Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country

When Alan Paton wrote Cry, The Beloved Country in 1948, it was clear that he intended to leave an enduring impression of a time in which social structures seemed to almost insult the concept of a common humanity (Malamud). The story, which revolves around two men’s quest to find, both literally and figuratively, their sons, beautifully articulates the countless struggles that humans face in the endeavor to understand and better their world. The novel is exceptional given that Paton illustrates the chaos of emotions associated with trying to comprehend the morality of an individual. A task that is difficult in every examination given the inability and inadequacy of humans to comprehend beyond the concrete. Cry, The Beloved Country makes apparent the duality of our morality, and the struggle associated with the interpretation of matters of conscience.

Alan Paton was born on January 11, 1903 in Pietermaritzburg, the Natal Province. Both of his parents were immigrants from the United Kingdom, who had decided to settle in South Africa. Paton attended university to be a teacher, and married Dorrie Lusted in 1928. His first insight into the issues surrounding the apartheid occurred when he served as the principal in a reform school for African black offenders (Peterson). This experience is echoed in the novel when Absalom has been attending a reformatory school outside of Johannesburg. He started writing Cry, The Beloved Country while on a European trip. He finished the novel relatively quickly, and soon found success as a writer. The wealth that resulted from his writing raised him out of the lower class and gave him the opportunity/audience to voice his concerns to. He went on to found the Liberal Party of Sou...

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...orate much more than a standard definition could ever suffice. We as individuals make decisions, and we as individuals live with them. Alan Paton articulated this constant struggle beautifully. Morality and religion the elements of day-to-day life, will always be beyond the comprehension of people. While, the acknowledgement of our inadequacies as human beings will always be necessary, so too will our ability to love and forgive. These ideals for South Africans, maybe more than most, are still essential in finally escaping the confines created by our own inhumanity. As best stated by the Father of South Africa, reflecting five years later on his release, after 27 years unmerited imprisonment “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison (Karimi, and Damon).”