This article is about the novel.

For other uses, see Cry, the Beloved Country

(disambiguation).
Cry, the Beloved Country  

1st US edition
Author Alan Paton
Country South Africa
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Scribners (USA) & Jonathan
Publisher
Cape (UK)
Publication date December 1948
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
256 pp (hardback edition)
Pages
(UK)
ISBN 0-224-60578-X
ISBN
(hardback edition) (UK)
OCLC Number 13487773

Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel by South African author Alan Paton. It was first
published in New York City 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
cinema adaptations of the book have been made, the first in 1951 and the second in 1995.

Contents
[hide]

 1 Plot summary
 2 Characters
  3 Main themes
 4 Background
 5 Allusions/references to other works
 6 Film, television and theatrical adaptations
 7 Release details
 8 References

[edit] 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. Assured, 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.

[edit] Characters
 Stephen Kumalo: A native priest who attempts to reconstruct the disintegrating tribe
and his own family.
 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 of James Jarvis. He does
not appear in the novel, but his racial views are highly significant and influential.
 Dubula: 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 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]

[edit] 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