Stephen and John Kumalo are brothers who play an important role in the novel: “Cry, The Beloved Country”. Throughout the story, we learn many different things about these two characters, how they react to different situations, and their overall personalities. Unlike normal brothers, Stephen and John Kumalo are extremely different and if they hadn't shared the same last name you would never have guessed that they grew up together. One example that really demonstrates the major difference between them is their reactions when they find out that their children are both criminals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayStephen Kumalo is the protagonist of the story. He is an Angelicin priest who controls the church in the village where he lives, Ndotsheni. He is a humble man who has a clear sense of right and wrong as well as a strong faith in God, making him a trustworthy person and, overall, a good man. Compared to the rest of the village, he is neither rich nor poor and faces difficulties such as sending children to school, just like the average person in the village. However, all his positive personality traits don't make him perfect. He has outbursts of anger and tells lies however, he prays to God to save him from temptation and repents every time he is wrong. John Kumalo, brother of Stephen Kumalo, was originally a religious, practicing Christian and carpenter. Time has transformed him into a very successful businessman as well as one of the 3 most powerful black politicians in the city of Johannesburg. He used his powerful voice to fight for the rights of black South Africans. The fear of punishment, however, prevents him from contributing to important changes and he is also known to be very corrupt and lacking in courage. His view of life in Johannesburg is shown in the following quote: “Down in Ndotsheni, I am nobody, just as you are nobody, my brother, I am subject to the chief, who is an ignorant man. I have to show him respect, but he is an ignorant man. Here in Johannesburg I am a man of some importance, of some influence." This quote shows John's love for power and money which is opposed to his brother's opinion of them. In the novel Absalom Kumalo, the son of Stephen Kumalo, as well as Mathew Kumalo, the son of John Kumalo broke into Arthur Jarvis' house in an attempt to rob him. They knocked out the servant to proceed with the robbery and when Arthur came down to see where all the racket was coming from, Absalom shot him on sight, out of fear. After hearing this, Stephen was desperate. He couldn't understand why his son had done this horrible act and how he had let the devil get to him. He desperately wanted to understand how and why his son ended up in the criminal world, as demonstrated by the following quotes: “You didn't write anything, you didn't send any messages. You went with bad people. You stole and broke in. But why?", quote: "And Kumalo looks and sees that it is true, there is the father of the man who was murdered, the man who has the farm on the peaks above Ndotsheni, the man who has seen pass in front of the church. And Kumalo trembles, and no longer looks at him. In fact, how do you look at such a man?”. These quotes clearly show Stephen's worry, shame, and sadness over this incident and do not consider how it will affect him personally. On the other hand, John's reaction does not arise from a moral view of the incident. He is more worried about how people will react to this news. What will happen to my reputation? It was the only thing that was going through his mind because all he cared about was power and that people's support for him didn't matter.,.