Alan Parton’s, Cry, The Beloved Country
Alan Parton’s, Cry, The Beloved Country was published in 1948 and highlights the life of Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis who had differing opinions and are forced to get into Johannesburg as they search for their sons. The Africans are exploited as analyzed in the books, which lead to corruption of their heritage and the death of Absalom and Arthur Jarvis. The death of the two sons who were being searched by their fathers illustrate the racial separation between the whites and the Africans and an element which bring James and Stephan together. The western civilization corrupted the native culture, tore away families and destroyed the land as the whites influenced the native men to work in the gold and diamond mines around Johannesburg, leaving their families in deplorable conditions.
Native Culture and the Influence of Western Civilization
At the beginning of the story, the author points out that, “for the ground is holy, being as it came from the creator. Keep it guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards’ men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed”. The narrative mainly depicts that before the arrival of the Europeans in the area, the land was well maintained and the native people cherished it as it gave them abundance and went on with their livelihoods where they harvested what they required in order to survive (Ngcobo 101). The selfless culture did not believe in the lavishness of the goods they reaped or what they required for survival. The influence of the western civilization on the African heritage destroyed their once sacred land, corrupt the native culture, wipe out families and exploit laborers. The locals were in a state of hysteria till the call for a revolution by John Kumalo and Arthur Jarvis, which inspired the community in putting up with the existing conditions and the need for change.
The Destruction of the Land and Native Culture
Due to the lack of concern from the visitors, the Europeans put up the natives in a dilapidated allocation in Ndotsheni, where the lack of education contributed greatly to the self-destruction of the land since the local community had no ideas of cultivating it. Upon the creeping up of the European culture, Alan depict, “the clouds pour down upon them, the dead streams come to life, full of the red blood of the earth…men are away, the young men and girls are away. The soil cannot keep them anymore” (Paton, 33). The phrase of words describes the death of the earth that led to the drought and brought down the economy of the city.
Exploitation and Labor in the Mines
The African men had no jobs and would leave their families as they went out to seek for the means of survival for their families. The native culture had greatly been disarrayed and the land in which they once lived was on the verge of being destroyed for its resources. The inevitable development of the boomtowns like Johannesburg and the nearby resources needed the African workers to offer their labor in the mines. In one of the book, Arthur argues that they were blinded to the reality that they were destroying the tribal culture (Ngcobo 104). They were aware of what was happening but ignored it since they did not want to impede the expansion with their own objectives. Their believe was that the illiterate natives would hurry up on the process of the civilization that was quickly drying out.
Exploitation by the Europeans
The Europeans saw it appropriate to exploit the native men, tear away their families as well as risk their lives in the hard labor they did. The author reveals the aspects of Europeans as he claims, “It is permissible to leave native education to those who wanted to develop it”. By leaving the natives uneducated, the whites would be able to exploit them as they provided adequate labor in the diamond and gold mines. It created sufficiency in labor which the whites easily took advantage of (Viviers 5). For instance, when Stephan enters Johannesburg, he is duped and gave his money to a person who would get him a bus ticket, that the ticket would be obtained from a booth, and not in the bus. When relating how easy it was for their own people to take advantage of them, it left them more vulnerable to the educated whites.
Exploitation of Native Families and Land
The Europeans thought that it was right to bring in labor to the mines after discovering the gold in the mines. They were allowed to put up a compound and drive away the women and children from the towns. It was a symbolic exploitation and destruction of the native families and their land (Mba 55). The men would seek the work at the mines and get just a little pay which could not even support their families, and hence forced them into the new civilization that influenced their decisions so that they could get labor. John Kumalo uncovers the colonialism and says, “They bring more of us to live in the compounds, to dig under the tunnel for three shillings a day. They do not think, here is a chance to pay for labor” (Paton, 38). Kumalo’s sentiments depict the greed that the whites had, which caused the imbalance between the cultures. The natives had to live in deplorable environments which looked like jail cell. The Europeans were only thinking of profiting themselves and were least concerned of the devastating impacts that they left on the African society.
Corruption and Desperation Among African Women
The harsh conditions and the lack of education contributed greatly to the rising corruption amongst the African women in the town. The women survived without their men and were not getting enough money, hence took it upon themselves to go to the nearby towns like Johannesburg as they went to find their lost husbands as well as search for jobs. It is evidenced by Gertrude Kumalo who went out in search of her husband but was employed in the mines. The women often came to the cities in search of their husbands but ended up in criminal activities like distribution of alcohol. It was not their choice to engage in such activities though, but they desperately required to get money to take care of their kids and for their survival (Viviers 8). After the introduction of the new life, the women accustomed to it. Women like Gertrude missed the freedom which they once possessed, thus illustrating the plight of the natives to a life of family humiliation, violence, and desperation.
The Impact of the Western Civilization on the Natives
In conclusion, the impact of the western civilization directly influenced the lives of the natives in the south. The society which was once selfless and one which did not believe in the monetary value soon became uneducated, desperate, and owned very little land. The Europeans corrupted the native culture, destroying the hope and believe of the good that would help them to manage the changing circumstances as they worked to have a better lifestyle.
Work cited
Mba, Nonyelum Chibuzo. "Wifehood and Silent Separatist Policy in Alan Paton’s Cry, The Beloved Country." Journal of Literature and Art Studies 5.1 (2015): 53-63.
Ngcobo, Sandiso. "Cry, the beloved country’s isiZulu translation: speech act of naming." Southern African linguistics and applied language studies 33.1 (2015): 99-110.
Paton, Alan. Cry, the beloved country. Simon and Schuster, 2003.
Viviers, Etienne. "Maxwell Anderson’s song lyric ‘Lost in the Stars’ and his Ulyssean adaptation of Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country." Literator: Journal of Literary Criticism, Comparative Linguistics and Literary Studies 38.1 (2017): 1-9.
