Our Journey with Stephen Kumalo

Throughout Cry, the Beloved Country, we are on a journey with Stephen Kumalo.  We learn about all the attributes that make up his personality.  We see Kumalo struggle and fall, but we also see him grow stronger and wiser.  Every worry, fear, heart ache, or trial that Kumalo goes through makes him seem even more realistic.  In the beginning, we see Kumalo as a reserved man who is very gullible.  As the book continues, we see a now sophisticated man who is determined to win his son's freedom. 




In Cry, the Beloved Country, we see Stephen Kumalo's weakest moments and his unappealing traits.  When Kumalo first arrives to Johannesburg, he is very naïve because he has never seen anything but his everyday lifestyle.  He has been restricted from the outside world.  He does not know that there is a major crime problem in Johannesburg.  He does not know about the prostitutes and the illegal liquor sellers.  Kumalo is blind to the current society issues.  Kumalo is also over trusting.  He does not believe that people would scheme another person for no reason which sets him up for disaster when he arrives to Johannesburg. Kumalo is so trusting that he gives a stranger money assuming he would buy his bus ticket.  Kumalo later learns that he has been robbed. 


Kumalo is a determined man with a big heart.  Throughout book one of Cry, the Beloved Country, Stephen Kumalo is determined to find his troubled son, Absalom.  He goes to multiple people who just send him to different sources.  He is worried that if he does not find his son soon then it will be too late.  Kumalo is also very caring.  When he finds his sister Gertrude, he looks pass her mistakes and the person she has become.  Instead of judging Gertrude, he takes care of her and her son, and he buys them new clothes and provides them with a new home.  This shows that even with the worst people, Stephen Kumalo can show love and compassion at their lowest moments. 


Toward the end of the book, we see Kumalo grow in multiple ways.  We see him grow wiser.  He learns that he must fight for everything that he wants.  His brother has taught him that people will manipulate you just so they can come out on top.  This experience in Johannesburg has made him much stronger.  He works for what he wants.  Kumalo plans to fight for his son's freedom and he will not let anyone stand in his way.  His faith is also stronger.  He was lost, but now he has found who he is supposed to be. 


As we continue to read this heart wrenching book, we see a man who is shining a new light into his life.  Along with his negative and positive attributes, he is still learning new things everyday and he is becoming a stronger person.  This experience has shaped him into a new person that will make a difference in his family's lives.  Paton makes Stephen Kumalo seem like a real man going through everyday trials.