Cry, the Beloved Country Book III Essay
In the novel Cry, the Beloved Country, James Jarvis had never concerned himself with the native people of South Africa his entire life. That life style changed, however, when his son Arthur was killed by native Absalom Kumalo. James made an attempt to comprehend his son's efforts to bring justice to South Africa and end apartheid. He began to understand the problems between blacks and whites, which led him to be sympathetic towards Reverend Stephen Kumalo, Absalom's father, and help the Kumalos village of Ndotsheni.
When Reverend Kumalo told James Jarvis that Absalom killed his son, James was unexpectedly understanding. Despite their different races, James saw that Reverend Kumalo was torn apart by this event and felt deeply moved and was compassionate towards a fellow father. James had respect for him and knew what he was going through since was about to lose his son, as well. Furthermore, after Reverend Kumalo found out what he had originally come for he began to leave when James walked him out and said goodbye, in the traditional way, showing that James had begun to interact on a more equal level with the natives. He was doing his best to change his ways in order to honor his son. James Jarvis uncharacteristically altered his behavior to be considerate to the natives, especially Stephen Kumalo.
James Jarvis returned to his home as a changed man and wanted to help the village below, Ndotsheni. James paid for an agricultural demonstrator to go to the village and to teach the people to work the land successfully. James knew that the native people had a disadvantage to white people since they weren't able to get a proper education, which, in turn, affected their land. He cared about what happened to the valley and all of South Africa. In addition, when James' grandson finds out that the entire population of natives in Ndotsheni doesn't have milk, he runs to tell his grandfather. Soon after that there was milk as a gift from James to all of the small children of the village. James was worried about what might have happened to the natives if he didn't help them. He wanted the rest of the village to prosper and continue to live there. James Jarvis helped the village a great deal more than any other white man in their history.
Arthur's death led James Jarvis to appreciate what his son was trying to do to rid the world of inequity. Out of respect for his son, James did so much for Reverend Kumalo and his village. James finally grasped the problem between blacks and whites and decided to change things for the better.
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