Want to learn the ideas in Cry, the Beloved Country better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton here.
Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.
Video Summaries of Cry, the Beloved Country
We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Cry, the Beloved Country, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Alan Paton.
1-Page Summary of Cry, the Beloved Country
Overview
Stephen Kumalo, a pastor in South Africa, receives a letter from his friend the Reverend Theophilus Msimangu. He is asked to go to Johannesburg and rescue his sister Gertrude, who is very sick. To do so he must use the money that was intended for his son Absalom’s education since Absalom went there himself but has not been heard from again. When Stephen Kumalo goes to the train station with one of his friends, he gives him a letter for Sibeko’s daughter Leah who now works for an English family in Johannesburg.
Kumalo is on his way to Johannesburg, South Africa. He arrives and begins looking for John Kumalo’s house. However, he gets tricked by a young man who tells him that the bus costs more than it really does. When he finally arrives at John’s house, Msimangu informs him that Gertrude has been arrested for bootlegging liquor and prostitution because her husband was never heard from again after being recruited into the mines in Johannesburg. She had many men living with her and was eventually sent to jail as a result of this behavior. Her son Absalom lives with one of these men now, but she doesn’t know where they live since she left them behind when she went to jail.
Stephen Kumalo goes to visit his brother John. He learns that John’s wife has left him and he is now living with another woman. This makes Kumalo feel uneasy, for he feels that his brother is not happy in Johannesburg. His brother tells him that the chief no longer controls them and they are free to do as they please. However, John reveals that things aren’t always what they seem on the surface because although he seems to have a good job at Doornfontein Textiles Company, people don’t like Absalom’s friends there (who are Zulu).
A bus boycott in Alexandra forces Msimangu and Kumalo to walk. They get a drink at Mrs. Mkize’s house, where they find out that Absalom has been gone for nearly a year. After the two leave, she tells them about Hlabeni, who reveals that Absalom went to live with squatters in Shanty Town. On the way back from this information, Kumalo smiles at social justice while Msimangu claims it is foolishness.
Kumalo goes to Shanty Town with Msimangu, where they meet Mrs. Hlatshwayos, who tells them that Absalom stayed with her until the magistrate sent him to a reformatory for boys. At the reformatory, a white man informs them that Absalom left early because he behaved well and was transferred to Pimville. There they meet the girl whom he impregnated and she admits that Absalom hasn’t been home since Saturday; Kumalo learns from someone else at the reformatory that Absalom hasn’t gone back to work yet this week.
While the white man at the reformatory searches for Absalom, Kumalo accompanies Msimangu to Ezenzeleni, a place of refuge for blind people. At dinner there, they learn about Arthur Jarvis’ murder. He was a renowned engineer who was also president of the African Boys’ Club and son of James Jarvis from Carisbrooke. Jarvis was well known for his interest in social problems and efforts to help non-European communities. It turns out that Absalom is suspected of murdering him because he failed with his own son.
Stephen Kumalo tells John about his son’s involvement in the murder of Arthur Jarvis, and he visits a prison with him. They talk to Absalom, who was involved in the robbery but not the shooting, because he claimed that he had no intention of killing anyone.
A white boy who seems to have been in jail comes and tells Kumalo that he doesn’t believe John when it comes to Absalom’s future because he thinks that Robert will find a way to blame him for everything. He warns Kumalo that although things might seem simpler if the baby is brought up by his family, she can be sent back, get married again or even murdered. Therefore, before any decision is taken about the child they need to know what the mother intends. A few days later, Kumalo goes and visits her and after some questioning decides that it would probably be better for her new life if they do not meet often but at least keep contact secretly once in a while.
