Themes In Cry, The Beloved Country By Alan Paton

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Cry, the Beloved Paper “The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again.” (Paton 56). Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a novel about life in South Africa after European countries came and colonized it. This novel shows the injustice, racism, and the depleting native life and culture of South Africa. Alan Paton presents to his readers the simple life in the country and then the urbanized life in the city. This novel is unique compared to others in how it includes intercalary chapters and sections throughout the whole novel. The intercalary writing style Alan Paton used, is able to show the reader the reality of the society, shape the tone of the story, and the main plot. Intercalary chapters
They end up understanding the injustices going on in the story based on background information read. “In fact it provides a keen insight into the problems facing South African society at the time, an informed and subtle understanding of contemporaneous socio-political debates, and a sensitive appraisal of the possibilities for the country 's restoration on a number of different levels” (Andrew Foley, " 'Considered as a Social Record ': A Reassessment of Cry, the Beloved Country). Chapter 9 in Cry, The Beloved Country has a great use of the intercalary sections. In this chapter it shows how overpopulated the city of Johannesburg is. “Have you a room that you could let? No, I have no room. Have you a room you could let? It is let already…” (Paton 83). Shown here is when Mr. Kumalo and Mr. Msimangu are looking for a place to stay but everything is taken already. The reader can see how hard it was to find a place of shelter for two people. Think of all of the natives that migrated to Johannesburg and then their tribes they abandoned. This goes along with the theme in the story of the disintegration of native tribes because when they leave their tribes they are leaving the culture and the customs for a very corrupt society. “While

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