Cry The Beloved Country

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When it comes to the lifestyle that we live, it comes with it different set of choices or opportunities. Now in modern society we are allowed to make many of our choices, whether it be the lifestyle we live, and other daily things life our occupations and routines. In the story Cry, the Beloved Country it introduces you to the two different lifestyles; the city life and the tribal life. The book explains to you both of the lifestyles and how they are lived during the apartheid that is taking place in South Africa in this time period. Within this novel there is an argument presented between two brothers who choose to live different lifestyles, and the argument is over which lifestyle is more preferred. Stephen Kumalo the main character, is …show more content…
In the story both of the brother make a point as to how the tribal life is slowly decaying and becoming maybe less likeable. John Kumalo looks at the tribal lifestyle with much dislike, John Kumalo blames much of the tribes failure on the chief. “ I do not wish to offend you gentlemen , but the church is too like the chief. You must do so and so and so. You are not free to have an experience. A man must be faithful and meek and obedient, and he must obey the laws, whatever they 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” (Paton 67). Based on this quote that John Kumalo states, he believes that many people leave the tribal life causing failure, because they do not want to be under control and they want to be free. Stephen Kumalo also makes one point on how the tribal life is becoming broken. Kumalo states “Yes--it was true then. He had admitted it to himself. The tribe was broken, and would be mended no more…. The tribe was broken, and would be mended no more. The tribe that had nurtured him, and his father and his father’s father, was broken. For the men were away, and the young men and the girls were away, and the maize hardly reached the height of men” (Paton 120). Sort of like his brother, Stephen blames people leaving the tribal life for the city life as the reason for the decay of the tribal
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