Cry, The Beloved Country's Symbolism

          “There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills.  These hills are grass covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it (Paton 33).”  The love for the land of South Africa is brilliantly expressed in the novel Cry, The Beloved Country.  As I read book 1 of this novel, I began to see more obvious symbolism take place from South Africa’s breath taking land.  Being an author of great talents, Paton has incorporated symbolism between the land he loves so to the story and to his overall message; most of this was organized in the first chapter of his novel.

           

Paton begins to talk about the positivity in the land. “The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  It holds the rain and the mist, and they seed into the ground, feeding the streams in every Kloof.  It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil… (Paton 33).”  I think this symbolizes the positive impact from the tribes for the Natives.  Comparing a perfect land to a perfect atmosphere of living for the Natives.  This is life “before” Apartied.

           

Paton now begins to talk about the negativity of the land, it’s almost a complete inversion of the previous paragraph.  “Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  But the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the Kloofs.  Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires burn it… (Paton 33-34).”  I think this symbolizes the negative impact from the society and the negative affiliations with other cultures.  This also shows the impact on the natives “during” Apartied.

           

Paton finally talks about the scars of the land; he talks in past tense.  “The great red hills stand desolate, and the earth has torn away like flesh.  The lightning flashes over them, the clouds pour down upon them, the dead streams come to life, full of the red blood of the earth.  Down in the valleys women scratch the soil that is left, and the maize hardly reached the height of a man… (Paton 34).”  I think this symbolizes the aftermath or the forever scare of Apartied as a hole for the Natives.  No matter how fixed the system will get Apartied will be eternally engraved in the History of South Africa.

           

All in the first chapter Paton deliberately incorporated the past, present, and life after Apartied in one chapter.  But instead of describing it through the people, he decides to incorporate the history briefly into the land.  Once dissected, one could figure out how Apartied affected South Africa before it, during it, and after it.