Cry, the Beloved Country

Essay Question #2

It has been said that the land is itself another character in Paton’s novel, Cry, the Beloved Country. What role does the landscape play in the novel? What does the valley surrounding Ndotsheni represent?

“Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed” (Paton 33). In Cry, the Beloved Country, this bold statement reflects both the beauty of the land of South Africa and the peace and harmony of men. Both of their relations are solely dependent on the care that they receive and as of now, these relations are strained. Although Alan Paton never directly declares the importance of the land, the repetition of, “There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills” suggests its significance and contributions to the novel (Paton 33).

The landscape in Alan Paton’s novel is the mirror image of South Africa’s society, devastated, but with the potential of being unified and restored. The grass-covered beauty, “…one of the fairest valleys of Africa,” is the true nature of South Africa, but when the land and the people are not able to coexist, when the equally born blacks and the whites are not able to respect each other, that beauty is disrupted, and they are not able to prosper to their full potential (Paton 161). Whether in the arid valley or the hectic city, people seem to confront the same problem: wanting improvement, but only a few are seizing opportunities to take action. The red, barren land, where the “…titihoya does not cry…,” in which Stephen Kumalo lives is South Africa as it is now, overflowing with public concern for social change but deprived of actions that bring about change (Paton 34). Although Ndotsheni is desolate because of the “…too many fires have burned it. Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp,…,” it still holds the possibility of being beautiful again like the valleys around it as does South Africa for the equality between the blacks and the whites (Paton 34).

The valley surrounding Ndotsheni is, “…well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it…” (Paton 33). The emphasis of the beauty of South Africa represents the hope for change in Ndotsheni and social change; Msimangu said, the “‘… one hope for our country…is when white men and black men…come together to work for it’” (Paton 71). With a land as glorious as South Africa, mistreatment, not being “…kept, or guarded, or cared for,…,” can ruin it in a brief moment, but rebuilding it is progressive and takes a thousand moments to compensate for the devastation that maltreatment causes (Paton 34). It would be impossible for the people of Ndotsheni to grow field after field of maize that reaches a height taller than man overnight. These changes and improvements must be gradual and involve the continuous effort of everyone. The bond between the blacks and whites is similar because it is also devastated, and every step that is taken brings their tolerance and respect closer together. For instance, James Jarvis’ grandson donated “…milk, in shining cans in the cart” to the natives of Ndotsheni and when Margaret, Jarvis’ wife, passes away, the people of the church in Ndotsheni each contribute to make a suitable wreath for her (Paton 271). Also, James Jarvis knew that due to the lack of education, the people of Ndotsheni were inept at cultivating their lands, and therefore, cause them to be, “…red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry…” (Paton 33). However, he then hired the young demonstrator as a gesture of understanding and benevolence to come to teach the people of Ndotsheni how to better manage the land. In the city, some people are still ignorant of what needs to be