Essay on Selected Themes from Cry, the Beloved Country

Although set in South Africa, Cry the Beloved Country has themes that have permanent and universal interests. These are themes of crime and punishment, the human cost of power and wealth, and division and reconciliation. The underlying cause of crime in Johannesburg is rural-urban migration. The aborigines had small farmlands which are arid and dry making it difficult for them to cultivate any food crop the popular one being maize. The white farmers on the other hand, had large acres and fertile farmlands making it possible for them to grow different kinds of crops. They had farming equipments such as the tractor which the black folks lacked or havent even seen one before. In the harsh conditions of the†¦show more content†¦Among those, for example, who went to work was the husband of Gertrude, who in turn, went to look for him and found other men instead. And in Absalom with his girlfriend we have instances of a delinquent son and a pregnant daughter. In the quest for survival, they find themselves in the negligence to their responsibilities and face the full wrath of the law which doesnt favor them and the society as a whole. This created criminal cases; rape, robbery, and murder. There were instances where white housewives were raped, murdered and robbed when their husbands were away. The black folks who were regarded as a menace to society being prime suspects to such criminal activities and so they were looked upon as outcasts. For this they were either tortured or murdered when caught and put into prison. Absalom found himself in such a predicament after going to prison and having been reformed, he was faced with the claws of the law for murder which he admitted. His judgment opens, in a language of solemn formality, with a description of the setting for the trial in a segregated South African courtroom. This description develops into a commentary on the majesty of the law, the status of judges who must administer them. 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