The Theme of Hope by Farah Ahmed 7A and Abdullah EL Hakim 7B

Although “Cry, the Beloved Country” is a novel that records extreme social injustice and often reveals a sense of hopelessness about the depth of the problem, it also envisages the possibility of reconciliation between the races and the rebuilding of black communities.

Even within the darker sections of the novel, there are usually some bright spots in which people exhibit human kindness to one another, regardless of race. One example is found in the mission house where all priests, black and white, regard each other as equals. “And there he met many priests, both black and white, and they sat down after a prayer and ate together,” explains the narrator. The quote shows how not only did the two races co-exist, but they prayed and ate together as brothers. Father Vincent, a white priest from England, is one that stands out. He genuinely likes Kumalo and talks to him in an equal manner.

The example of the young white man who gives rides to the black people walking to Alexandra because of the bus boycott validates Msimangu’s idea that love has an incorruptible power. The story of the whites giving rides to the blacks shows that racial harmony and human decency are possible. Moreover, solidarity between the whites the blacks triumphs over racism as South Africans risk trouble with the police in order to give rides to the striking blacks. Even if the boycott did not succeed in reducing the bus fare, it has done a great deal of good because it has shown the solidity of the natives and has aroused the conscience of many whites. This proves that the situation is not hopeless and many whites are on the side of the right, “Many of the white people stopped their cars, and took in the black people, to help them on their journey to Alexandra.”

Another representative of hope is the young white man who works at the reformatory to which Absalom Kumalo is sent. He tries everything he knows to set him on a more productive path in his life, for Absalom has deviated from the right path. As a result he became a criminal. The young man never gives up trying to aid Absalom, “ Do not give up hope Umfundisi. I will not give up the search,” he tells Stephen Kumalo. The people we read about in the reformatory reinforce the idea that there are white men of goodwill in South Africa who want to be constructive by helping the natives. The white man at the reformatory is a representative of the white people who are kind, helpful and respectful towards the black natives.

Of course, one major example is Arthur Jarvis. The hope for the future lies in the fact that the races are capable of cooperation, if individuals decide to overcome the false barriers that have been set up between them. Jarvis is one of the white people who was trying to bridge the gap between the two races. Because the non-racist whites are few, the loss of one is a great loss as he has been shot dead by black natives. Jarvis wished to help the blacks regain their rights, “this is a great loss for this Arthur Jarvis was a courageous young man, and a great fighter for justice.” Unfortunately, a black criminal , Absalom Kumalo, is the one who shot Arthur Jarvis

The novel suggests that societal change will only come when there is a change within mens' hearts, but it holds out the hope that such change can and will happen.