Read chapters 33-36 (the end of the novel) of Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country and write/post a journal: Identify and explain a theme of the novel. (A theme is what the novel is about / an underlying idea of a literary work.)

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2005

Answers

A theme for “Cry, the Beloved Country, would be: It is never to late to learn and change you ways. James Jarvis and Kumalo are positive examples to this. James is providing milk for the children and helping to fund the re-building of the church. Kumalo is laughing!!! This is a major change from the beginning of the book.

With the lost of both their sons, James and Stephen have grown. It seems to me, that it took the lost of their sons for a change to occur in each of them. With the lost of Arthur, James read his private journals, and learned that, he, James, had not taught Arthur about South Africa. With this information, James is changing his life. Arthur has changed the way he conducts himself. He is more open to people. The way that Kumalo embraced Arthur’s son and is teaching him Zulu, it shows that Stephen had changed. Both Jarvis and Kumalo have grown from the lost of their sons. They both have changed in their approach to people.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

sorry, wrong period.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

Im the real first poster and we all know it.

A very big theme in this book is maturing an learning.

We see this in Stephen Kumalo, as he matures from his very noble ideals about everyone on his trip to the big city. Stephen learns that not everything is as sweet as it is said to be, he also learns about the good people, such as the white men who give the blacks rides.

A second instance of maturing is found in James Jarvis. Upon hearing of his sons death his is very angry that this has happened. While he remains angry, his sons death helps to teach him about his son. He reads his sons wrritings and realizes that he needs to become involved in his country.

A third instance of maturing is in South Africa itself. In this book we see how people are working to erase the affects of apartheid. We also see people in the country beginning to put aside their differences. This is also shown in the end of the book as James Jarvis helps to revitlize the town of Ndotsheni.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

Oh yea?! Well I'm SECOND! And we all know that being second is cooler than being first!

A theme of the book is of the relationship between father and son. In this book, Paton shows that it is not just the father teaching the son. When Jarvis reads what his son has written, and how Arthur was never taught about South Africa, Jarvis learns a lot about equality and fairness, and immediately applies this. Also, when Kumalo encounters Absalom for the first time in jail, this seems to be the start of Absalom becoming the better person he seemed to have been when he was young in Ndotsheni. Absalom went from boy to factory worker to robber to being in the reformatory to murdering someone, but only after the last deed is done, leading to an inevitable death sentence, does he begin to realize virtues and repent for his past.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

A theme in the book is sometimes people who don't live by the strict code of conduct for society are better humans than people who do live by it. This is shown in the little boy. He doesn't know any better about having a relationship with a black man. This is why he is appreciated, though. When he asks to see Kumalo's house, he doesn't make a big deal about it. This is because he again doesn't know what crazy ideas society has come up with. Finally, he tips his cap to Kumalo and his wife. No white man would ever do this. The little boy does, though. These three reasons show that people who don't form opinions before actually learning something in person are more appreciated and successful.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

One theme is that forgiveness lets us go on. Stephen Kumalo learns this after forgiving the girls (Absolam's wife and Gertrude). They put their past behind them, Kumalo learns to forgive, and everyone's happy. James Jarvis experiences something similar. He forgives the man whose son killed his own son. Although this is clearly difficult to do and is not something most people would jump at, Kumalo is grateful, and the two men experience a bonding relationship. aww. Plus, there's the whole the-country-is-saved thing, which in the long run, is also a happy result of forgiveness.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

I believe that a theme of the story is fear is the strongest weapon against hope. Fear is a dominant idea throughout the book, from Absalom's fear when he shot Arthur Jarvis to the fear of the white man of the black man, fear is debilitating in South Africa. Only at the end of the book do good characters start to appear that show that fear is starting to lose power. Fear is the thing that got South Africa into the situation that it was in, and was battled by people like Arthur Jarvis and the agricultural helper at the end of the story.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

I think one of the underlying themes of this book is that sometimes it takes a small tragedy (in the grand scheme of things) to make everything happen that needs to. I know it sounds really corny, but what has to be has to be. It sometimes takes a little rift in the path to get us ready for the hill that lies ahead. (Or whatever other random clichéd expression you would like to use) Jarvis probably would never have cared about the people of Ndotsheni if it weren't for the death of his son. Now that he has seen the light, the people have milk, a demonstrator, and are about to get a new church. I think losing Arthur Jarvis, a great humanitarian, was a great loss, but he died so that the entire valley of Ndotsheni could have a gaurdian to watch over them and care for them until they can care for themselves. He never knew, before he died, the good he would do for the very people he was trying to help. Maybe he would have died a better death, if he had known the glorious outcomes.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

A theme of this story is that not all change is bad. Throughout the novel are examples of things that have changed that are bad, or at least viewed as bad...probably the most important being the broken tribe, but on a more personal level Stephen Kumalo's broken tribe (family). That is mainly one of the 'bad' changes. When Kumalo travels to Johannesburg, everything is different, and every day in that city changes are occuring (some 'bad,' some 'good'). This is seen especially when he and Msimangu see the people walking home, boycotting the busses--a good change (that they're taking action), but a bad change that they have to boycott them in the first place. This is also seen later in the book with Arthur Jarvis, and when his father James Jarvis learns just how much he has done for the nation of South Africa. All of his changes are both good and bad: it depends on who you were to ask. When Kumalo finally returns home, he finds the place that he has lived all his life changed, with famine and drought and such. But while he is there, Jarvis changes, in a good way (seen by him helping the people of Ndotsheni so much). Everything is changing.

I think one of the most important changes in the book is the changes that Stephen Kumalo goes through. After going to Johannesburg for as long as he did, and going through what he did there, one could not help but be changed. I think that he/we first realize this when he goes back to Ndotsheni, and feels a 'mild nostalgia' for Johannesburg. This is later seen, though, when he takes action, first by speaking to the chief. His visit, though overall not good, was perfect, in a way: it tought him not only about the outside world, but also about how he wanted to live the rest of his life. Outside experiences really do teach us a little more about ourselves each day. :)

"The only thing constant in life is change."

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

One major theme of this is the Change. This the way that throughout this book Seven Kumalo's life gets shifted. He finds his sister who had been prostituting and selling liquor then ran off before they boarded the train. He comes to Johannesburg only to find his son being committed to death. And when he returns the land it dry and people are sick, But James Jarvis helps all of Ndotsheni by providing Milk, a dam, and an instructor to help rebuild the church and teach at the schools about th

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

Change comes at a price. Whether for good or bad, the ending change of the book, the eventual improved lives of blacks in Ndotsheni, came at the price of Jarvis and Kumalo's sons. This same principal can be applied to smaller changes in the book. Rev. Kumalo had to give up room in his house to provide a home for his daughter-in-law and grandson. Throughout Cry, the Beloved Country one can see change and its sometimes tremendous cost.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

Mental change can be very powerful. Stephen Kumalo changes his views on Johannesburg. At first, he dislikes the city and slightly fears it. Once he gets in the city, he finds out that there are some nice people and places in it. After he leaves it, he realizes that he might even miss the city. Stephen's sister Gertrude changes also. She converts from her wicked ways to become a nun much later. These changes affect many people in different ways. James Jarvis even changes. Before, he abhorred Stephen because Stephen's son killed his son. At the end though, Jarvis helps Stephen and the whole Ndotsheni people by having someone teach them to farm. This shows that mental change can be powerful and affect many lives.

-- Anonymous, March 09, 2005

I beleive a theme of Cry, The Beloved Country is the ever- classic "life is unfair". Through no wrong doing of his own Steven Kumalo as well as Arthur Jarvis suffered the unimaginable horrors of loss and shame. Kumalo goes to check on his son to find him a murderer and his sister a prostitute. Jarvis's son was murdered by the very people he tried to protect. Absolom received no mercy even though he was the only one of his cohorts that showed remorse or regret. Finally Steven was practically betrayed by his own brother as he turned on him to protect his own son in court. This aspects and many others illustrate just how unfair Allan Paton is portraying the world as. This is why life is unfair is the major underlying theme of the book.

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2005

I think that a theme of this book I that you cannot generalize a certain kind of people based on the actions of other member in the group. This is portrayed many times. One of the instances was when the white people helped the black people with the boycott. There were many other times when white people did things that ‘are not done lightly’ because they felt it was right. They broke the customs for certain people. You cannot judge all white people by the actions of a few.

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2005

I believe the theme of Cry, the Beloved Country has to do with life and how it is portrayed as good or bad. What I mean is that almost in every situation possible there is always a good affect even if its not relavent or obvious till days or even months later. For instance when Stephan was in Johannesburg he could not wait to go home becuase he loved the simplicity of it. There was about half as many problems there as there were in Johannesburg. Eventually when he got home he was actually very happy that his people were glad to see him. Therefore he gained some gratitude and felt wanted becuase his peaple seemed that they needed him.

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2005

One of the biggest themes in Cry, the Beloved Country is that one cannot allow one's life to be paralyzed by fear.

Especially at the beginning of the novel, fear is a huge issue in Ndotsheni and in Johannesburg. Both Kumalo and his wife are fearful of what the future holds for them and for Abasalom. Kumalo is afraid of the big city, and this allows the litle pickpocket to capitalize on his uncertainty.

Jarvis is afraid of the new life his son led in Johannesburg. He doesn't understand--or didn't understand--South Africa, because he was afraid to move out of his comfort zone. Now his son's death has opened his eyes. Though he is still afraid of what Jarvis Jr. was doing, he is now able, as a father, to continue in his son's footsteps.

Fear cripples, as was seen by Gertrude and Absalom's wife. They attached themselves to men and prostitution because they seemed afraid to strike out on their own. Absalom's wife especially is dependent of others. She fears being alone, and this fear is what shackled her to Absalom and to other men before him.

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2005