AN ANALYSIS OF PATON’S SOCIAL CRITICISM TOWARD
THE SOUTH-AFRICAN SOCIETY AS REFLECTED IN
STEPHEN KUMALO’S CONFLICTS IN CRY, THE BELOVED
COUNTRY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
Novero Ferdinand
Student Number: 994214166ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
AN ANALYSIS OF PATON’S SOCIAL CRITICISM TOWARD
THE SOUTH-AFRICAN SOCIETY AS REFLECTED IN
STEPHEN KUMALO’S CONFLICTS IN CRY, THE BELOVED
COUNTRY
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
NOVERO FERDINAND
Student Number: 994214166
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2008
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go
and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye
shall search for me with all your heart.
And I will be found of you, Saith the Lord.
(Jeremiah 29: 12-14a)
This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to
My beloved family
My beloved mother and father
My awesome God
And all my supporting friends
And my girlfriend
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to my Father in heaven for his love and kindness through Jesus Christ for giving me a chance to finish this thesis. I thank you for all the forgiveness, faithfulness and blessings in my life.
I would like to thank my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum for her guidance, corrections, suggestions, and comments on every steps of this thesis. I would like to thank my co-advisor Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum for the advices to make my thesis better and for helping me to evaluate my Subjects and for everything. I also would like to thank all of English Letters Lecturers and the secretariat staffs for their guidance in all these years. I also wish to express my gratitude to Pak Alip for all the efforts during my last year in Sanata Dharma.
I would like to thank my beloved father Rolly Kussoy and my beloved mother Dortje Posumah. To my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Dyan for helping me in all the finance during my study in Sanata Dharma. To my girlfriend Pamela Felita for all the prayer and love and care. To my Best Friends Nova, Ibrahim, Michael, Didik, Esti and Henny for always supporting me, may God bless them all. To Bapak Kost and Ibu Kost who were so kind in helping me when I was sick, I would like to thank all of my friends both in Sanata Dharma and in my church that I cannot mention one by one.
Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my loving memory Aunt Natje for introducing me the novel Cry, the Beloved Country and for all the supports that I cannot mention them all. Thank you so much, Jesus is always with you.
Novero Ferdinand
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE………... i
APPROVAL PAGE………... ii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE……… iii
MOTTO PAGE……….. iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN……….. v
DEDICATION PAGE………... .. vi
A. Review of Related Studies………... 9
B. Review of Related Theories………...12
C. Review on South Africa Social Condition in the Early 20th Century…... 23
D. Theoretical Framework………... 27
A. The Characterization of Stephen Kumalo………...………. 32
B. 1. Stephen Kumalo Conflicts………..……...……….. 34
a. Afraid of Something Uncertain …..….……….34
b. Sad of Gertrude’s Condition…………...……..……….35
c. Desperate of Absalom’s Murder Case..……….36
d. Suffering because of the Treatment of His Family...36
2. The Causes of Stephen Kumalo Conflicts……….………....37
a. Gertrude’s Sickness……….. 38
b. Absalom’s Crime………...………....40
c. John’s Political Intrigue…………..………...42
d. Ndotsheni Dry Season…...………44
C. Paton’s Social Criticism of South African Society as reflected in Stephen Kumalo’s Conflicts………..………..45
CHAPTER V CONCLUSSION………...50
BIBLIOGRAPHY………..53
APPENDICES…..………..…56
A. Biography of Alan Paton………..……….…56
B. Summary………58
ABSTRACT
Novero Ferdinand (2008). An Analysis of Paton’s Social Criticism toward the South African Society as Reflected in Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts in Cry, the Beloved Country Yogyakarta : Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis concerns the novel, Cry, the Beloved Country written by Alan Paton. This novel tells about a journey of a priest looking for his son, brother and sister. Through a long journey, Stephen Kumalo faces conflicts happen within himself. I found this novel interesting because there are some factors that could raise conflicts to someone. This novel becomes more interesting because Paton uses these conflicts to criticize the South African society at that time.
This thesis is intended to answer three questions, namely (1) how is the character of Kumalo depicted in the novel? (2) what are the conflicts and the causes of the conflicts that are faced by the main characeter? (3) what is Paton criticism toward South African society in the twentieth century as reflected in Kumalo’s conflicts?
The method used is library research. The data were collected from the novel, criticism on the novel, and other sources realted to the novel. I employed the theory of character and the theory of characterization to answer the first question. To answer the second question, I used the theory of conflicts to explore the conflicts faced by the main character. To answer the third question, I adopted the sociocultural historical approach. This approach was used because I would like to study the socio cultural historical aspect of the story as a reflection of the social condition of the society in South Africa.
From the analysis, I draw conclussion: (1) Kumalo is a humble man and strong dealing with the situation he faces. Although he is old, he is able to face every circumstances in his life. (2) The conflicts that kumalo has when he has to struggle within himself. The conflicts that Kumalo has made him feel affraid,sad, desperate and suffering. The causes of the conflicts comes from the member of his family and his own village. (3) Paton’s critcism of South African society are social injustice, moral degradation, and descrimination between black people and white people.
Novero Ferdinand (2008). An Analysis of Paton’s Social Criticism toward the South African Society as reflected in Stephen Kumalo’s Conflicts in Cry, The Beloved Country Yogyakarta : Program Study Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini mengenai novel yang berjudul Cry, The Beloved Country yang di karang oleh Alan Paton. Novel ini mengenai perjalanan seorang pendeta dalam mencari anak serta adik dan kakaknya. Melalui perjalanan yang cukup panjang yang di laluinya. Terdapat banyak kendala yang harus dihadapinya yang mengakibatkan banyak konflik terjadi di dalam dirinya. Novel ini menarik karena penulis dapat menemukan beberapa factor yang dapat mengakibatkan konflik-konflik pada diri seseorang. Novel ini menjadi lebih menarik karena pengarang menggunakan novel ini sebagai kritik social terhadap masyarakat Afrika Selatan pada masa pertikaian antara kulit putih dan kulit hitam.
Skripsi ini bermaksud menjawab tiga pertanyaan, yaitu (1) bagaimana karakter dari tokoh utama dilukiskan dalam novel tersebut (2) konflik-konflik apa saja yang dihadapi tokoh utama dan apa penyebab dari konflik-konflik tersebut (3) Kritik sosial apa yang di sampaikan oleh Alan Paton untuk mengkritik masyarakat Afrika Selatan pada masa abad ke-20 yang di refleksikan di dalam konflik yang dihadapi oleh tokoh utama.
Metode yang digunakan adalah penelitian data yang dikumpulkan berasal dari novel itu sendiri, kritik pada novel, dan sumber sumber lain yang berhubungan dengan novel yang di ambil dari study pustaka. Penulis menggunakan teori karakter dan teori karakteristik untuk menjawab pertanyaan pertama. Teori-teori ini digunakan untuk mempelajari dan menganalisis karakteristik dari tokoh utama. Untuk menjawab pertanyaan kedua, penulis menggunakan teori konflik untuk mempelajari dan menganalisis konflik konflik dan penyebab dari konflik-konflik yang di hadapi oleh tokoh utama. Untuk menjawab pertanyaan ketiga, penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosiokultural-sejarah yaitu dengan mempelajari apa yang terjadi pada waktu pengarang menulis novel tersebut dan mempelajari latar belakang masyarakat Afrika Selatan pada waktu itu.
Dari analisis yang di lakukan penulis menyimpulkan (1) Kumalo adalah seorang yang rendah hati dan sabar dalam menghadapi tantangan yang ada di hadapannya. Walaupun ia tua namun ia kuat dalam menghadapi setiap masalah yang ada dalam kehidupannya. (2) Konflik-konflik yang di hadapi Kumalo adalah ketika ia harus bergumul dengan dirinya sendiri. Konflik-konflik yang di hadapi oleh Kumalo membuatnya merasakan takut, sedih, putus asa dan menderita. Penyebab dari konflik-konflik tersebut berasal dari anggota keluarganya dan desanya. (3) Kritik sosial yang di sampaikan Paton untuk masyarakat Afrika selatan pada waktu itu ialah ketidakadilan sosial, penurunan moral dan diskriminasi ras antara kulit hitam dan putih.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
A nation usually has norms which exist in society. However, if one of those norms fall down or break down, it can cause differences between one society and the others. Those things happen in South-Africa in the early of the 20th century which takes Paton’s attention to write about the social condition of South African society in 1946.
The situation and condition between urban society and rural society are different in many ways such as norms, attitudes or even point of view in a religion. Those are some causes which Paton tries to criticize toward the South African society in his novel Cry, the Beloved Country.
Paton was born at Pietermaritzburg, Natal, in 1903. He attended Pietermaritzburg College, at which he afterwards taught at the Natal University College and he took his B.Sc. degree in Mathematics and Physics and the Diploma of Education. In 1925 he went to Ixopo to teach, where Cry, the Beloved Country opens. Before writing this book Alan Paton had written numerous articles on South African problems for national periodical, which he has continued to do (1944: 2).
During his life he has seen racial discrimination happen in South-Africa and using his talent as a writer he tries to criticize the condition of society of South African through one of his literary work Cry, the Beloved Country. He has spoken out
against apartheid and his country’s policy of racial segregation with the memory group of whites in control.
In this thesis I found some conflicts happen in the character of Stephen Kumalo which becomes Paton’s criticism on the society. At that time there was a huge gap between town and country society. Many people in rural society go to urban society for some purposes but finally found that the circumstances in urban society not as they expected which makes them have to choose a hard way to live. Rural society shown in the novel are poor while Urban society are rich but they work in different ways. Rural society still sticks with their norms and religion while in urban society, there are many intricts, politics, and different point of view about a religion.
character related to the social condition in the novel and in South Africa at that time will become my focus later in describing the problem formulation.
Daily newspaper, The New York Times wrote about the novel, “A beautiful novel, rich, firm and moving… its writing is so fresh, its projection of character so immediate and full, its events so compelling, and its understanding so compassionate that to read the book is to share intimately, even to the point of catharsis, in the grave human experience treated.” (http://archives.obs-us/obs/english/films/mx/cry/aboutb.htm). The quotation above shows that Cry, the Beloved Country is able to move the reader’s compassion and to share the intimate feeling because Paton use many aspects in life in describing the character and the social condition in the novel.
Cry, the Beloved Country soon become famous after its first publication and invite many comments from other country. Many newspapers from other country put a comment about Paton’s novel and some of them admires Paton’s work as one of the best novel at that time. Another quotations written in The New Republic said that, “The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time.” (http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/films/mx/cry/aboutb.htm).
edition, dedicated to Jan Hofmeyr, came out three months before Hofmeyr’s death at age 53 in December 1948. Book sales in South Africa were second only to those of the bible, and Paton became famous. (http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/films/mx/cry/aboutb.htm). Paton became famous after the first edition of Cry, the Beloved Country not only in South Africa but also in Europe because the novel soon translated into 20 languages.
B. Problem Formulation
This part discusses three problems which I formulate to give a brief definition of my study. The problems are formulated as follows:
1. How is Stephen Kumalo depicted in the novel?
2. What are the conflicts and the causes of the conflicts faced by Stephen Kumalo? 3. What are Paton’s criticism of the South African Society in the early 20th century as
reflected in Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts?
C. Objectives of the Study
D. Definition of Terms
To get a clear understanding about the study, I try to explain some important terms or definition related with the topic of the discussion. Those terms are as follows:
1. Conflicts
I would like to give a little brief definition about what the meaning of conflict. Conflict is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of two opposing forces in a plot (At least one of the opposing forces is usually a person, or, if an animal or animate object is treated as though it were a person, a protagonist). There may be involvement in conflicts of four different kinds (1) a struggle against nature (2) a struggle against another person (3) a struggle against society (4) a struggle for mastery two elements within the person (Holman and Harmon, 1986 :107).
2. Social Criticism
The definition of Social Criticism in this section I divided into two. First I try give the definition of Criticism itself then Social, and then I try to draw conclusion from both definitions. The definition of the word “criticism as Paul Procter states in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English is “the act of forming and expressing judgements about the good or bad qualities of anything, especially artistic work, work of a critic” (1978:263).
In the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literature Terms edited by Chris Baldick, “Criticism is an activity which one of them is judgement of its worth by comparison with other work”. Baldick also adds more specific explanation that “criticism is concerned with revealing the author’s explanation (sometimes called ‘expressive’ Criticism) (1991: 48).
While Society, used by a novelist, sometimes refers merely to the high or fashionable class. However, ‘society’ can be wider in sense, not only comprehending merely people and their class but also their customs, conventions, beliefs and values, their institutional-legal, religious and cultural and their physical environments (Langland, 1984: 6). I can conclude that society is a group of people who live together with their own values, beliefs and customs.
CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
Cry, the Beloved Country as one of Alan Paton’s works was written in 1948. It is the story of Zulu Christian Pastor’s journey from quite Natal province to a modern, sinister Johannesburg in search of his son, his sister and his brother-all whom have disappeared into an urban life, sin and political intrigue. By tragic circumstances his son Absalom, has accidentally killed the social reformer son of a leading Natal farmer. The novel deals with social condition in South-Africa where Paton used to live and spent most of his work and life there.
There are many opinions about the theme of this novel. Some critics said that the theme of Cry, the Beloved Country is about the tension between urban and rural society. In this novel, Paton presented rural society as a united family a religious person and having good morality and stability, while urban society as broken family, hedonism and atheism. It can be seen that the tension is a comparison of living between Johannesburg as a place of urban society and Ndotsheni as a picture of a place where rural society live. Other critics said that the theme is about social disintegration and moral restoration (Ross, 1997: 8).
Cry, the Beloved Country may be longer remembered than any other novel of 1948, but not because it fits into any pattern of the modern novel. It stands by itself; it
creates rather than follows a tradition. It is at once unashamedly innocent and subtly sophisticated. It is a story; it is a prophecy; it is a psalm. It is passionately African, as no book before it had been; it is universal (Lewis Gannett, 2005: 1).
According to Gannet, Cry, the Beloved Country is a sophisticated novel. It is a combination of a story, a prophecy and a psalm. It is a fiction that includes Christian values as the dominant influence of the characters. Dealing with Paton’s interest in the race relation in South Africa, Gannet had an opinion that Cry, the Beloved Country is a story, which tries to offer a solution to the problem of South Africa, which is based on Christian values, such as love and kindness (2005: 1).
Randoph Vigne stated that Cry, the Beloved Country was the book that enabled Paton to say, when campaigning against the Group Areas Act 1957: ‘Having a voice which, by God’s grace, can be heard beyond the confines of South Africa, I use it to speak for people who have no voice at all’. The novel, Cry, the Beloved Country is well known in many countries outside South Africa. It means that Paton’s voice for the injustice in South Africa also reaches to other country and to other people outside South Africa (2006: 1).
Maris Kobe in his review on the novel says, “In language both simple and eloquent, Alan Paton has created a masterpiece of symbolism, compassion and understanding. This book is a must read as a modern rendering of Greek tragedy.” (1997: 2)
From those criticisms, I can conclude that Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel but it contains with some values and critics about the society of South Africa. Paton succeeds to a remarkable degree in portraying a segment of South African life during period immediately following the end of World War II. He succeeds, to an even more remarkable degree, in endowing this regional portrait with universal significance. He accomplishes this by incorporating into the actualities of South Africa’s physical and social setting a fundamental theme of social disintegration and moral restoration. This theme is worked out through two complementary, or counter pointed, actions: Stephen Kumalo’s physical search for his son Absalom, and James Jarvis intellectual search for the spirit of his son Arthur. In each case, the journey, once undertaken, leads to an inner, spiritual awakening.
Paton himself stated in his note of this novel, that Cry, the Beloved Country is a compound of truth and fiction. The story is not true, but the social condition is a record of the plain and simple truth. It is not only a portrait of social condition of South Africa, but it also conveys Paton’s feelings and opinions about racism. It seems that through this novel, Paton tries to fight against the practice of racism, especially racism in South Africa (1974: 5).
In this study, I focus on the main character’s conflicts and the author’s criticism toward the South African society in the novel. As I stated above, there are some opinions and critic about the novel. Most of them are to show social condition of the South African society at that time. Using the fact that the author was live in South Africa at that time, I compare the society with the society of South Africa where the author lives at that time. Although the novel is not real, the fact of social condition in South Africa at that time is real. The conflicts of the main character show the criticism of the author toward the South African society.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character
what they do-action.” The ground in the character’s temperament and moral nature for his speech and action constitute his ‘motivation’. A character may remain essentially ‘stable’ or unchanged in his outlook and disposition from beginning to the end of work, or he may undergo a radical change, either through a gradual development or as the result of an extreme crisis.
According to Holman and Harmon (1986: 81), character is a complicated term that includes the idea of the moral constitution of the human personality, the presence of the moral uprightness, and the simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of one sort or another. I conclude that within a character we can see moral constitution that usually exits in society, the moral constitution express the human personality.
A main character can be either static or dynamic. A static character is one who changes little if at all. Things happened to such character without things happening within. The pattern of action reveals the character rather than showing the changing in respond to do the actions. A dynamic character is one who is modified by actions and experience. One objective of the work in which the character appears is to reveal the consequences of these actions (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 83).
motivation and is presented with subtle particularly. Thus, he is as difficult to describe with any adequacy as a person in real life, and like most people, he is capable of surprising the reader (1974: 46-48).
2. Theory of Characterization
Abrams in his book A Glossary of Literary Terms states that characterization must have three principles, they are as follows: (1981: 6).
a. The characters must be consistent in their behavior. In other words, the characters’ way remains essentially stable or unchanged in their outlook and disposition from the beginning to the end of the work
b. The characters must clearly be motivated in whatever they do, especially when there is a change in their behavior.
c. The characters must be plausible or lifelike, credible, realistic, and probable.
According to Barnet, Berman and Burto in their book Literature for Composition there are some important factors that must be considered when we want to see the character involved in a story. Those are: (1988: 2)
1. What the character says
What the character says can give a clue how the author describes him, for example whether he is a kind or bad person, educated or uneducated person.
2. What the character does
We are to know whether he is from upper or lower class, and he is a kind bad person from what the character does.
3. What other characters say about the character
It is needed to get additional information and clear description about some characters that will be described in the story.
4. What others do
The action of others may help indicate what the character could do but he does not do. It is very important to know his characteristics such as lazy, or careless.
1. Personal description
Personal description means that the author can describe a person’s appearance and clothes in the story.
2. Character as seen by another
Instead of describing a character directly the author can describe him through the eyes and opinion of other characters.
3. Speech
It is an important way that may be used to describe a character. The author can give us an insight into the character of one person in the book through what the person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an opinion, he gives us some clues to his character.
4. Past Life
By letting the readers learn something about a person’s past life, the author can give them a clue to an event that has helped to shape a person’s character. This can be done by direct comments by the author, through the person’s thought, through his conversation, or through the medium of another person.
5. Conversation of Others
6. Reactions
Through the person’s reaction to various situation and event, the author can also give us a clue to know the person’s characteristics.
7. Direct Comment
The author can describe or comment on the person’s characteristic directly. 8. Thoughts
The author can give us direct knowledge of what person is thinking about. In this respect, he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell us what different people are thinking.
9. Mannerism
The author can describe a person’s mannerism and habits, which may also tell us something about his character.
3. Theory of Conflict
Sometimes, people do not realize that conflict can bring a positive effect, and then people usually avoid confronting conflict. Beaty and Hunter (1989: 778), in their book, say that most people try hard to avoid conflict. People prefer living without complication. Nevertheless, no one escapes conflict for long, even without war or large-scale disagreement. If people are given a choices between livings without problems or living with problems, they will choose living without problems. But as human being, we should realize that in daily live, man must face some problems willingly.
According to James W. Vander Zanden in his book, Social psychology, conflict is a form of interaction in which people (individually or in group) perceive themselves as being involved in a struggle over resource or social values. People in conflict find themselves at odds. They feel separated by incompatible objectives. They see one another as competitors or threats, and thus their interaction is antagonistic. (1984: 314).
In a novel, Holman and Harmon point out that conflict plays an important role, conflict is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot. It provides interests, suspense and tension (1986: 107). In other words, a conflict is the basis of all fiction; the structure of any given piece of fiction is determined by the way in which the conflict is developed (Brooks, 1952: 27). A conflict could create the tension and also the plot to be more interesting. The story could be more complex and interesting, when the authors could develop the conflict.
Most authors write a story based on conflicts. Holman and Harmon state clearly about conflict, conflict can be a struggle against another person, a struggle against society, a struggle for mastery by two elements within the person (1986: 107). Here, Holman and Harmon want to say that conflict is caused by two different forces. It could be within person or between two persons. It is clearer as I put the statement from Redman (1964: 363), which divide conflict into two, “Inner or internal conflict and external conflict. The inner or internal conflict means a struggle within the heart and minds of protagonist, while the external conflict means a struggle between the protagonist and an outside force.”
4. The Relation between Literature and Society
There are many opinions about society in life between analyst. However, the general view of society refers to the human relationship. Rose (1977: 87-89), in the study of society says that the basic fact of human behaviors is oriented in so many things in the world. Not only do men live together and share common opinions, values, beliefs and customs, they also continually, interact, responding to one another.
According to Staub (1978: 5), there is very strong relationship between values, beliefs and personal goal and behavior in the society. The primary focus of a person in an action. A person is helped by action not by beliefs that one ought to act. Values and empathy are important as motivation of social action.
From Rose’s and Staub’s statements, I can conclude that society is the interaction between people. People live together and they also interact each other. They share their beliefs, opinions, values and customs in their interactions. They do their activities in society based on their personal goals, beliefs, and values.
Wellek and Warren also gives a comment in their book that Literature as a social institution, using as its medium language, a social creation. Such traditional literary devices as symbolism and metre are social in their very nature. They are conventions and norms which would have arisen only in society. Furthermore, literature `represents` ‘life’; and ‘life’ is, in large measure, a social reality, even through the natural world and the inner or subjective world of the individual have also been objects of literary ‘imitation’. Literature which also a social function or ‘use’, which cannot be purely individual. Thus a large majority of the questions raised by literary study are, at least ultimately or by implication, social questions: questions of tradition and convention, norms and genres, symbols and myths. (1956: 94).
It can be seen from Wellek and Warren’s statement above, that literature has a close relation with society because literature `represents` ‘life’; and ‘life’ is, in large measure, means social. Wellek and Warren in their book, theory of literature, state their argumentative opinion about those relationships as follows.
The relation between literature and society is that literature is an expression of society, but if it assumes that literature, at any given time, mirrors the current social situation correctly, it is also, its vogue if it means only that literature depicts some as poet of society reality. To say that literature is mirror of expression life is even more ambiguous. An author in edibility expresses life is total conception of life, but it would be manifested untrue to say that he expresses the whole of life even the whole life of a given time completely and exhaustively (1956: 95).
Wellek and Warren also give three actual relations between literature and society, which are explained in descriptive way. The descriptive relations between literature and society can be classified as follows.
First, there are the sociology and the profession of the author and institutions of literature. The problems appearing in this case are the economic basic of literary production, the social provenance and status of the author, his social ideology, which may be found in extra literary pronouncement and activities. Second, there are the problems of the social content, the implications and the social purpose of the works of literature themselves. Third, there are the problems of the audience and the actual social content of works themselves and the influence of the literature on society (1956: 95-96).
From the quotation above, It is clear that the relation between the author’s work and literature can be seen from its influence on society. Those ideas are expressed through the related events and characters in a literary work.
Literature can be a medium to criticize the society. Furthermore, Rohrberger (1971: 10) mentions that the humanist takes the view that literature is a criticism of life that affects men in society and that great literature should express the values of order, restraint and human dignity.
C. Review on the South Africa Social Condition in the Early 20th Century
South Africa is one of the largest and most powerful states situated in the southern part of Africa. South Africa is a beautiful country with many natural resources. However, it is handicapped by lack of water and by soil erosion. South Africa’s population is diversed racially and ethnically. Blacks make up 72,2 % of the population, whites 15,9%, coloureds (person of mixed racial origin) 9,1% and Asians 2,8 %. The black population consists of nine main ethnic groups, the largest are Zulu and Xhosa (The Encyclopedia Americana, 1995: 262-263).
South Africa is also well-known as the most industrialized and prosperous nation in Africa. South Africa is the world’s leading gold-producing nation, ranks second as a producer of diamond and manganese, and holds third place in output of uranium. It also has an abundance of chrome, coal, iron, and manufactures three fifth of Africa’s steel. Besides the mineral resources, South Africa also produces wool, fruit, and wines (Joy, 1967: 128).
At the turn of the century, for the first time, South Africa had an extremely valuable resource that attracted foreign capital and large-scale immigration. Discoveries of gold and diamonds in South Africa exceeded the natural resources in any other parts of the world, and more foreign capital had been invested in South Africa. The white population expanded eightfold, while hundreds of thousand of Africans sought work each year in the newly developed mines and cities of industrializing areas. However, not all shared equally in this newfound wealth. Diamond and, in particular, gold mining industries required vast amounts of inexpensive labor in order to be profitable. Therefore, there must be a group of people to be sacrified that were the native African (Wallbank, 1969: 78).
unskilled, low-wage mine workers, while a much smaller number of whites held the skilled positions with much higher salary (Wallbank, 1969: 78).
Not only the men suffered because of the discriminatory treatment, but women and children did too. In the much rural areas, the wives and children of these migrant laborers had to struggle hard in continuing their life with the limited remittances sent back by the men. It was a familiar story that they would live in poverty and shortage of everything because wages were too low to feed and clothe and old age, and public revenues insufficient for public services which would give the African the basic necessities for a reasonable standard of living (Wallbank, 1969: 78). In short, many of the discrimination features as the typical of twentieth-century South Africa—pass laws, urban ghettos, impoverished rural homelands, African migrant labor—were first established in the course of the South Africa’s development.
Fortunately, the presence of the Christian missions with all of their activities could bring a little fresh air in the daily life of society. The good influence of the missions have extended over a wide area and have been sustained over a long period. They helped many people by providing the principal vehicle for education and they had brought to many Africans a personal religion and morality which had helped to fill the gap caused by the disintegration of the society (Wallbank, 1969:79).
workers were permitted to hold only unskilled jobs and were subject to “pass laws” that restricted their freedom of movement. In 1913, the Natives Land Act radically limited the amount of land that black South Africans were permitted to own. As the character Arthur Jarvis states in the novel, just one-tenth of the land was set aside for four-fifths of the country’s people. The resultant overcrowding led many black South Africans to migrate to Johannesburg to work in the mines. Those in power welcomed the influx of cheap labor but failed to provide adequate housing or services to address the mass migration. These are the circumstances under which the character Stephen Kumalo leaves his impoverished rural village to search for his son in Johannesburg (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/cry/context.html).
ratified one of the most liberal constitutions in the world. (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/cry/context.html)
D. Theoretical Framework
In doing this study, I use the theories of conflict and theories of character and characterization mentioned in the review on related study. The theories are related to social criticism of the analysis which is about the main character’s conflicts and the causes of the conflicts. It is necessary to understand the theories of conflict because they will be helpful in analyzing the criticism of the author. The theories of character and characterization are also play an important role to show the social conditions of South Africa at that time through the characters in the story.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of work that I analyze is a novel and the title is Cry, the Beloved Country. It is made and printed in Great Britain by Hazell Watson and Viney Ltd, published by Penguin Books Ltd, Middlesex, England in 1944. It became an immediate worldwide bestseller. It is about a black man’s country under white’s man law is a work of searing beauty. Cry, the Beloved Country is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people risen by racial injustice. Remarkable for its lyricsm, unforgettable for character and incident, Cry, the Beloved Country is a classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.
Cry, the Beloved Country was published in 1948 to overwhelming international acclaim—at the time of the author’s death, in 1988, more than fifteen million copies of the novel had been sold, and it had been published in twenty different languages. In Paton’s native South Africa, however, praise for Cry, the Beloved Country remained muted, and the novel’s objectives take on the problems of racial inequality in South Africa created much controversy. Nonetheless, Paton’s reputation as one of South Africa’s greatest writers remained secure, though his
subsequent novels, Too Late the Phalarope (1953) and Ah, But Your Land is Beautiful (1981), were praised by critics but failed to generate the same excitement as Cry, the Beloved Country.Alan Paton died in South Africa in 1992.
B. Approach
Analyzing a literary work needs an approach in order to lead the researcher to a better understanding of a novel. Rohrberger and Woods (1971: 6-15) present five approaches in their book Reading and Writing about Literature. They are the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the socio-cultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach.
The socio-cultural-historical approach insists that the only way to locate the real works is in reference to the civilization that produced it. It means that referring to the civilization or history in which the literary work produced is important in this approach.
The approach that I apply in this study is the sociocultural-historical approach. The approach is stated by Rohrberger as follows.
Critics whose major interest is the sociocultural-historical approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the to the civilization that produced it. Civilization is defined as the attitudes and action of a specific group of people and point out that literature take the attitudes and actions as its subject matter (1971: 9).
subject matter. It is necessary that the critic investigates the social milieu in which a work was created in a vacuum and second, literature embodies ideas significant to the culture that produced it. There are two factors that need to get attention to socio-cultural. First, accuracy in the presentation of historical facts is of value to the historian, but not necessarily to the author. Second, a work of literature might have a historical significance, but not necessarily a literary significance.
The themes of Cry, the Beloved Country is about social inequality and injustice in the main character’s conflicts; the focus of the sociocultural-historical is the South African society, the time when Paton lives and exists. Nevertheless, he is able to join with the culture and society at that time was bad, especially for the Black people, the working class. They were described as a second class in society because of the politics Apartheid. Looking at the bad conditions, Paton, who came from the white society but born and live in South Africa wrote a novel about the condition of South Africa, he put his criticism on it.
C. Method of the Study
There were some steps to analyze the novel. First, I read the story many times in order to gain in a deeper understanding on the novel, then I made some notes concerning the evidence of some problems that I found in the novel, such as characters, conflicts, and society. Second, I collected some books and papers or articles from the Library which related with the subject matter of my study. I also tried to find some criticism about the novel in the internet. Then I read them all and compare the theories and criticism toward the novel. Third, I analyzed the novel.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter contains the answers of three problems as I stated in the previous problem formulation. This analysis will be divided into three parts. The first part will describe the analysis of Stephen Kumalo’s characterization. The second part will be the description of Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts and the causes of the conflicts. The third part will answer Paton’s criticism toward South African society as reflected in Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts.
A. The Characterization of Stephen Kumalo
As described in the novel, Kumalo is an old man around sixty. He has occupation as a priest and he used to be called Umfundisi by people in Ndotsheni which means a parson.
“Kumalo Felt a pang of jealously for he had never earned ten pounds a month in all his sixty years. (p. 214) “
“The Reverend Stephen Kumalo looked up from the table where he was writing, and he called, come in. The small child open the door carefully like one who is afraid to open carelessly the door of so important a house, and stepped timidly in. – I bring a letter, Umfundisi. (p. 8) “
Stephen Kumalo is a kind hearted and a humble man. He always spoke his words humbly and almost all of his speech with another person he said it humbly.
“He is kind and gentle, and treats her with courtesy and respect, and uses the house as if it were his. And she admires him for what he has done, for saving
Gertrude and the child, for getting his sister a new dress and a clean white clothe for her head, for getting shirt and jersey and trousers for the child. According to the custom she has thanked him for these gifts. (p. 104) “
“Kumalo could not boast anymore. He had been safely guided and warmly welcomed. He spoke humbly. I am much confused, he said. I owe much to our friend. (p. 20) “
Kumalo has a habit to pray in the church and read the bible when he has to struggle which is uncertain to him. It can be seen from the quotation below that Kumalo sometime use his time to pray and read his bible in the middle of circumstances he faces.
“They rose and Kumalo said, It is my habit to pray in the church. Maybe you will show me. (p. 24)”
“The humble man reached in his pocket for his sacred book, and began to read. It was this world alone that was certain. (p. 16)”
At the end of the novel, Kumalo sees the restoration of his own Village, Ndotsheni and he feels relief about it and what he had done. After all of the struggle he experience in the great city of Johannesburg, he gives thanks to everything. He remembered with profound awareness, that he had great cause for thanksgiving, and that for many things. He took them one by one, giving thanks for each, and praying for each person that he remembered (p. 233).
manage the problems and survive till the end of the story and see the restoration of his own land although he cannot meet with his son again.
B. Stephen Kumalo’s Conflicts and the Causes of the Conflicts
In the characterization of Kumalo, Paton describes Stephen Kumalo as a figure of an old village priest who has to struggle with himself because of the condition he sees in Town not the same as the condition he has in Village. Especially when he deals with the member of his family which cause him some conflicts. In other situation he has to struggle with his own land that is his own village. I will explain briefly about Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts and the causes of the conflicts in the section below.
1. Stephen Kumalo’s Conflicts
This section will describe some conflicts that Stephen Kumalo has during his struggle to find the member of his family. As I stated before that conflicts is a struggle between two desires inside the character, Conflicts can consist certain feelings that a character have. Stephen Kumalo conflicts during the searching of his family are as follows.
a. Afraid of something uncertain
“The journey had begun, and now the fear back again, the fear of the unknown, the fear of the great city where boys were killed crossing the street, the fear of Gertrude’s sickness. Deep down the fear for his son. Deep down the fear of a man who lives in a world not made for him, whose own world is slipping away, dying, being destroyed, beyond any recall. (p. 15)”
“They walked to the gate of the little house of Mrs. Lithebe. Kumalo lifted to his friend a face that was full of suffering. This thing, he said. Here in my heart there is nothing but fear. Fear, fear, fear. (p. 67)”
Afraid has become one of Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts because he has to decide between his own will and the situation he face. He feels fear because he does not know what will going to happen next while he is still hoping the good side from the situation he faces. Kumalo’s afraid will brought him to another conflicts that he is going to face later.
b. Sad of Gertrude’s Condition
Kumalo cries when he knows Gertrude has become a liquor seller and a prostitute with a child, he feels sad because he cannot do nothing to change the condition. And he also sad when he knows that his son had been sent to reformatory.
“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. (p.30)”
“He glanced at his friend, but Kumalo’s eyes were on the ground. Although Msimangu could not see his face, he could see the drop that fell on the ground, and he tightened his grip on the arm. (p. 59)”
one of conflicts because he cannot do anything to help Gertrude although he is a priest so he just Struggle within himself and feels the sadness inside him.
c. Desperate of Absalom’s murder case
Kumalo feels desperate when he is hoping some support and a help to help his son from his brother John but when he look at him, John did not give what he expected. Kumalo becomes tired and dispirited when he feels desperate, it can be seen when he arrived at Mrs. Lithebe’s house.
“Kumalo look at his brother, but his brother does not look at him. Indeed he walks away. Wearily, wearily he goes from the great gate in the wall to the street. Tixo, he says, Tixo, forsake me not. Father Vincent’s words come back to him, anything, anything, he said, you have only to ask. Then to Father Vincent he will go. (p. 92)”
“Kumalo returned to Mrs. Lithebe’s tired and dispirited. The two women were silent, and he had no desire to speak to them, and none to play with his small nephew. He withdrew into his room, and sat silent there, waiting till he could summon strength enough to go to the Mission House. (p. 92)”
Kumalo feels desperated because the situation he face was to hard for him. He has to help his son but he does not receive any help especially from his own brother so he has to choose to find any help from another man. He struggles within himself between learned to be humble and the desires to be something that is himself (p. 93) d. Suffering because of the treatment from his family
“Out there in the street, he was humiliated and ashamed. Humiliated because the people passing looked in astonishment, ashamed because he had not come for this purpose at all. He had come to tell his brother that power corrupts. That a man who fights for justice must himself be cleansed and purified, that love is greater than force. And none of these things had he done. (p.182)” Suffering has become the major factor of Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts because he always feels suffer when he has to deals with the member of his family. He feels suffer because he thinks that his family hurting him, for he is a priest but his son has become a murderer, and his sister has become a prostitute and his brother live with a woman but not married. From the beginning of the story, Kumalo already shows his suffering when he receive letter from Johannesburg telling about his family in Johanessburg.
“-Hurting myself? Hurting myself? I do not hurt myself, it is they who are hurting me. My own son, my own sister, my own brother. They go away and do not write anymore. Perhaps it does not seem to them that we suffer. Perhaps they do not care for it. (p. 11)”
After all the conflicts Kumalo had experience, he learns that he can believe in all his suffering. It means he begins to understand what the meaning of his life is. It makes him have a strong character with an understanding of life. The journey had opened his eyes of what had happening in Johannesburg is different from Ndotsheni.
“Kumalo looked at him under the light of the lamp. I believe, he said. But I have learned that it is a secret. Pain and suffering, they are a secret. Kindness and love, they are a secret. But I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering. There is my wife, and you, my friend, and these people who welcomed me, and the child who is so eager to be with us here in Ndotsheni –so in my suffering I can believe. (p.193)”
Johannesburg things were happening that had nothing to do with any chief. But he got to his feet, for they had summoned him to the presence of the ruler of the tribe (p. 196).”
It can be seen that from all of the conflicts Stephen Kumalo faces, Kumalo learns many things that shapes his character to be more humble and not depend to himself or the situation or to other people because it can cause him to have internal conflicts.
2. The Causes of Stephen Kumalo’s Conflicts
This analysis is also important because it will figure out the main points of what Paton criticizes toward the South African Society. Each character will describe the social condition in South Africa and the criticism of the author toward the South African society.
There are some causes of the conflicts that Stephen Kumalo has and most of them comes from the member of his family. Each characters and nature below will represents the social condition of South Africa at that time.
a Gertrude’s Sickness
He and his wife have to decide to use the money they saved for Absalom. Because his wife thinks that when people go to Johannesburg they did not come back anymore. He finally decided to use the money to go to Johannesburg. Kumalo’s conflicts begins when he thinks that his relatives has hurting him because they go and did not give any news anymore.
“-Hurting myself? Hurting myself? I do not hurt myself, it is they who are hurting me. My own son, my own sister, my own brother. They go away and do not write anymore. Perhaps it does not seem to them that we suffer. Perhaps they do not care for it. (p. 11)”
“His voice rose into loud and angry words. Go up and ask the white man, he said. Perhaps there are letters (p. 11)”
In a long way to Johannesburg, Kumalo still struggles with the fear he had. Having conflicts thinking the fear of Gertrude sickness, about his own son and about the place where he goes.
“The journey had begun. And now the fear back again, the fear of the unknown, the fear of great city where boys were killed crossing the street, the fear of Gertrude’s sickness. Deep down the fear for his own son. Deep down the fear of a man who lives in a world not made for him, whose own world is slipping away, dying, being destroyed, beyond any recall. (p. 15)”
But he finally cools himself down by reading his bible. Kumalo used to reads his bible while he fells uncertain to what has happening.
Another conflicts happens when he knows the meaning of Gertrude’s sickness is that Gertrude has become a prostitute, a liquor seller and live with her child in a place that Kumalo thinks is not suitable for a child to live.
“And that is her work, she makes and sells it. I shall hide nothing from you, though it is painful for me. These women sleep with any man for their price. (p. 23)”
Kumalo is angry with Gertrude because he thinks Gertrude had shamed him and because he is a priest, that is why he is having conflicts.
“You have shamed us, he says in a low voice, not wishing to make it known to the world. A liquor seller, a prostitute, with a child and you do not know where it is. Your brother a priest. (p. 29)”
After his anger, Kumalo soon feels pity with Gertrude and he cries, he decides to forgive her and pray for her.
“His eyes fill with tears, his deep gentleness returns to him. He goes to her from the floor to the chair. Inarticulately he strokes her face, his heart filled with pity. –God forgives us, he says. Who am I not to forgive? Let us pray. (p. 30)”
While Kumalo was waiting for Msimangu to take him to Shanty town, he spent the time with Getrude and her child. Kumalo begins to think what is actually saddened him and why that kind of things happen to Gertrude.
“For he had been a young man in the twenties when his sister was born, and there had never been great intimacy between them. After all he was a parson, sober and rather dull no doubt, and his hair was turning white, and with him about the deep things that were here in Johannesburg; for it was amongst these very things that saddened and perplexed him, that she had found her life and occupation. (p. 55)”
conventional conversation; but never again did they speak of the things that had made her fall on the floor with crying and weeping. (p. 55) “
b. Absalom’ Crime
Absalom is Stephen kumalo’s son. Absalom went to Johannesburg to look for Gertrude, but he also never wrote a letter to his parents. All of Kumalo letters and his wife came back to them. The conflicts begins when Msimangu asks about his son. Stephen became afraid when thinking about Absalom because Absalom never wrote either, because Kumalo had seen what happened to Gertrude he become more afraid.
“Absalom was his name. He too went away, to look for my sister, but he never returned, nor after a while did he write any more. Our letters, his mother’s and mine, all came back to us. And now after what you tell me, I am still more afraid. (p. 24) “
Kumalo cries when he knows that Absalom goes to the reformatory. He is afraid because he does not know the situation and what happened with Absalom later in the reformatory but Msimangu give him courage dealing with Kumalo’s thought.
“He glanced at his friend, but Kumalo’s eyes were on the ground. Although Msimangu could not see his face, he could see the drop that fell on the ground, and he tightened his grip on the arm. (p. 59)”
“-I have heard of this reformatory. Your friend the priest from England speaks well of it. I have heard him say that if any boy wishes to amend, there is help for him there. So take courage. (p. 59)”
“His son had gone astray before him, and where many others would go astray after him, until there was found some great secret that as yet no man had discovered. But that he should kill a man, a white man! There was nothing that he could remember, nothing, nothing at all, that could make it probable. (p. 87)”
Another conflicts happened when Kumalo met Absalom in prison. After some conversation, Kumalo seems desperate because his question did not answer by Absalom. He seems tortured to ask to his son what is the reasons he did such things, and Absalom answer it is caused by the devil.
“And this again cannot be answered. The young white man comes over, for he knows that this does nothing, goes nowhere. Perhaps he does not like to see these two torturing each other. (p. 89)”
“Oh boy, can you not say you fought the devil, wrestled with the devil, struggled with him night and day, till the sweat poured from you and no strength was left? Can you not say that you wept for your sins, and vowed to make amends, and stood upright, and stumbled, and fell again? It would be some comfort for this tortured man, who asks you desperately, why did you not struggle against him?. (p. 90)”
c. John’s Political Intrigue
John Kumalo is Stephen Kumalo’s brother. John also went to Johannesburg and does not write anymore. John was a carpenter but he has become a great politicians in Johannesburg (p. 24). Stephen has conflicts after he hears the explanation of his brother John.
John is one of three characters that the government is afraid of. He is the description of a man who dares to speak against the government policy. There are three of them and John is one who has the voice.
“But they say you must hear him at a meeting, he and Dubula and a brown man named Tomlinson. They say he speaks like a bull, and growls in his throat like a lion, and could make men mad if he would. But for that they say he has not enough courage, for he would surely be sent to prison. (p. 37)” “But the say – excuse me, my friend – that Tomlinson has the brains, and your brother the voice, (p. 40)”
In order to save his son, John wishes to have a lawyer although he has to reject the testimony of Stephen’s son, Absalom. Kumalo can do nothing about this, he just hopes for guidance from the white man beside him because he does not know about the law. Stephen becomes nervous because he did not get answer from the white man, while the white man becomes angry.
“He says it with meaning, with cruel and pitiless meaning. Kumalo stands bereft, and the young white man climbs into the car. Kumalo looks to him for guidance, but the young man shrugs his shoulders. Do what you will, he says indifferently. It is not my work to get lawyers. But if you wish to go back to Sophiatown, I shall take you. (p. 91)”
“Kumalo, made still more nervous but this indisfference, stands outside irresolute. His irresolution seems to anger the young white man, who leans out of the window and speaks loudly: - it is not my work to get lawyers, he says, a wonderful work, a noble work. (p. 91)”
Kumalo becomes weary because he did not get a satisfying solution to help for his son. His brother did not help him so he walk away from the prison almost loosing his hope, and he goes back to the house of Mrs Lithebe.
street. Tixo, he says, Tixo, forsake me not. Father vincent’s words come back to him, anything, anything, he said, you have only to ask. Then to Father Vincent he will go. (p. 92)”
“Kumalo returned to Mrs Lithebe’s tired and dispirited. The two women were silent, and he had no desire to speak to them, and none to play with his small nephew. He with drew into his room, and sat silent there, waiting till he could summon strength enough to go to the Mission House. (p. 92)”
d. Ndotsheni’s Dry Season
Ndotsheni is a village in province Natal where Kumalo lives and works as a priest. Through many conflicts in his life, thinking about the restoration of his village cause him conflicts also. For he believes that as a Christian, suffering is a part of his life.
“Kumalo looked at him under the light of the lamp. I believe, he said, but I have learned that it is a secret. Pain and suffering, they are a secret. Kindness and love, they are a secret. But I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering. There is my wife, and you, my friend, and these people who welcomed me, and the child who is so eager to be with us here in Ndotsheni – so in my suffering I can believe. (p. 193)”
Especially when he sees many child die because they do not have milk to drink because their parents are poor. (p. 201-202)
“Ndotsheni became lacks of water because of the drought. People cannot plough the land because it is dry and they have no water irrigate their farm. Their cattle did not get enough food to grow. This situation have been occurred for many years in Ndotsheni. (p. 195)”
happens every year and causes many children die. At the end of the story, Kumalo prays for the restoration of Ndotsheni and the rain comes. It makes Kumalo relief and the pain lift up, the children also receives milk from the Jarvis family (p. 195-210).
C. Paton’s Social Criticism of South African Society as reflected in Kumalo’s
Conflicts.
In this section, the conflicts and the causes of the conflicts faced by the main character are very important subject to describe what the author wants to show through his novel Cry, the Beloved Country. The causes of the conflicts will give a brief definition what Paton wants to show toward his novel Cry, the Beloved Country.
Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts were the way of Paton describing the social condition of South Africa in the early 20th century. Paton criticizes many things about social condition happen in society at that time, such as moral, law, politics and economy which will answer problem formulation number three.
First social criticism is what Kumalo’s experience dealing with his sister Gertrude. Gertrude reported ill which makes Kumalo conflicts when he knew that Gertrude has become a prostitute. Through this conflicts Paton criticizing the moral condition in South African society. Gertrude came to Johannesburg from Ndotsheni to look for her husband but after some years in Johannesburg she turns to be a prostitute because of the condition in Johannesburg is different from Ndotsheni.
before. Gertrude struggles for her life in Johannesburg because she and her son had to survive in that city, so she becomes a prostitute and a liquor seller to earn some money.
“And that is her work, she makes and sells it. I shall hide nothing from you, though it is painful for me. These women sleep with any man for their price. (p. 23)”
Second social criticism is about the law in South African society. The conflicts that Kumalo has with his own son, Absalom, expresses that law in South African society still bases on white man’s law. It means that although the people in South Africa mostly are black, they did not have voice to decided their own law. It can be seen from Absalom’s case, how the judge decided the law and the people reaction with the law (p. 174).
Absalom was found guilty because the murder of Arthur Jarvis before he can argue his rights, he decided to be hangs because of the murder he had done.
“This court finds you guilty, Absalom Kumalo of the murder of Arthur Trevelyn Jarvis at his residence in Parkwold, on the afternoon of the eight day of October, 1946. (p. 173)”
And Absalom decided by the judges to be returned to custody and hanged by the neck without he can defend his own rights in the court.
“I sentence you, Absalom Kumalo, to be returned to custody, and to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. And may the lord have mercy upon your soul. (p. 174)”
between black and white still occurred in South Africa. Although white people less than black people, they have authority to make law.
“The law in Johannesburg is still influenced by a great South African Judge. (p. 172)”
“The judge does not make law. It is people that make the law. Therefore if a law is unjust, and if the judge judges according to the law, that is justice, even if it is not just”. (p. 163 )”
It is the duty of a judge to do justice, but it is only the people that can be just. Therefore if justice can not be just, that is not to be laid at the door of the judge, but at the door of the people, which means at the door of the people will be more equal but the fact shows the other side.
Third social criticism is on politics. Paton describing his criticism through Kumalo’s conflicts with his brother John. John was a carpenter in Ndotsheni but when he came to Johannesburg he became a politician (p. 24).
John’s positions as politicians makes him proud and feels that he did not need God anymore, it can be seen from his statement below. It criticizes the value that John usually obeys but he did not obey it anymore.
“John has become a great politician for South Africa but he has no use for church anymore because he says that what God has not done for South Africa, man must do. (p. 25)”
It seems that he does not believe in God anymore because he does not believe the values that teach by the church.
You are not free to have an experience. A man must be faithful and meek and obedient, and he must obey the laws, whatever the laws may be. It is true that the church speaks with a fine voice, and that the bishops speak against the laws. But this they have been doing for fifty years, and things get worse, not better (p. 34).”
Politics could change someone’s mind and paradigm, Paton reveals it through John Kumalo which makes Stephen has conflicts with his brother. Kumalo feels sad when he sees the way John speaks about politics.
“I Have listened attentively to you, my brother. Much of what you say saddens me. Partly because of the way you say it, and partly because much of it is true (p. 36).”
Fourth social criticism is on Stephen Kumalo’s conflicts deals with his own village, Ndotsheni. Paton describes the condition in Ndotsheni which makes Kumalo struggle for the restoration of his own land.
Kumalo sees many children die because they cannot have milk because the parents are poor. In this conflict, Paton criticizes the economy condition of South African society at that time that is poverty.
Because of the dry season which already occurred for many years in Ndotsheni, the village became lacks of water. People cannot plough the land because the land is dry and they have no water to irrigate their farm. Their cattle also become thin because the lack of grass and water. This condition makes them hard to develop their economic life.
The sun poured down out of the pitiless sky, and the cattle moved thin and listless over the veld to the dried-up streams, to pluck the cropped grass from the edges of the beds (p. 195)”.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
Society is a group of people who live together in one area. In society, people hold important role to be admitted. The culture between rural and urban society is different, rural society seems strong with their tribal culture while in urban society the culture seems not exist anymore. Paton describes this situation in his novel, Cry, the Beloved Country. He saw many imbalances situation in South Africa at that time and he described his criticism through the character of Stephen Kumalo and the conflicts that Kumalo experience.
Stephen Kumalo, the main character in this novel is an old priest. He is a kind hearted, humble and has a good habit that is to pray and read his Bible. His good personality makes him a responsible man when he makes a decision to take Gertrude’s son and take home Absalom’s wife while he is dealing with his brother John, and struggle in pray for the restoration of his own village.
The conflicts faced by Stephen Kumalo divide into four parts, they are: afraid, when he has to face something uncertain to him; sad, when he sees his sister condition; desperate, when he does not have solution with the problem he had dealing with his son murder case, and suffering because the treatment of his own family. The causes of the conflicts also divide into four parts. First is Gertrude, second is Absalom, third is John, and fourth is Ndotsheni. Each causes of the conflicts will describe the situation of the society at that time.
