Archetypes In Cry The Beloved Country

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Archetypical Parallelism: A Story of Kings and Sons
The Bible is the most read book in the English language. It contains many memorable characters and famous fables. There is no doubt, therefore, that it is the most alluded to book in English. Alan Paton receives inspiration from the Old Testament to weave his own stories. He compares the characters in his novel Cry, the Beloved Country to 2 Samuel in order to make evident the archetype of king and son.
Absalom and Stephen Kumalo, the main characters of Cry, the Beloved Country, live in a village in South Africa. Uneducated, poor, and black, they live ignorant to societal strife. Upon traveling to Johannesburg, however, they discover the prejudice city-dwellers have towards natives. “Go to …show more content…
When he kills his brother, it makes David grieve for his son for three years (New Living Translation, 2 Sam. 14.37-39). After returning to Israel, he rises against his father, and crowns himself king (2 Sam. 15.10). As David evacuates Jerusalem, “[He] walked up the road to the Mount of Olive, weeping as he went. His head was covered, and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning,” (2 Sam 15.30). Even after his attempted coup, David mourns his son’s death (2 Sam 18.33)
Overall, the characterization of Stephen Kumalo can be seen to parallel King David, and Absalom Kumalo to Absalom. Stephen is an honest man who leads his people and prays for them before himself (Paton 223-224). David is the king of Israel who is famous for his wisdom and fair ways, and values safety of his guests over loyalty (2 Sam 15.19-20). They both reconcile with their sons, Stephen after his son’s arrest (Paton 98), and David after his son’s return (2 Sam 14.33). Absalom Kumalo kills a figurative “brother in arms” (Paton 109), and Absalom kills his brother (2 Sam 13.29).
In summation, Alan Paton created archetypical characters based on traits demonstrated by two Biblical characters: King David, perhaps one of the most famous kings in history, and his ever-loving, if not ever-loyal, son
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