Most Prominent Theme of "Cry the Beloved Country."

       Paton's "Cry, The beloved Country" is an eventful novel filled with twists and turns. The book contains so many more things than most novels. But the thing that is most unique about this story is the number of themes to which is contains. These wide array of themes are really what sets this book apart.

        One of the first themes I would like to dicuss would be inequality. As Kumalo searches for his long lost son, Absalom, social inequalities take place all around him. During this time period that this book depicts, segregation against black South Africans is in it's prime. These people are facing racism at it's source and this inner twines with Kumalo's search for his son. Absalom finds himself caught up in this storm of inequalities as a black South African himself, and as a result, turns to crime when jobs become scarce. A lot of the negative aspects of this story can be traced back to inequalities.

        In this novel, church, christianity, and injustice are all discussed or expressed quite often. Kumalo faces so many hardships throughout this time period, and church always seems to be his fallback or what he looks for to find solitude. In a specific instance in the book, Kumalo's faith is almost broken when he finds out that his son is responsible for the murder of an innocent man. His fellow Priests are there for him and remind him that prayer can go a long way. Kumalo takes there advice and almost comes to terms with his life and recent events that would tear the normal mn down.

        Christianity and injustice have a direct relationship. John Kumalo makes a comment that black priests are paid less than white ones. Arthur Jarvis agrees with him and talks about more injustice incolving blacks, whites, and christianity. I feel like these are among the most prominent themes in the novel and are very worthy of such discussion.

        Cry, the Beloved Country is a social protest against the structures of the society that would later give rise to apartheid. Paton depicts the Whites as affected by "native crime", while the Blacks suffer from social ineqaulity 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 movement away from the tribal community, native crime, and the flight to the urban areas. I feel like fear affects the characters and society of South Africa the most.

         As I explained in the beginning, this book can be connected to many different themes. That is what makes it so unique and sets it apart. Christianity, church, racism, all around injustice, and fear can all be easily found and used to label this novel.  I feel like these are among the most prominent themes in the novel and that is the exact reason I decided to discuss them.