In
Cry, the Beloved Country, Stephen Kumalo is shown as a very major and
important factor. He can be described as a dynamic or round character. Kumalo’s
character seems to be very realistic due to the troubles and the way he is
affected by what occurs during the book. Kumalo is very religious and also
appears to be very caring and loving towards his family. He also seems like a
good father figure. In contrast to his good attributes, he also shows not so
good attributes. He seems to lose his faith as the book progresses, his age also
severely affects him and how he is able to maneuver.
As
the book has progressed, Kumalo has experienced life changing events. The
events he has encountered could happen to anybody, which makes his character
appear realistic in a way. For example, the young man states “I have heard what
you fear.” This automatically tells Kumalo that his son murdered Arthur Jarvis.
This is a life altering event that could happen to any parent, but it forces
Kumalo to be sad and depressed and to slowly lose his faith. It makes him
ponder over why it has happened to him, why everything that he expected in
going to Johannesburg was completely thrown to waste. Then again, he has also
had come good encounters, one of which being with his sister Gertrude. Kumalo
conversated with Gertrude and she willing decided to return back to her homeland
with Kumalo. She stated that “[she] did not like Johannesburg”, that “[she] is
sick [there]. She then got down on her knees with Kumalo and prayed and asked
for forgiveness. This raises Kumalo’s spirits and puts him in a better mood. He
is glad that Gertrude wants to cleanse herself of impurities and leave the
wretched city that immoralized her.
Although
Kumalo has had good and bad experiences that have changed him completely, he
has still proven to be a good father figure through all the nonsense he has
encountered. The story states that, “Kumalo would pick the child up, and put
his hand under the shirt to feel the small warm back, and tickle and poke him,
till the serious face relaxed into smiles, and the smiles grew into
uncontrollable laughter.” This shows how in the middle of everything, Kumalo
can still find a way to care and love for what is there, for the important
things. He must accept what is given to him and cherish the little things. The
child brings out his fatherly instinct that has, more than likely, been locked away
ever since his son left. Even though he is able to escape the troubles he is
facing when he plays with his nephew, he cannot physically stop the toll it is
forcing upon him. Throughout the story Kumalo grows “weary” and they describe
him as a “bent figure.” He is not only growing weary due to the experiences he
has come face to face with in Johannesburg, he is aging and growing older. Everything
he does takes a great toll on him, it makes him tired and it makes him ache.
Not only does it affect him physically, it affects him religiously. He begins
to lose faith as the events attack him and slowly eat away at him. Everything
he expected was completely wrong and due to what he expected and what actually occurred,
he has paid a tremendous toll, not just physically, but mentally as well.
