Themes of Cry, The Beloved Country

Cry, The Beloved Country has many themes that contribute to the main point of the book. Two main themes of the book are Christianity and inequality, both in which connecting with injustice.

One major theme in this novel was Christianity. In the challenges that Kumalo faces, his main comfort comes from his faith in God. When he finds out what happened to his son, his faith is questioned but he still believes, and he turns to his other priests for comfort. A lot of Kumalo’s time is spent in prayer, for the souls lost in Johannesburg and for the broken society of his village. Christianity also proves to be useful for defying harsh authority. Arthur Jarvis’s final essay, calls the policies of South Africa’s mine un-Christian. As shown with Msimangu, religion is often held up as South Africa’s only possible way of avoiding racial tensions.

Christianity also ties in with injustice. John Kumalo reminds his brother that black priests are paid less than white ones, and claim that the church works against social change. He paints a blood boiling picture of a bishop who criticizes injustice while living in the luxury that such injustice provides. At the same time as he calls the policies of the mines un-Christian, Arthur Jarvis states that these policies have long been claimed through false Christian reasoning. Jarvis brings up that some people argue that God meant for blacks to be inexperienced laborers and that it is wrong to give opportunities for improvement and education. Cry, The Beloved Country analyzes the idea that in the wrong hands, Christianity can put a poor population to sleep or can give authority brutal ideas.

Another major theme in this novel was inequality. Gertrude’s and Absalom’s stories recur on a large scale in Johannesburg, and the result is a city with bad neighborhoods and black gangs that take their anger out on white people. In search of fast money, the poor steal from white people homes and threaten their occupants. The white population becomes paranoid, and the little sympathy they have for problems disappears. Blacks find themselves dealing with even more injustice. Both sides tell their responses to violence from the other side. Absalom’s lawyer, for instance, claims that Absalom is society’s victim, and white homeowners gather the government to counter what they see as a rising threat. There is precious little understanding on either side, and it seems that the cycle of inequality and injustice will go on endlessly.

In conclusion, Christianity and inequality, tying in along with injustice, are major themes in Cry, The Beloved Country. Throughout the book, Paton analyzes many aspects of these themes. Without the themes, the book might of have been as good. All good books have themes that lead up to the main situations.