Why does kumalo go to the mountain of emoyeni

And Father Vincent, holding both his hands and saying, Anything, anything, you have only to ask, I shall do anything. And the lawyer that took the case for God, and had written to say there was no mercy in such kind and gentle words. Then there was the return to Ndotsheni, with his wife and his friend to meet him.

And the woman who threw her apron over her head. And the women waiting at the church. And the great joy of the return, so that pain was forgotten. He pondered long over this, for might not another man, returning to another valley, have found none of these things? Why was it given to one man to have his pain transmuted into gladness? Why was it given to one man to have such an awareness of God? And might not another, having no such awareness, live with pain that never ended?

Why was there a compulsion upon him to pray for the restoration of Ndotsheni, and why was there a white man there on the tops, to do in this valley what no other could have done? And why of all men, the father of the man who had been murdered by his son? And might not another feel also a compulsion, and pray night and day without ceasing, for the restoration of some other valley that would never be restored?

But his mind would contain it no longer. He put it from his mind, for it was a secret. And then the white man Jarvis, and the inkosikazi that was dead, and the small boy with the brightness inside him. As his mind could not contain that other, neither could this be contained. But here were thanks that a man could render till the end of his days. And some of them he strove now to render. He woke with a start. It was cold, but not so cold. He had never slept before on these vigils, but he was old, not quite finished, but nearly finished.

He thought of all those that were suffering, of Gertrude the weak and foolish one, of the people of Shanty Town and Alexandra, of his wife now at this moment. But above all of his son, Absalom. Would he be awake, would he be able to sleep, this night before the morning? He cried out, My son, my son, my son. The sun would rise soon after five, and it was then it was done, they said.

If the boy was asleep, then let him sleep, it was better. But if he was awake, then oh Christ of the abundant mercy, be with him. Over this he prayed long and earnestly. Would his wife be awake, and thinking of it? She would have come with him, were it not for the girl. And the girl, why, he had forgotten her. But she was no doubt asleep; she was loving enough, but this husband had given her so little, no more than her others had done.

And there was Jarvis, bereaved of his wife and his son, and his daughter-in-law bereaved of her husband, and her children bereaved of their father, especially the small boy, the bright laughing boy.

The small boy stood there before his eyes, and he said to Kumalo, When I go, something bright will go out of Ndotsheni. Yes, I see, he said. Yes, I see. He was not shy or ashamed, but he said, Yes, I see, and laughed with his pleasure.

And now for all the people of Africa, the beloved country. Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika, God save Africa. But he would not see that salvation. It lay afar off, because men were afraid of it. Because, to tell the truth, they were afraid of him, and his wife, and Msimangu, and the young demonstrator.

And what was there evil in their desires, in their hunger? That men should walk upright in the land where they were born, and be free to use the fruits of the earth, what was there evil in it? Yet men were afraid, with a fear that was deep, deep in the heart, a fear so deep that they hid their kindness, or brought it out with fierceness and anger, and hid it behind fierce and frowning eyes.

They were afraid because they were so few. And such fear could not be cast out, but by love. It was Msimangu who had said, Msimangu who had no hate for any man, I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they turn to loving they will find we are turned to hating. Oh, the grave and the sombre words. When he woke again there was a faint change in the east, and he looked at his watch almost with a panic.

And now it was time to be awake, for it might be they had wakened his son, and called him to make ready. He left his place and could hardly stand, for his feet were cold and numb. He found another place where he could look to the east, and if it was true what men said, when the sun came up over the rim, it would be done. He had heard that they could eat what they wished on a morning like this.

So many great novels point to the pride and fear that lies at the heart of man's words and actions. Cry, the Beloved Country is a social protest against the structures of the society that would later give rise to apartheid. In he helped found the Liberal Party, of which he was the first president. The party, which advocated universal voting rights and nonviolence, was banned in when the South African government prohibited all multiracial parties.

Tone of the Novel The tone is lyrical and poetic, and it changes depending on the subject at hand. When the book is telling the story of Kumalo, it often takes on a bitter tone.

When it discusses something about Africa in general, however, the tone of the writing is proud and strong. Arthur Jarvis is a small but important character in Cry, the Beloved Country. The son of plantation owner James Jarvis , Arthur was a Johannesburg political activist and social reformer.

He appears in the novel only in the form of the unfinished manuscripts he left behind, and in the memories of his friends and family. Novel Drama Political fiction. Christian Values of Kindness. The Public Significance of Actions. Kumalo goes to Emoyeni to meet metaphorically with God. He goes to the mountain to pray, and finds healing and peace there. It stands to reason that he will maintain vigil on the mountain when his son is about to be executed. Stephen Kumalo. Often known throughout the novel as " umfundisi ," which is a Zulu title of respect, Stephen Kumalo is highly respected as the native African pastor of St.

Mark's Church in the village of Ndotsheni and also as an upstanding, moral, strong member of the native South African community. In Cry, the Beloved Country Mrs. Lithebe is an old woman who owns the house where Stephen Kumalo and his family stay. She is kind and giving, believing that the reason for life is to help others.

He had fear of the unknown, fear of a city where boys were killed crossing the street, fear of Gertrude's sickness, fear for his son's well-being, and "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. This is an example of dramatic irony because Kumalo and the other priests at the Mission House do not yet realize that it is Kumalo's son, Absalom is the one who killed Arthur Jarvis.

When Stephen arrives, he learns exactly what illness his sister is suffering from. It's a social illness : she works as a prostitute and has a drinking problem. When Stephen goes to her home, she shoos people out of her house before she lets her brother come in. Who killed Arthur Jarvis?

Absalom Kumalo. Kumalo goes to Emoyeni to meet metaphorically with God. He goes to the mountain to pray, and finds healing and peace there. It stands to reason that he will maintain vigil on the mountain when his son is about to be executed.

I am afraid of the hanging, he sobbed, I am afraid of the hanging. After Absalom is sentenced to be hanged, he breaks down in front of his father as they say goodbye. Arthur Jarvis is murdered before we even hear of him, but his writings provide him with the opportunity to speak for himself. As much as Msimangu, Arthur Jarvis is the solution South Africa needs, and although he is murdered, some hope lives on in his young son.

Kumalo is an elderly Zulu priest who has spent all of his life in the village of Ndotsheni.