Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel by South African author Alan Paton. It was first published in New York in 1948 by Charles Scribner's Sons and in London by Jonathan Cape; noted American publisher Bennett Cerf remarked at that year's meeting of the American Booksellers Association that there had been "only three novels published since the first of the year that were worth reading ... Cry, The Beloved Country, The Ides of March, and The Naked and the Dead.[1] The protagonist is Stephen Kumalo, a black Anglican priest from a rural Natal town, who is searching for his son Absalom in the city of Johannesburg. Two motion-picture adaptations of the book have been made, the first in 1951 and the second in 1995.
Plot summary
The novel opens in a small village in Ixopo (Ndotsheni), where the black pastor Stephen Kumalo receives a letter from the priest Theophilus Msimangu in Johannesburg. Msimangu urges Kumalo to come to the city to help his sister Gertrude, because she is ill. Kumalo goes to Johannesburg to help Gertrude and to find his son Absalom, who had gone to the city to look for Gertrude but never came home. When he gets to the city, Kumalo learns that Gertrude has taken up a life of prostitution and beer brewing, and is now drinking heavily. She agrees to return to the village with her young son. Kumalo embarks on the search for his son, first seeing his brother John, a carpenter who has become involved in the politics of South Africa. Kumalo and Msimangu follow Absalom's trail only to learn that Absalom has been in a reformatory and impregnated a young woman. Shortly thereafter, Kumalo learns that his son has been arrested for the murder during a burglary of Arthur Jarvis (who was an engineer), a white activist for racial justice and son of Kumalo's neighbour James Jarvis.
Jarvis learns of his son's death and comes with his family to Johannesburg. Jarvis and his son had been distant, and now the father begins to know his son through his writings. Through reading his son's essays, Jarvis decides to take up his son's work on behalf of South Africa's black population.
Absalom is sentenced to death for the murder of Arthur Jarvis. Before his father returns to Ndotsheni, Absalom marries the girl who is carrying his child, and she joins Kumalo's family. Kumalo returns to his village with his daughter-in-law and nephew, having found that Gertrude ran away on the night before their departure.
Back in Ixopo, Kumalo makes a futile visit to the tribe's chief in order to discuss changes that must be made to help the barren village. Help arrives, however, when James Jarvis becomes involved in the work. He arranges to have a dam built and hires an native agricultural demonstrator to implement new farming methods.
The novel ends on the morning (the sun rise) after Absalom's execution. This story is regarded as one of the saddest and most bitter novels of Ndotsheni.
Characters
- Stephen Kumalo: A native priest who attempts to reconstruct the disintegrating tribe and his own family. The 1984 foreword reveals he was illiterate until age 11 and had trouble forming his Rs during his life.
- Theophilus Msimangu: A priest from Johannesburg who helps Kumalo find his son Absalom
- John Kumalo: Stephen's brother who denies the tribal validity and who becomes a spokesman for the new movement in the city; a carpenter.
- Absalom Kumalo: Stephen's son who left home to look for Stephen's sister Gertrude, and who ends up committing a murder.
- Gertrude Kumalo: The young sister of Stephen who becomes a prostitute in the large city and leads a dissolute life.
- James Jarvis: A wealthy landowner whose son is murdered and who comes to the realization of the guilt of white residents in such crimes.
- Arthur Jarvis: Murdered by Absalom Kumalo, he is the son James Jarvis, who does not appear in the novel but whose racial views are highly significant and influential.
- Dubala: a big man who was the "heart" of anything and everything he did. Including wanting peace between the races.
- Mr. Carmichael: Absalom's lawyer; he takes his case as "pro deo", which means for God.
- Father Vincent: The priest from England who helps Stephen in his troubles.
- Mrs. Lithebe: The native landlady with whom Stephen stays while in Johannesburg.
- The Harrisons: The father and son represent two opposing views concerning the racial problem. The father represents the traditional view and the son the more liberal view. The father is also Arthur's father-in-law.
- The Girl [Absalom's wife]: A teenage girl approximately 16 years old impregnated by Absalom, whom he later marries.
- Ryan Hyatt: The mortician who takes care of Arthur Jarvis's body after he is shot (never mentioned by name in the book).
Main themes
Cry, the Beloved Country is a social protest against the structures of the society that would later give rise to apartheid. Paton attempts to create an unbiased and objective view of the dichotomies this entails: he depicts the Whites as affected by 'native crime', while the Blacks suffer from social instability and moral issues due to the breakdown of the tribal system. It shows many of the problems with South Africa such as the degrading of the land reserved for the natives, which is sometimes considered to be the main theme, the disintegration of the tribal community, native crime and the flight to the urban areas.
Another prevalent theme in Cry, The Beloved Country is the detrimental effects of fear on the characters and society of South Africa, as indicated in this quote from the narrator in Chapter 12:
| “ |
Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much. |
” |
Paton makes frequent use of literary and linguistic devices such as microcosms, intercalary chapters and dashes instead of quotation marks for dialogue to indicate the start of speech acts in order to portray the devastating conditions in South Africa.
Background
Cry, The Beloved Country was written before the implementation of the apartheid political system in South Africa. The novel was published in 1948, with apartheid becoming law later that same year.
It enjoyed critical success around the world, except in South Africa, where it was banned, due to its politically contentious material. The book sold over 15 million copies around the world before Paton's death.
The book is studied currently by many schools around the world. The style of writing echoes that of the King James Bible. Paton was a devout Christian.
Some of the localities used by Paton such as Ixopo and Johannesburg are factual but others are fictional. The suburb in which Jarvis lived in Johannesburg, Parkwold, is fictional but its ambiance is typical of the Johannesburg suburbs of Parktown and of Saxonwold. In the author's preface, Paton took pains to record that apart from passing references to Jan Smuts and Sir Ernest Oppenheimer all his characters were fictional.
Allusions/references to other works
There are many biblical references throughout the novel. The most evident is found from the names Paton gives to the characters. Absalom, the son of Stephen Kumalo, shares his name with the son of King David, who rose up against his father in rebellion. Also, in the New Testament Book of Acts, Saint Stephen was a martyr who died rather than give up his beliefs.
Another biblical allusion is seen when Absalom requests that his son's name be Peter—the name of one of Jesus's disciples; among Peter's better-known traits is a certain impulsiveness; also, after Christ's arrest, he denied knowing Jesus three times, and later wept in grief over this. After the resurrection, Peter renewed his commitment to Christ and to spreading the Gospel. All of this suggests Absalom's final repentance, and his commitment to the faith of his father.
In another allusion, Arthur Jarvis is described as having a large collection of books on Abraham Lincoln, and the writings of Lincoln figure heavily in the novel.
In another allusion, Paton describes Arthur's son using the same characteristics that Arthur had when he was a child. This alludes to the rebirth of Christ.
Film, television and theatrical adaptations
In 1951, the novel was adapted into a motion picture, directed by Zoltan Korda. Paton himself wrote the screenplay. Kumalo was played by Canada Lee, Jarvis by Charles Carson, and Msimangu by Sidney Poitier.
Another film version was released in 1995, directed by Darrell Roodt. James Earl Jones played the Reverend Kumalo and Richard Harris filled the role of Jarvis.
A stage version by South African playwright Roy Sargeant was developed in early 2003, and was first staged at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape on 27 June 2003 and at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town on 8 July 2003. The director was Heinrich Reisenhofer. The script, together with notes and activities for school use, was published in 2006 by Oxford University Press Southern Africa
In 1949 the composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with Maxwell Anderson (book and lyrics), composed a musical based on the book called Lost in the Stars. The original Broadway production opened on 30 October 1949 at the Music Box Theatre and starred Todd Duncan and Inez Matthews. It ran for 273 performances before closing on 1 July 1950. It was made into a movie, starring Brock Peters and Melba Moore, released in 1974. Lost in the Stars is the last work Weill completed before his untimely death in 1950. Although he was influenced by spirituals, jazz and blues, Weill's distinctive and original style shines throughout the score.
Israeli contratenor David D'Or performed in a stage version at the Israeli National Theater ("Habima Theater").[2][3] Maariv' in its review wrote: "D'or's outstanding voice is meant for great parts. His voice and presence embraces the audience, who showed their appreciation by a lengthy standing ovation".[2][4]
Release details
- 1948, USA, Charles Scribner's Sons ?, Pub date ? December 1948, hardback
- 1949, UK, Jonathan Cape ISBN 0-224-60578-X, Pub date September 1948, hardback
- 1970, UK Penguin Modern Classics ISBN 0-14-001274-5, Pub date 28 May 1970, paperback
- 2000, UK Penguin Modern Classics ISBN 0-14-118312-8, Pub date 27 April 2000, paperback
- 2003, USA, Charles Scribner's Sons ISBN 0-7432-6217-4, Charles Scribner's Sons, Pub date ? November 2003, paperback
References
