Cry, the Beloved Country Essay Review

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Arriving When Father Vincent says “Fear is a journey, a terrible journey, but sorrow is at least an arriving,” he means that uncertainty can sometimes be worse than knowing bad news because at least there is solidity with knowledge. This quote not only applies to Cry, the Beloved Country but the world in general, for it's the universal theme of the book. In Cry, the Beloved Country, the main character, Umfundisi Stephen Kumalo, is on a journey for the whole of the book. He's on a quest to not only find his son and sister but find out why the world works the way it does. It is a horrible journey, and one that seems to have no end. Complete uncertainty surrounds him at all times and is overwhelming, a feeling that everyone can relate to. Take for example when Kumalo is searching for his son Absalom and each time he thinks he's getting close to finding him, he is led in another direction. Kumalo is “beating himself up” so to speak with the fear of the unknown. He makes the anticipation of bad news worse than the bad news itself. As Kumalo “arrives” at the point of sorrow, it is a relief because although he still feels crushed to know all that has become of his son is a murderer, he at least stands on solid ground. This is shown when he goes to visit his son before the trial and loses respect for his brother because his brother refuses to try to grieve. He knows that by refusing to do so, his brother is also refusing to heal. Kumalo knows that there is no purpose in extending the journey, because then he would just be extending the pain. Again, people relate to this in many ways, and everyone has experienced this hurt in one way or another. Cry, the Beloved Country does more then talk about racial issues or political issues or even social issues, it tells the tale of a man who does everything in his power not to let something happen and learns to let it go. It
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