In
Cry the Beloved Country, Paton uses a
theme of religion and repentance throughout the entire story. Reverend Msimangu
is an example of the religion motif in this novel. Stephen Kumalo is an example
of the repentance in this novel. Father Vincent is another great example of a
religious figure in this novel. As I have said, Reverend Msimangu is the main
example of religion in Cry the Beloved
Country.
Rev. Msimangu is one of the most religious
men in the book. He is the guy to send Kumalo the letter informing him of his
sister’s, Gertrude, “illness.” He is the man to find Kumalo a place to stay. He
is the man to go on many of the journeys that Kumalo takes in the story. He is
somewhat of Kumalo’s closest friend in the first book. He stays with Kumalo through
it all, but even he has his personal thoughts like when he said “My friend, I
am a Christian. It is not in my heart to hate a white man. It was a white man
who brought my father out of darkness… The white man has broken the tribe. And [that]
is my belief—and again I ask your pardon (Page 55-56).” Msimangu expresses his
thoughts to Kumalo and while at the same time he was kind of looking down on
Kumalo. The way that Msimangu looked down on Kumalo kind of showed his
unchristian like believe, but he asked for forgiveness from Kumalo for doing so
which is a way of repentance.
Stephen Kumalo, the main character of
the novel, is a great example of repentance throughout the book. Through his
quest to find and free his son he comes across conflict. That conflict was not an
external conflict, but an internal conflict within him. As his outing in the world,
he begins to lose faith in God. He cannot understand why God would put the
natives of South Africa through the pain of an apartheid and segregation. He
also begins to question why God would let his son fall into the crimes of the
Natives in Johannesburg. He asks why God wouldn’t just let his son go free. He
asks why his sister would fall into the prostitution life. He asks why his
brother is no longer a man of God. All Kumalo can do is ask and ask because he
cannot fix any of it. He sees it as if the world could help him but they do
nota described by Kumalo when he says “There is a man sleeping in the grass,
said Kumalo. And over him is gathering the greatest storm of all his days….
People hurry home past him… but they do not wake him, they let him be (Page 138).”
Kumalo at this point had given up on his faith in God. He has sort of
resentment toward God for not helping him. However, later in the book Kumalo
regained his Faith in God and repented.
Father
Vincent is a “rosy-cheeked” English priest that lives in the Mission House with
Msimangu. Throughout the first book, Father Vincent tries to get to know Kumalo
through sharing life stories at the dinner table. He is he man to introduce
Kumalo to the lawyer named Mr. Carmichael to represent Kumalo’s son, Absalom,
in the court case. He is also the man to tell Kumalo “Do not pray for yourself,
and do not pray to understand the ways of God. For they are secret … Pray for
your wife and all at Ndotsheni. Pray for the woman and the children that are
bereaved. Pray for the soul of him who was killed, and for those at Ezenzeleni,
who try to rebuild in a place of destruction. Pray for your own rebuilding.
Pray for all white people, those who do justice, and those who would do justice
if they were not afraid. And do not fear to pray for your son, and for his amendment
(Page 142).” when Kumalo began to lose his faith. Father Vincent helps Kumalo
regain his faith. He helps Kumalo forgive the world and understand the world by
repenting.
In Cry the Beloved Country, Paton uses many
different themes. His most repeated and used theme is the theme of Religion and
Repentance. This theme is shown through multiple characters, one these
characters being Reverend Msimangu who shows both themes of religion and
repentance. Another character would be Reverend Stephen Kumalo, who shows both
themes of religion and repentance. The only character that shows only one of
the themes is Father Vincent, who only shows the theme of religion.
