The Importance Of Religion In Cry, The Beloved Country

How can one make so many mistakes in life and still be forgiven as if they did not do anything wrong? In the novel Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton, religion was a vocal point throughout the whole novel. The main character, Stephen Kumalo, who simply goes by Kumalo, was a black South African priest who revolved his life around his family and God. There had been many times in Kumalo’s life where his feelings and actions had been results of devoting his life to God. Paton continually mentioned the importance of faith in this book and what it meant to each of the characters present. One of the main ideas in this novel was the journey Kumalo took in order to overcome the challenges he had faced. Obstacles he was presented with included finding

To begin, as Kumalo’s daughter, Gertrude, entered his life once again, he turned to God to be able to love her again because of the mistakes she had made throughout her time in Johannesburg. When Kumalo and his daughter discussed her negative decisions, Paton added about Kumalo, “His eyes fill with tears, his deep gentleness returns to him. He goes to her and lifts her from the floor to the chair. Inarticulately he strokes her face, his heart filled with pity. ‘God forgives us...Who am I not to forgive? Let us pray’” (Paton, 61). He was willing to forgive Gertrude even though she has disappointed him greatly. He feels if they prayed together, God would also forgive everything she had done and that she would be blessed with another chance and a great life. This event told the reader Kumalo is a person who was always willing to overlook the poor decisions in life. If God approved of another chance, Kumalo felt the same way. Furthermore, as Kumalo had been frantically searching for his son who he had not found or heard of for years, he was not finding any luck. Once the journey seemed lost, Kumalo mentioned, “There is no prayer left in me. I am dumb here inside. I have no words at all¨ (Paton, 105). Kumalo’s character is shown here once again when the journey became very difficult. Kumalo had been on this journey to find

During Kumalo’s journey, his connection with God was shown through the spiritual dimensions of the land. His main goal was to find his family and get them back together; the land of South Africa showed him that life needed to be changed and as once Kumalo returned to Ndotsheni with his family, the land was a work in progress. An agricultural demonstrator came into town and was preparing to improve life at Ndotsheni. By these events taking place, God was answering Kumalo’s prayers by getting his family back together and upgrading the land. Through the tragic events of Absalom committing murder and asking for forgiveness, his prayers were somewhat answered. The white man he murdered was committed to helping the natives and trying to get everyone to be equal. The father of the dead man carried on his legacy by contributing to the redeveloping of the land for the natives. Absalom’s prayers were answered by the white family still giving back to the natives. In America today, has God made such impacts with people who are constantly praying for his help or for