The novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, is about an African priest named Stephen Kumalo, who leaves his village in Natal to look for his family in Johannesburg. There he discovers that his son has been charged with the murder of Arthur Jarvis, a prominent white advocate for racial justice. After his son is convicted and sentenced to death, Stephen returns home to focus on saving his village with the help of Arthur's father and son. The overall topic of the book is the racialized structure of South African society before apartheid. The book primarily serves as a social protest against this structure, which is present very poignantly throughout the text. Paton primarily uses third-person narration as a tool to describe what society looks like. This is quite balanced because the narrative can reflect the points of view of all the characters, which makes it an effective means of presenting a complete picture of society. Paton builds on this argument by arguing for an end to social division and the creation of a South African national identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although this topic is never explicitly stated, it is clearly woven throughout the text. The author sets up his argument using the story's settings to characterize the growing divide in society. The rural environment represents morality, faith and family. He counters this by presenting urban life as one that makes people corrupt, hedonistic, and atheistic. More narrowly, it uses the separation of the protagonist's family to represent these changes. Gertrude, John and Absalom, who all fled their village for Johannesburg, displayed questionable morals. Although John was respectable in his new life, his political leadership was motivated by obtaining power and money. During one of his speeches, he argued for more mining profits to go to Africans, but did not address civil rights issues. By comparison, Absalom abandoned a Christian lifestyle for a life of crime in Johannesburg. However, unlike John, it is clear that he regrets his life choices. Before dying, he asks his father to name his son Peter. Given the family's faith, it can be understood that this refers to the disciple of Christ who denied knowing Jesus until the resurrection, when he renewed his commitment to Christ and to faith. This was probably Absalom's way of telling his father that he had renewed his commitment to the faith. The characterization of urban life as dissolute portrays an almost desperate need for unity and a return to correct morality. Paton also characterizes the divide in society through his discussion of the destruction of the tribal community's way of life. Agriculture was failing as farmers flocked to the cities and agricultural education was no longer valued. Stephen felt that John and Absalom had turned their backs on the faith by living with unmarried women. According to Reverend Msimangu, white culture had destroyed all traditional customs and family values. Additionally, the dialogue about native criminality during the court scene suggests that this is simply a protest against the conditions. This community breakdown is said to be a result of the country's colonization. Not only that, Paton's clear negative view of the division in his country suggests that he supports unity, but his open discussion of race and politics also makes his case. Keep in mind:..