The Corrosive Nature of Racial Discrimination in Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country

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Recommended: Racism and literature

“Cry, the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton is a true example of how corrupt racial discrimination can make people. The struggle of power between the native black people and the intruding white people is essential to the setting of the story. The situation that natives in South Africa are facing is somewhat equivalent to what happened to the Native Americans when the British settled in America.

The novel starts of by an entire first chapter giving a thorough and symbolic description of setting in South Africa and Stephen Kumalo’s village of Ixopo. This detailed portrayal not only gives you great view of the land, it creates the mood and atmosphere that will carry throughout the entire book. The story starts with Stephen Kumalo receiving a letter from Johannesburg, where he has lost mush of his family. The letter was from Father Vincent alerting Stephen that his son, Absalom, has been found. Stephen rushes to Johannesburg and arrives to a very harsh and racist city. His search began with the finding of his sister, Gertrude. That search was completed quickly. Gertrude had changed much ...

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