Cry, the Beloved Country

James Jarvis is a white farmer who lives in the hills over Ndotsheni. Although he does not actively participate in the growing apartheid in Johannesburg, his status as a white man makes him complicit in the government’s racism. He is content to farm his land in peace and not become involved in politics—however, the death of his son Arthur forces him to contemplate different perspectives and become a dynamic, round character. Since James considers himself a Christian man, Arthur’s lifelong writing about the responsibility of South African Christians (specifically, white Christians) challenges the family’s own racism: To Arthur, Christians “go so far as to credit Almighty God with having created black men to hew wood and draw water for white men” (187). In other words, he calls out fellow white people who weaponize religion to serve their own needs and wants rather than the greater good, even if this might not have been their original intent. James processes his discomfort and strives to do right by his son—to “draw water” (or milk) and “hew wood” (farm) for those in need.

With Arthur’s writing and news of Ndotsheni children dying of malnutrition in mind, James sends carts of milk to Kumalo through his grandson. He also arranges for the Ndotsheni villagers to learn how to farm through agricultural demonstrator Napoleon Letsitsi, so they may one day be self-sufficient. Despite this altruism, he refuses to allow Kumalo to thank him—a selfless sentiment in the spirit of his son, even if people like Letsitsi and Msimangu question it. Like Kumalo, James is a grieving father, but his grief is sympathized with through a public trial and media coverage because of his whiteness. Letsitsi and Msimangu know this, and use it to frame his acts as self-serving, a way for him to alleviate white guilt. The novel suggests that had Absalom and Arthur’s fates been reversed, Arthur would not have been sentenced to death due to his privilege. Regardless of intent, through Arthur’s death, James learns about his own privilege as a white man—and both he and his wife Margaret honor their son’s memory by living the life he would have wanted. Furthermore, their grandson continues to meet with Kumalo to practice Zulu, the two families representing a more understanding future and a path beyond colonization.

Theophilus Msimangu acts as a friend and mentor to Kumalo, despite being younger. He incites the plot by sending a letter to Kumalo, asking him to come to Johannesburg to tend to his sister Getrude. He is a flat character who leads Kumalo away from despair and toward hope (despite his shaming of depression), his wisdom about power and corruption pervading the novel. Msimangu knows power corrupts everyone, especially white people with good intentions. He tries to protect Kumalo from the pain of Absalom’s crimes, often preaching to comfort him. Although he does not believe he is anything other than a conduit for God, both he and Father Vincent remain steadfast allies to Kumalo and Absalom—with both men offering to be by Absalom’s side on the day of his execution.