Absalom's Sentence

Absalom Kumalo was sentenced to death for killing Arthur Jarvis. I think this is unfair. The criminal justice system is meant to help people not only punish. He committed an awful crime, one that one can never take back. Still, he is human. Killing one man for the death of another does not fix the original problem. Arthur is dead. There is nothing you can do about that. Killing Absalom will not help the situation. I fully believe he deserves to be locked up for the rest of his life, but I don’t believe he should be sentenced to death. How will that help? What will that do? He clearly is very remorseful about his actions. He didn’t lie to the court. He should be given the opportunity to live and make up for his terrible deed. I am not saying that what Absalom did was right by any means. I am only stating that he shouldn’t be killed for it. He was a scared young man who got caught up in the wrong crowd. He murdered a man. There is no denying that and there is no excuse for that either. However, without the influence of his cousin he may have never been in the situation. I think some blame needs to be put on Johannes and Matthew. They were there when the crime occurred. They were accomplices. They should not have been let go with no sentence. Absalom does not deserve to be the only one to pay for this mistake. 

A Good Man

James Jarvis and Stephen Kumalo lives in the novel Cry the Beloved Country are parallel. Both have sons that they haven’t entirely connected with.  Absalom and Arthur were involved with politics in a way that their fathers never would have been. Most importantly, both Jarvis and Kumalo lost their sons. Absalom killed Arthur and for this deed Absalom was sentenced to death. Still, Mr. Jarvis was civil with Stephen Kumalo when they met each other. It would have been very easy for James to blame Stephen for Absalom’s actions. He could have gotten angry and aggressive. Instead he was reserved but not harsh. I think this tells a lot of his character. He is a good man. His political beliefs prior to his son’s death may have indicated otherwise, but those I believe were formed out of ignorance. He was not fully aware of the situation. Like Stephen Kumalo, he was happy with the quiet life of the countryside. He liked the way things were. People fear change. They fear the unknown, and you cannot blame people for their thoughts born from this fear. James Jarvis is a good man.  

Faith

Faith plays a large role in Cry, the Beloved Country. For Father Kumalo and Father Msimangu, it is the one path they chose in life. However, the world is changing throughout the novel. In a way, faith is a symbol of people's views on South Africa. The more radical, political minded people tend to have lost their faith. This can be seen in Father Kumalo's brother John. He is very active in rallying against the unfair treatment of certain races. However, when Stephen asks him about his faith, he responds that he has none. Others, like Father Kumalo, who seem to be content with the way things are, have a string grip on their faith. Father Kumalo also has been living far away from Johannesburg. He has not had to live with the blatant inequality that others have. When people are faced with adversary they either turn to their faith or run from it. I think it will be very interesting to see how Father Kumalo's faith evolves throughout the novel. I think it will be tested, but not waver. 

Fear, Fear, Fear

Throughout Cry the Beloved Country fear is present in almost every character's life. In fact, it seems as though fear has plagued all of South Africa. However, I feel as though many rely too heavily on fear. They use it as an excuse. If they lie, they blame it on fear. If they are rude to someone, they blame it on fear. People break the law because they fear being hungry and homeless. There is an ever-present fear of the unknown. Father Kumalo fears for his son. He also fears what he did wrong. He feels personally responsible for his son’s wrongs. I feel as though this is a common theme with parents all around the world in all eras. Parents fear for their children’s safety, health, happiness, and overall wellbeing. Sometimes they need to take a step and realize that there is only so much they can control. When you let fear consume you, you let it dictate your life, and when you live in fear, you aren't really living at all.