However, this is not possible because he is sentenced to be hanged.
Absalom’s story reminds the reader of the parable of the prodigal son who leaves his father to find riches. He spends all his money and keeps bad company until he is bankrupt. He repents and decides to return to his father, who forgives and welcomes him. Both stories illustrate the religious principle of forgiveness and the importance of remaining true to the moral values of honesty and reliability.
Apostrophe
Paton uses the figure of speech known as apostrophe to write a message that reminds the reader of poetry and of biblical language. He uses apostrophe in more than one way. First, it is used in its most well-known sense in literature: to directly address an object to plead for sympathy or for help. The title of the novel:
Cry, the Beloved Country is an example of apostrophe. The author directly talks to South Africa, an object; he asks his beloved country to have sympathy for those who are suffering from fear as a consequence of social injustice and inequality.
Secondly, the author uses apostrophe when he, as an omniscient third-person narrator, interrupts the action of the story to provide commentary. For example, he interrupts the description of different reactions to the news that Arthur Jarvis was murdered. He uses apostrophe twice to comment on the different reactions. The first interruption is marked by rhetorical questions. The question: “Who knows how we shall fashion a land of peace where black outnumbers white so greatly?” is repeated in the next paragraph: “Who knows how we shall fashion such a land?” (p. 68 in your school edition). These questions are rhetorical because Paton does not expect an answer; he wants the reader to pause for a moment and to think seriously about the matter.
The second interruption follows immediately after the first one, but an asterisk separates them. This apostrophe starts with a repetition of the negative statement: “We do not know, we do not know” (p. 68 in your school edition). The repetition underlines the fact that the problem needs careful consideration; it cannot be solved easily and quickly.
4. Summary
The pre-reading activities in Section A have guided you in laying the foundation of your background knowledge about Cry, the Beloved Country, Paton and the purpose of his message. Your first reading for plot and main ideas has helped you to have an overview of what happens in the story and why it happens. The post-reading activities and explanatory notes have accompanied you in discovering how the author uses the principles of repetition and contrast to combine structure, theme, motif, setting, characterisation, conflict and imagery in his own unique style. In doing so, he communicates a powerful and appealing plea for social justice.
In Section B, you will be exploring the links between the overall meaning of the text and key passages in the novel. The questions will guide you in your analysis of the text. They will also help you to think critically about what and how the author is writing.
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