arthur is a white man dedicated to trying to solve the problems of South Africa, to try to break the cycle. But his work is cut short—quite literally, he is killed while working on his manuscript, in the middle of a sentence—by a young man, Absalom, caught up in the very system that Arthur was seeking to dismantle. There appears to be no way out of this cycle that corrupts everyone and everything it touches, except to leave the city and reconnect the broken tribe.
Racism and Apartheid ThemeTracker
Racism and Apartheid Quotes in Cry, the Beloved Country
The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again… It suited the white man to break the tribe… but it has not suited him to build something in the place of what is broken.
I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring only the good of their country, come together to work for it.
All roads lead to Johannesburg. If you are white or if you are black they lead to Johannesburg. If the crops fail, there is work in Johannesburg. If there are taxes to be paid, there is work in Johannesburg. If the farm is too small to be divided further, some must go to Johannesburg. If there is a child to be born that must be delivered in secret, it can be delivered in Johannesburg.
Some cry for the cutting up of South Africa without delay into separate areas, where white can live without black, and black without white, where black can farm their own land and mine their own minerals and administer their own laws. And others cry away with the compound system, that brings men to the towns without their wives and children, and breaks up the tribe and the house and the man, and they ask for the establishment of villages for the labourers in mines and industry.
The old tribal system was, for all its violence and savagery, for all its superstition and witchcraft, a moral system. Our natives today produce criminals and prostitutes and drunkards, not because it is their nature to do so, but because their simple system of order and tradition and convention has been destroyed. It was destroyed by the impact of our own civilization. Our civilization has therefore an inescapable duty to set up another system of order and tradition and convention. It is true that we hoped to preserve the tribal system by a policy of segregation. That was permissible. But we never did it thoroughly or honestly. We set aside one-tenth of the land for four-fifths of the people. Thus we made it inevitable, and some say we did it knowingly, that labour would come to the towns. We are caught in the toils of our own selfishness.
Cry, the Beloved Country
42 pages • 1 hour read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Book 1, Chapters 1-8
Book 1, Chapters 9-17
Book 2, Chapters 18-29
Book 3, Chapters 30-36
Character Analysis
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Discussion Questions
Compare and contrast the settings of Johannesburg and Ndotsheni. What keeps former residents of Ndotsheni in Johannesburg? What pushes people out of Ndotsheni? How does a comparison of these two settings highlight the functioning of colonialism in the text?
What are the roles of women within the novel? How do they figure into the novel’s themes and the history of colonialism?
Alan Paton includes several biblical allusions in the novel, such as the names Stephen, John, Absalom, and Theophilus. What is the literary significance of these allusions?
Don't Miss Out!
Access Study Guide Now
Related Titles
By Alan Paton
Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful
Too Late the Phalarope
Featured Collections
African Literature
View Collection
Books on Justice & Injustice
Forgiveness
Historical Fiction
Oprah's Book Club Picks
South African Literature
Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love
Cry, the Beloved Country Alan Paton
Cry, the Beloved Country literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Cry, the Beloved Country.
Cry, the Beloved Country Material
- Study Guide
Join Now to View Premium Content
GradeSaver provides access to 2360 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11007 literature essays, 2767 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.
Cry, the Beloved Country Essays
The interrelated structure of cry, the beloved country anonymous, cry, the beloved country.
Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country exhibits the effects of living in Johannesburg; though it is a city divided by race, its inhabitants lead parallel lives (Cry, the Beloved Country 33-312). The lives of the two main characters, Stephen Kumalo...
Footprints in the Sand Helen Huggins
"'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?'" (Matthew 7:3). Scholars are fast to uphold the severe wisdom of this advice, yet very few are entirely capable of following it....
Love Overcoming Fear Laura Lee
When Arthur Jarvis is shot and killed, a key event to the plot, the Bishop himself comes to the funeral and talks of "a life devoted to South Africa, of intelligence and courage, of love that cast out fear" (181). This idea of love versus fear is...
The Beloved Country Cries in Pain Tiffany Shropshire
Written at the pinnacle of South Africa's social and racial crisis, Alan Paton's novel Cry, the Beloved Country traces the struggle of two families, black and white, through their shared suffering and the devotion to their beloved country that...
The Home and Family in The House on Mango Street and Cry, the Beloved Country Tad Mehringer
The House on Mango Street and Cry, the Beloved Country both involve themes emphasizing the home and family. From the old umfundisi seeking for his prodigal son to Esperanza searching and wanting a place of her own, both of these prolific stories...
Repetition Is Key: Style and Meaning in Cry, the Beloved Country Anonymous 10th Grade
Repetition is key to the dramatic effect in chapter 12 of Cry, the Beloved Country . Three important things are repeated: the title of the novel, the laws, and separation. Repetition makes very clear the point that the author, Alan Paton, is...
Solace Adelaide Chen 10th Grade
For thousands of years, people have believed devoutly in an omnipotent spirit who watched over them, cared for them, loved them, protected them. A homely priest sheltered from the world in the rural South African countryside comes face to face...
Quest for the Son and Suffering in Cry, The Beloved Country Anonymous 10th Grade
Throughout the novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, Paton uses suffering and the quest for the son together to add to the tragic framework of the novel. Paton uses suffering, an element derived from Greek tragedy in which the main...
The Consequences of Taking a Stand: The Unconventional Approach to Themes of Justice in "Cry, the Beloved Country" Puja Harikumar 10th Grade
In Cry the Beloved Country , by Alan Paton, the theme and motifs of justice is one that is heavily discussed. However, in the world we live in, justice is not written in black and white and sometimes balancing out the unfairness of the world can...
Alan Paton's Cry, The Beloved Country, the Image of the Waste Land, and the Existential Voyage of Discovery Anonymous College
Alan Paton, in his novel Cry, The Beloved Country, reflects on the institutionalized ruling of the white colonizers over South Africa before the years of Apartheid. However, rather than being pessimistic and outrageous about the torments of his...
Liberalism, Free Will, and Racial (In)justice: A Postcolonial Reading of Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country Shashank Gupta College
According to Audrey Lorde, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.” However, it seems that Alan Paton...
- Cry, the Beloved Country
- Literature Notes
- Cry, the Beloved Country as a Novel of Social Protest
- About Cry, the Beloved Country
- Character List
- Summary and Analysis
- Book 1: Chapters 1-2
- Book 1: Chapters 3-5
- Book 1: Chapters 6-10
- Book 1: Chapters 11-14
- Book 1: Chapters 15-17
- Book 2: Chapters 18-21
- Book 2: Chapters 22-25
- Book 2: Chapters 26-29
- Book 3: Chapters 30-36
- Character Analysis
- Stephen Kumalo
- James Jarvis
- Alan Paton Biography
- Critical Essays
- Significance of Cry, the Beloved Country
- Paton's Style
- Alan Paton's Who is Really to Blame for the Crime Wave in South Africa?""
- Essay Questions
- Cite this Literature Note
Critical Essays Cry, the Beloved Country as a Novel of Social Protest
Cry, the Beloved Country has special significance because it is meant not just to entertain but to show in dramatic terms a situation to which the author objects, in order to make people think about this situation and do something to remedy it. It is a commentary on events happening yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Although the novel's setting is the Union of South Africa, which later became the Republic of South Africa, it concerns issues that belong to South Africa, the United Nations, and the world.
In 1948, Africa was composed almost entirely of colonies or protectorates of European countries. South Africa was surrounded by countries ruled by relatively friendly Europeans. Now the former colonies that have gained independence are ruled by their black majorities.
After Paton wrote this book, he and hundreds of other South Africans who opposed the policies of the government and who tried to change those policies by legal, democratic means were charged with treason and often jailed. Newspapers were closed down, and many foreign writers, magazines, books, and newspapers were banned from entering the country.
Cry, the Beloved Country is strongly influenced by the American novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, published in 1939. Like The Grapes of Wrath, Paton's novel uses the language of the Bible, has a number of parallels with the Biblical story of Job (Steinbeck's book deals with a family named Joad), and is what is called a "social protest novel."
Novels of this sort have existed almost as long as the novel form has existed. In fact, the book widely accepted as the first English novel, Samuel Richardson's Pamela, among other things points out certain evils in eighteenth-century English society. Two "social protest" novels that had a pronounced effect on society were Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast (which is about the unbearable conditions under which American sailors had to work and live more than a century ago) and Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (about the terrible treatment of immigrants in the United States and the filthy conditions of the American meat packing industry at the start of the twentieth century). Both books stunned their readers and brought about many of the reforms their authors wanted. The rights of American seamen were strengthened and broadened as a result of Dana's book, and after Sinclair's book was published not only did thousands of people stop buying canned meat because they were afraid of being poisoned by it, but President Theodore Roosevelt ordered an investigation that resulted in the Pure Food Laws passed later that same year, 1906.
Cry, the Beloved Country staggered the book reviewers and almost all who read it. It showed a picture that people not only had ignored, but hadn't even realized was there at all — a picture of deprivation, exploitation, decay and brutality, of callousness, ignorance, fear and hatred. It brought a spotlight to focus on South Africa that has remained there ever since.
Social protest novels have sometimes had a Socialist or Communist slant to them. But although the charge of being a Communist has been leveled at Paton, his novel obviously proves this charge is false and slanderous, for it is undoubtedly a Christian novel.
Public opinion seldom is changed by great bulky books of statistics and figures, charts and graphs because the message does not reach most people, as Steinbeck pointed out concerning The Grapes of Wrath. The story of one man or of a small group of people has far more effect on people than any number of essays. The reader comes to understand and identify with this man and his problems, hopes, and dreams.
Previous Significance of Cry, the Beloved Country
Next Paton's Style
Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Cry The Beloved Country — Racism In Cry The Beloved Country By Alan Paton
Racism in Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
- Categories: Cry The Beloved Country Novel Racial Discrimination
About this sample
Words: 647 |
Published: Aug 6, 2021
Words: 647 | Page: 1 | 4 min read
Cite this Essay
Let us write you an essay from scratch
- 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
- Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours
Get high-quality help
Prof Ernest (PhD)
Verified writer
- Expert in: Literature Social Issues
+ 120 experts online
By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email
No need to pay just yet!
Related Essays
3.5 pages / 1676 words
7 pages / 3276 words
6.5 pages / 3030 words
7 pages / 3092 words
Remember! This is just a sample.
You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.
121 writers online
Still can’t find what you need?
Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled
Related Essays on Cry The Beloved Country
Repetition is key to the dramatic effect in chapter 12 of Cry, the Beloved Country. Three important things are repeated: the title of the novel, the laws, and separation. Repetition makes very clear the point that the [...]
In the novel ¨Cry The Beloved Country¨ by Alan Paton, a white man named James Jarvis and a native man Stephen Kumalo has many differences and similarities. A man who judges natives and is also a farmer, was told that his son [...]
“Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear.” Fear is a widespread theme in Cry, the Beloved Country. The novel is centered around the idea of how fear affects us. It shows the fear we feel [...]
In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell uses several literary techniques to develop the theme that totalitarianism is destructive. He does so by using extensive imagery, focusing on the deterioration of the Victory Mansions, [...]
Romantic love and intimacy are common features in 1984 by George Orwell. The Party works to eradicate all physical sensations of love and depersonalise sex to the point where is it referred to as a 'duty to the party' for the [...]
The fear of a dystopian future that is explored in both Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis and George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty Four is reflective of the values of the societies at the time and the context of the authors. As [...]
Related Topics
By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.
Where do you want us to send this sample?
By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.
Be careful. This essay is not unique
This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before
Download this Sample
Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts
Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.
Please check your inbox.
We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!
Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!
We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .
- Instructions Followed To The Letter
- Deadlines Met At Every Stage
- Unique And Plagiarism Free
- Share full article
For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.
- April 30, 2024 • 27:40 The Secret Push That Could Ban TikTok
- April 29, 2024 • 47:53 Trump 2.0: What a Second Trump Presidency Would Bring
- April 26, 2024 • 21:50 Harvey Weinstein Conviction Thrown Out
- April 25, 2024 • 40:33 The Crackdown on Student Protesters
- April 24, 2024 • 32:18 Is $60 Billion Enough to Save Ukraine?
- April 23, 2024 • 30:30 A Salacious Conspiracy or Just 34 Pieces of Paper?
- April 22, 2024 • 24:30 The Evolving Danger of the New Bird Flu
- April 19, 2024 • 30:42 The Supreme Court Takes Up Homelessness
- April 18, 2024 • 30:07 The Opening Days of Trump’s First Criminal Trial
- April 17, 2024 • 24:52 Are ‘Forever Chemicals’ a Forever Problem?
- April 16, 2024 • 29:29 A.I.’s Original Sin
- April 15, 2024 • 24:07 Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
The Secret Push That Could Ban TikTok
U.s. lawmakers have long worried that the chinese government could use the app to spread propaganda..
Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise
Featuring Sapna Maheshwari
Produced by Will Reid , Rachelle Bonja and Rob Szypko
Edited by Marc Georges and Liz O. Baylen
Original music by Marion Lozano and Dan Powell
Engineered by Chris Wood
Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
American lawmakers have tried for years to ban TikTok, concerned that the video app’s links to China pose a national security risk.
Sapna Maheshwari, a technology reporter for The Times, explains the behind-the-scenes push to rein in TikTok and discusses what a ban could mean for the app’s 170 million users in the United States.
On today’s episode
Sapna Maheshwari , who covers TikTok, technology and emerging media companies for The New York Times.
Background reading
A tiny group of lawmakers huddled in private about a year ago, aiming to bulletproof a bill that could ban TikTok.
The TikTok law faces court challenges, a shortage of qualified buyers and Beijing’s hostility .
Love, hate or fear it, TikTok has changed America .
There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.
We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.
Special thanks to Sharon Otterman .
The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.
Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.
Sapna Maheshwari reports on TikTok, technology and emerging media companies. She has been a business reporter for more than a decade. Contact her at [email protected] . More about Sapna Maheshwari
Advertisement
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
In Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, John Kumalo and Dubula are united in their opposition to South Africa's racial injustices. But while Kumalo enumerates grievances without suggesting realistic solutions, Dubula represents positive, pragmatic change—not to mention the possibility of cooperation between whites and blacks.
Overview. Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel written by South African author Alan Paton, first published in 1948. Set against the backdrop of South Africa in the 1940s just prior to the imposition of apartheid, the story revolves around the journey of Stephen Kumalo, a Zulu pastor who travels to Johannesburg to find his missing son, Absalom.
Jarvis's attempt, at the end of the novel, to teach the people of Ndotsheni better farming techniques is a step in this direction. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Cry, the Beloved Country Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
A comprehensive guide to Alan Paton's novel Cry, the Beloved Country, a critique of apartheid and a depiction of its effects on the lives of black South Africans. Find plot summary, themes, analysis, quotes, characters, symbols and more.
Dive deep into Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion ... New York: Lippincott, 1965. A concise and readable collection of essays written by ...
Cry, the Beloved Country, novel by Alan Paton, published in 1948.. Hailed as one of the greatest South African novels, Cry, the Beloved Country was first published in the United States, bringing international attention to South Africa's tragic history. It tells the story of a father's journey from rural South Africa to and through the city of Johannesburg in search of his son.
Alan Paton wrote Cry, the Beloved Country during his tenure as the principal at the Diepkloof Reformatory for delinquent African boys. He started writing the novel in Trondheim, Norway in September of 1946 and finished it in San Francisco on Christmas Eve of that same year. Concerning the state of racial affairs in South Africa, the novel tells ...
Below you will find the important quotes in Cry, the Beloved Country related to the theme of Racism and Apartheid. Book I, Chapter 5 Quotes. The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again…. It suited the white man to break the tribe… but it has not suited him to build something in the place of what ...
Cry, the Beloved Country is structured in three sections. To depict the land as the central focus of this novel, Paton opens chapter 1 with a poetic reverence for "the fairest valleys of Africa ...
The critical reputation of Cry, the Beloved Country in the international community has been overwhelmingly positive. Alan Paton's novel, both written and submitted to publishers while on a tour ...
Alan Paton. Cry, the Beloved Country Full Book Summary. In the remote village of Ndotsheni, in the Natal province of eastern South Africa, the Reverend Stephen Kumalo receives a letter from a fellow minister summoning him to Johannesburg, a city in South Africa. He is needed there, the letter says, to help his sister, Gertrude, who the letter ...
Cry, the Beloved Country made a tremendous impact on the international community when it was first published in 1947 by showing, in human terms, the effects of apartheid on its victims. "Apartheid ...
About Cry, the Beloved Country. In 1652, the Dutch East India Company set up a supply post near the Cape of Good Hope to supply the crews of its ships with fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables to reduce the amount of illness on shipboard, particularly scurvy. The supply post, which was located on the site of present-day Cape Town, was not meant as ...
Cry, the Beloved Country is a 1948 novel by South African writer Alan Paton. Set in the prelude to apartheid in South Africa, it follows a black village priest and a white farmer who must deal with news of a murder. ... Through reading his son's essays, Jarvis decides to take up his son's work on behalf of South Africa's black population. ...
A critical essay that analyzes the social and human themes of the novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. The essay discusses the problem of a people caught between two worlds, the contrast between the old and the new generations, and the significance of human relationships and values. It also highlights the role of Kumalo, Gertrude, and Absalom as characters who undergo a significant change through their suffering and understanding.
for only $0.70/week. Subscribe. By Alan Paton. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Join Now Log in Home Literature Essays Cry, the Beloved Country Cry, the Beloved Country Essays The Interrelated Structure of Cry, the Beloved Country Anonymous Cry, the Beloved Country. Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country exhibits the effects of living in Johannesburg; though it is a city divided by race, its inhabitants lead parallel lives (Cry, the Beloved Country 33-312).
Suggestions for essay topics to use when you're writing about Cry, the Beloved Country.
Cry, the Beloved Country has special significance because it is meant not just to entertain but to show in dramatic terms a situation to which the author objects, in order to make people think about this situation and do something to remedy it.It is a commentary on events happening yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Although the novel's setting is the Union of South Africa, which later became the ...
Choosing a compelling essay topic for Cry The Beloved Country is essential for producing a well-researched and engaging paper. The novel offers a wealth of themes, characters, and social issues to explore, making it a rich source for academic analysis. By selecting a topic that resonates with the reader and relates to the novel's central themes ...
Published: Aug 6, 2021. The purpose of the book Cry the beloved Country, is to open the eyes of a population in South Africa.The book and author is trying to show racism that is slowly breaking up the diverse society and its people. Alan Paton is the author and is writing this book to show his point of view on the many injustices and racial ...
Cry, the Beloved Country is set in South Africa in the 1940s. Its story unfolds against a backdrop of economic and political tensions that have a lengthy, complicated history. Thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived, southern Africa was populated by various African tribal groups, including the San, the Khoikhoi, and, later on ...
American lawmakers have tried for years to ban TikTok, concerned that the video app's links to China pose a national security risk. Sapna Maheshwari, a technology reporter for The Times ...
Reconciliation Between Fathers and Sons. Cry, the Beloved Country chronicles the searches of two fathers for their sons. For Kumalo, the search begins as a physical one, and he spends a number of days combing Johannesburg in search of Absalom. Although most of his stops yield only the faintest clues as to Absalom's whereabouts, the clues ...