The Land of South Africa

The land of South Africa is described by Alan Paton in Cry, the Beloved Country in many different ways in order to add to the story and make the novel better. Paton uses diction, imagery, and detail regarding the land that also adds to the story. In the beginning of the book, Paton describes two different lands for the whole first chapter. This chapter starts off Cry, the Beloved Country in a way that puts a picture in the reader’s mind that gives them the information they need to understand the deeper plot of the story.

Paton begins Cry, the Beloved Country with a chapter that just describes the different land of South Africa in places such as Ixopo and Carisbrooke. He says that one land “keeps men, guards men, cares for men” and is “well-tended” with “grass that is rich and matted.” Paton says the other land “no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men” and is “full of the red blood of the earth.” He uses a lot of diction, imagery, and detail that helps the reader understand his point.

            

When Stephen Kumalo is traveling from his homeland to Johannesburg in the early chapters, Alan Paton describes the difference and change of land from Johannesburg and other cities. In a few of the cities Kumalo travels through, Paton uses words such as “broken” and to describe the land. This diction increases the reader’s knowledge of South Africa and its land in order to help make the story more readable and better.

            

In Chapter 15, Stephen Kumalo tells a story to Father Vincent of a man sleeping in the grass during a storm. He says that it is the “greatest storm of all his days,” and that when people saw the man sleeping, they “let him be.” This is a story revolved around land that shows how people are easily oblivious to the bad things that are going on around them, and that others won’t help in bad situations. The story is like what Kumalo is going through with his family leaving for Johannesburg. He feels like he did not realize the badness until it was too late.

            

In Chapter 12, Alan Paton says that there is “fear in the land.” He says this because when people are scared, they cannot enjoy what is around them, like the land. The people in Johannesburg are afraid of their situations, therefore they are not appreciating the beauty of land around them. And when the land is not appreciated, it falls apart and gets ugly.

            

The land of South Africa is very important in Cry, the Beloved Country. Alan Paton uses vivid detail that helps describe the land and show how it is affected by the people that live on it. Stephen Kumalo’s journey would not have as much meaning as it does if there were no descriptions of the land it involves. The story is not just about the characters and their situations. It is also about the land.