Fear and Hope in "Cry, the Beloved Country" (updated)

"He fired the revolver because he was afraid, with no intention of killing the white man." (Paton)

All throughout Book I of "Cry, the Beloved Country", the words hope and fear are mentioned very frequently. In Book I, fear results in separation and tension between races shown through Native crime and its effects on both the Whites and Blacks, meanwhile hope results in reconciliation for a better future, evident in Kumalo’s hopes for resolving his “broken tribe” with his family.

To start, it is shown that fear was the force that drove both the whites and blacks into segregation. It shows that both the Blacks and the Whites are scared of each other, but oblivious to the fear they have towards each other. For example, in the lines on page 52, "They talked of young criminal children, of how white Johannesburg was afraid of dangerous criminals, of how white Johannesburg was afraid of black crime." (Paton), where Father Vincent talks about the Black crime in Johannesburg and how frequently it happens to white people. This makes the White people build up a fear for the Black people, and in turn, leaves the two races even more separated from each other. Another example is on page 131, "I told them I was frightened when the White man came. So I shot him. I did not mean to kill him." (Paton), Absalom says that he was afraid of the White man and that fear resulted in him shooting the man. This action was caused by his fear of the White man calling the authorities on him since the punishment for Black crimes was severe. In the end, Absalom did not only commit a severe crime, he also caused more fear and tension to come between the black people and the white people.

On the other hand, hope helps bring everyone together, as it leads people to reconciliation in hopes of leading to better futures. An example of this was when Kumalo reunited with his sister, Gertrude, and reconciled with her on page 61. "She sobs too. I do not like Johannesburg, she says. She looks at him with eyes of distress, and his heart quickens with hope."(Paton) indicated that after seeing Gertrude so distressed in Johannesburg, Kumalo hoped that Gertrude, along with her son, will be able to come back to Ndotsheni with him and once again become a whole tribe, no longer broken anymore. This relates to the role of hope in which Kumalo hopes for a better future not only for him but also for his family, too. 

In summary, hope continues to drive Kumalo to search and fight for his family members throughout Book I, unlike the fear that continues to drive the blacks and whites apart in "Cry, the Beloved Country".


Works Cited

Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country. 1948.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Characters in Relation to Themes in the Merchant of Venice

"Not a poor boy, sir, but the rich Jew’s man that would, sir, as my father shall specify—" (II.ii.91-92) "The Merchant of Venice" is a play by Shakespeare that discusses themes related to prejudice, racism and much more. After reading through all of Act 1 and half of Act 2, we've already been introduced to a handful of characters that play a part in the story's multiple plots. I'll be discussing the character Lancelot, also known as the Clown and how his actions relate to a few of the themes introduced in the story, namely prejudice between religions and races.  He makes his first appearance in Act 2, Scene 2, with a long soliloquy that talks about his relationship with his master, Shylock (also known as the Jew). He talks about how he wants to stop working for him, proven in the line, " And in my conscience, my conscience is but a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew." (II.ii.24-27). He also reveals that ...
Read more

Out The Door - Short Story

“Do you need food? Water? You look thinner nowadays,” Paul quickly asked the dark-haired girl, stepping closer to where she was standing. The girl smiled. Irene Sobczynska. That was her name. She was an interpreter from Poland, as it was rumored, and spoke five languages in total: Polish, German, Russian, French,  and some Italian. He’d heard that she even helped prisoners, bringing them medicine and extra food from time to time.  “You noticed? I can’t sleep at night.” she pretended to write things down, checking the newly transported grain sacks in the warehouse, knowing that the SS-man could come in at any time and catch her doing anything other than her job. That meant punishment. “You can come to me if you need food,” Paul said. “That’s my job, not yours, Paul.” Irene laughed, slowly making her way out of the warehouse. She didn’t forget to throw a wink his way. * * * “Hello, dear, why I haven’t seen you around?” a neighbor asks, calmly sitting in the li...
Read more

B L O O D C H I L D

"How could I put my children into the care of one who hates them?" "Bloodchild" is a short story written by Octavia E. Butler. The short story is set in what seems to be another planet - inhabited by Terrans (humans), Tlics and several other animals. While following the story's main character, Gan, we are introduced to this mysterious creature called T'Gatoi. She is described to have multiple limbs, a long spine, ribs, a skull, three meters tall and has a velvet underside. As we dig deeper into the story, we are told that she, among many others, is a Tlic. Tlics are gigantic worm-like creatures that live alongside the Terrans (humans); using them as their host animals for their young. When Tlics are ready to lay their eggs, they look for a host animal with enough fat to take care of their babies and Terrans who have Tlic eggs implanted inside them are called N'Tlics. They usually prefer women to keep their babies, but women are not usually used as th...
Read more