Author: Alan Paton (South African writer; first published in New York, 1948)
Background
- Introduction to South Africa
- Overview: Operation World
- Overview: CIA Report
- Overview: United Streaming
- Notes today from Britannica Online
- For each chapter: copy a quotation you think rich, insightful, or nicely composed. Explain the significance of the quote in more than one sentence.
- Choose one word that is new or strange to you from each chapter.
- Add the word to your vocabulary list.
- Define it.
Key Terms
- "MOTIF: A conspicuous recurring element, such as a type of incident, a device, a reference, or verbal formula, which appears frequently in works of literature" (Dr. Wheeler).
- Compare with theme.
Imagery
Theme
Setting
Repetition
Epithet
Plot (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution)
Protagonist
Main character
Minor character
Character (dynamic, static, round, flat)
Point of View (first person, third person, limited third person, omniscient)
Reference and Allusion
Vignette
Epiphany
Realistic
Poetic Passage
Speaker (who is not always the same persona as the author)
Chapter notes
Book I
Ch. 1: Contrast, Symbol, Theme, Allusion in the land
Ch. 2: Characterization
Ch. 3: Exposition (learning of the city)
Ch. 4: Poetic Description (opening paragraphs)
Ch. 5: Theme: Race
Ch. 6: Theme: Forgiveness; city
Ch. 7: Theme: John Kumalo, race; Msimangu: "I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating" (71).
Ch. 8: Narrative perspective; notice how the third-person perspective becomes interpretive, almost intrusive, in its foreboding omniscience ("Have no doubt it is fear in their eyes..."(77)).
Ch. 9: Vignette: This is a sketch of life that does not directly relate to the main character's search for his son. This is a technique Paton picked up from another writer with social concerns, John Steinbeck.
Ch. 10: Theme: Loss ("from every house something was gone" (93)), Despair (bottom of 99), forgiveness (101).
Ch. 13: Reference (Isaiah 42:6; 42:16; 40:28; 40:30-31); motif (fear); symbol (golden); allusion ("transfigured" and "lifted")
Ch. 14: Motif ("Have no doubt it is fear in their eyes" pg. 128)
Ch. 15: Theme (forgiveness; faith in God). Some things are God's secret; praying for understanding of a pain/issue/etc. right when one is hurt is often unwise; pray for endurance; pray for faith; pray for others.
Ch. 16: Theme (restoration, forgiveness; Stephen Kumalo needs to more fully forgive his soon-to-be daughter-in-law)
Ch. 17: Theme (racial reconciliation and faith; Mr. Carmichael will defend Absalom pro deo)
Book II
Ch. 18: Motif; repetition (opening of "Book II" parallels "Book I")
Ch. 19: Exposition (James Jarvis is Arthur's father; a narrative thread is explored through James Jarvis). Paton retreats a few paces, chronologically in the story, in order to pick up this strand.
- Characters
- James Jarvis and Margaret Jarvis
- Murdered Son, Arthur
- Barbara Smith, niece (lives in Johannesburg)
- Mary Jarvis (nee Harrison): Arthur's widow
- Mr. and Mrs. Harrison (Mr. Harrison is racist)
- Son, John (friend of Arthur)
- Daughter, Mary (married to Arthur)
Ch. 20: Reference and Allusion: Abraham Lincoln (alludes to the righteous social concerns of Arthur Jarvis). Through Arthur's unfinished lecture/manuscript, Paton preaches his social doctrine.
Ch. 21: Character development. James, who does not agree with his son's ideas, is now being drawn in by them as they are Arthur's last words. Theme: title development, "But there was no one to cry" (186). Notice that Arthur's focus is on "Christian civilization" (187). Dynamic character: James Jarvis admits to his wife that the manuscript is "worth reading" and tells her to read it (189).
Ch. 22: Motif: Fear. Kumalo cannot face his fear (seeing James. "And Kumalo trembles, and does not look at him any more. For how does on look at such a man?" (199).
Ch. 23: Third-person narrator as shifted to a white perspective. Other narrative voices chime in over the course of the chapter. Motif and symbol: Gold (202). Allusion ("burns bright in the forest of the night" alludes to William Blake's "Tiger, Tiger.")
Ch. 24: Character development: James Jarvis comes to terms with his son's death ("He was not afraid of the passage and the stain [blood] on the floor; he was not going that way any more, that was all" (209)). Key question: Expedient vs. right (near the top of pg. 208).
Ch. 25: Theme and Motif: Fear. Kumalo is confronted unexpectedly by his fear: facing James Jarvis. Character development: Jarvis, "I understand what I did not understand. There is no anger in me" (214).
Ch. 26: Contrast: John Kumalo speaks again (contrast with Msimangu). Characterization: Metaphorically, he is the great bull; he is the lion.
Ch. 27: Character development: Gertrude struggles with her place. Will she be a nun? What will she do?
Ch. 28: Theme: Racial reconciliation: A "young white man" and Msimangu helps Stephen after the sad sentencing: "For such a thing is not lightly done" (237).
Ch. 29: Motif: Fear "Have no doubt it is fear in the eyes" (245). Stephen lies to John, briefly, out of spite for John's son taking no blame. Characters show epithets associated with them. Mrs. Lithebe: "people were born to do such kindness" (247). Msimangu: "I am a weak and sinful man, but God put His hands on me, that is all" (248-249). Gertrude disappears. The reader will not know more.
Book III
Ch. 30: Allusion: Kumalo sets out "on the narrow path that leads into the setting sun, into the valley" (255). See Matt. 7:13-14. Kumalo will now need to face his congregation with the conclusion of this hard matter for him. Theme: Forgiveness: the congregation welcomes him and receives him as he publicly asks God for mercy for his family members. Theme: Faith: "I believe" (261).
Ch. 31: Theme: Native Poverty in the Country; Displacement of the tribe (chief). The children are dying. No grass means no livestock; no livestock means no milk; no milk means that the children will die.
Ch. 32: Theme: Repentance (Absalom prepares for death); Theme: Native Poverty in the Country (church scene) (278-279); Theme: Growing unity, love, and respect between black and white people (milk arrives)
Ch. 33: Theme: Growing unity, love, and respect between black and white people (a new church will be built; Jarvis behind these things)
Ch. 34: Death and darkness. No mercy for Absalom. James Jarvis' wife dies. Theme: Forgiveness (the Bishop expected the congregation to ask Stephen Kumalo to leave, but they are happy to have him still as their pastor; the Bishop is surprised 297). Symbolic reference: "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, these things will I do unto you, and not forsake you" (Isaiah 40 ff).
Ch. 35: Theme: Rebirth, resurrection: "There is a new thing happening here....There is hope here" (301).
Ch. 36: Motif: "God put His hands on you" (Msimangu's epithet is now employed by Stephen Kumalo to describe James Jarvis' generous heart, pg. 308). Theme: Some things are God's secret, "But his mind would contain it no longer. It was not for man's knowing. He put it from his mind, for it was secret" (309). Allusion: "My son, my son, my son" (pg. 310; see II Sam. 18:33). Symbolically and allusively dense conclusion. Read the last two paragraphs of the novel: what do you find? Discuss.
Note four of the words we use to discuss character: flat (simple, not complex; often a minor character), round (developed, complex; often a main character), static (stays the same), dynamic (changes). One character can be a combination (flat and static; flat and dynamic), or even somewhat mixed:
- Stephen Kumalo is definitely round and not flat. We see him sin, repent . . . sin, struggle, repent, and reconcile in numerous places.
- Stephen Kumalo is also dynamic, as he goes from a state of ignorance to a state of experience (with respect to Gertrude, Absalom, and Johannesburg). Stephen Kumalo's character may be considered static, since he remains true to his faith. Still, Kumalo is more clearly dynamic, for his faith is tested, and he does rise and fall and rise again.
- Thus, Stephen must be round and can not be considered flat. He is dynamic--though some aspects of his character may be or seem static.
Here is a link to Paton's glossary for Cry, The Beloved Country (yes, it's Oprah's website...my sincere apologies to you).
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