Another example of how the novel’s message could be written follows:
Cry, the Beloved Country tells the story of Reverend Stephen Kumalo, an ageing isiZulu parson who leaves the security of Ndotsheni, a rural village in KwaZulu-Natal, to look for his sister and his son in Johannesburg.
He finds his family but he discovers how fear, greed, corruption and racial tension cause suffering and destruction in their lives. He also experiences the comforting power of kindness, hope, respect and love during his stay in Johannesburg and upon his return to Ndotsheni, where he starts rebuilding relationships and his community.
Do you agree that the issues and their solutions mentioned in the summaries could still be relevant today? Give a reason why you agree or disagree.
I agree/disagree _________________________________.
Why?
4.First publication of Cry, the Beloved Country
Paton’s novel was first published by Jonathan Cape in Great Britain in 1948. The first date of publication tells you when the novel was written. Keeping the information that you have already discovered in mind, you can predict that the novel paints a picture of how social and political problems during the 1940s affected relationships in South Africa.
5.About the author: Alan Paton’s life and Cry, the Beloved Country
In the novel, the author communicates his experiences and his views of human nature and nature, society and politics in South Africa during the 1940s. The table on p. 3 in your school edition summarises some of the main links between his life and the novel.
| Alan Paton’s life | Cry, the Beloved Country |
| Childhood | |
| Alan Stewart Paton’s parents were committed Christians who inspired in him a love for God and the Bible. | This love is reflected in the novel’s message about the need for acts of caring to comfort and restore those who are suffering. It tells a “story of comfort in desolation”, as the subtitle indicates. Reverend Stephen Kumalo, the main character of the novel, is a committed Christian. |
| The author’s father believed in corporal punishment to discipline his sons. Alan Paton opposed corporal punishment when he was principal of Diepkloof Reformatory for Young Offenders. | Relations between father and son are explored in the relationship between Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, and between James Jarvis, the white farmer, and his son Arthur Jarvis. The young white man who worked at the reformatory treated Absalom with trust instead of harshness. |
| Alan’s father instilled in him a deep love for nature. | The descriptions of the valley of the Umzimkulu River bring the landscape to life; in this way, nature becomes a character in Cry, the Beloved Country. |
| The author’s father introduced him to literature, especially to the Bible. | Paton uses a simple story to communicate a moral and spiritual message about caring for those who are suffering.In the Bible, Jesus used parables to teach his followers moral and spiritual lessons. Two characters in the novel have biblical names. The first name of Reverend Stephen Kumalo reminds the reader of Stephen, the first Christian martyr in the Bible. His son is called Absalom, which is the name of King David’s son who betrayed his father and who was killed. |
| Teacher | |
| Alan Paton taught at Ixopo High School after he had obtained a BSc Degree and a Higher Diploma in Education at the University of Natal. | In Cry, the Beloved Country Paton describes the way in which the school in Ndotsheni operates from the viewpoint of a teacher who knows how the school system operates. |
| Alan Paton met his first wife, Dorrie Lusted, when he was teaching at Ixopo High School. The couple moved to Pietermaritzburg, where Alan continued teaching at Maritzburg College. They had two sons. | Paton dedicated Cry, the Beloved Country to his first wife. |
| The author’s first wife, Doris, died of emphysema in 1967. | Farmer James Jarvis’ wife died after she had suffered from an illness for some time. |
| Author | |
| Alan Paton started writing Cry, the Beloved Country in 1946 in Trondheim, Norway while he was studying different systems, prisons and reformatories as the principal of Diepkloof Reformatory for Young Offenders in Soweto. He completed the novel in the same year on Christmas Eve in San Francisco, America.Alan Paton wrote and published nineteen books. He continued to write until his death on 12 April 1988. | The success of Cry, the Beloved Country allowed Paton to resign from his post as principal of Diepkloof Reformatory. More than 15 million copies of the novel were sold by 1988. He moved to the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, where he dedicated much of his time to writing. |
| Politician | |
| Alan Paton opposed apartheid actively. He became aware of the social problems of blacks in South Africa when he was a principal at Diepkloof Reformatory for Young Offenders. He became National President of the Liberal Party of South Africa on 31 May 1958. He was committed to political and social change and attended many occasions where people with liberal ideals met. | Paton also dedicated Cry, the Beloved Country to his longstanding friend, Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr, a prominent South African politician who worked for liberal change. |
| Alan Paton delivered speeches and wrote articles to advocate political and social change. | In Cry, the Beloved Country Stephen Kumalo’s brother, John Kumalo became a politician who was an excellent public speaker. James Jarvis came to know and understand the commitment of his son, Arthur Jarvis, to social and political change when he read the condolences messages to his son’s family. He also read the belated invitations to attend meetings from political and religious leaders, as well as from black, coloured, Indian and white community organisations and clubs. The content of Arthur James’s manuscript and article influenced his father to help Stephen Kumalo rebuild the community of Ndotsheni by restoring the land and the church. |
Reread your prediction about the message in Cry, the Beloved Country. Do you still agree with your answer after you have received more information about some links between the author and his novel? Edit your answers to reflect your growing understanding.
1.2 Taking a closer look at the Author’s Notes before reading the novel
Paton included messages to his readers in three editions of the novel. He wrote an Author’s Note to the 1948, 1959 and 1987 editions. The purpose of these notes is to share information which will further increase your understanding and enjoyment of the novel. Read these notes to build your background knowledge about the novel before you start reading the text. A summary of the information provided by Paton in each Author’s Note follows.
The 1948 edition: fact or fiction?
Paton mainly distinguishes between historical facts and fiction in his first note to the reader. A road runs from Ixopo to Carisbrooke and one looks down on the valley of the Umzimkulu. This river is called a “great river” but it is a small river in a great valley. The village of Ndotsheni and the farm called “High Place” don’t exist.
The characters in the novel are imaginary, except for two persons. Professor Hoernlé, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Witwatersrand who fought for justice, and Ernst Oppenheimer, who, as the leader of a very important mining group, could use his influence to improve the conditions of the miners.
The author incorporates in his story events that really happened as a result of financial and social injustice towards black miners and workers. These events are: the bus boycott; the development of Shanty Town; the discovery of gold at Odendaalsrust and the miners’ strike. Seen from this viewpoint, the novel is a true record of social injustice.
The author explains that he has added a glossary at the end of the novel to increase the reader’s knowledge and pronunciation of unfamiliar words. He also adds statistics about the composition and numbers of the population in South Africa and in Johannesburg at the time.
Test your knowledge and understanding:
Are the following statements true or false? Write true or false in the space provided next to the statements below.
•The valley where the Umzimkulu River runs exists. ________________________________