Home > Cry, the Beloved Country Summary & Study Guide > Cry, the Beloved Country Group > Question and Answer

Question:

Answers:

1. 
   mshurn Teacher
   College - Freshman

   eNotes Editor

   The contrast between the hills, where Jarvis lives at High Place, and the valley, where Stephen lives in Ndotsheni, is both stark and symbolic. The hills are lush and green, well nourished and watered naturally by life-giving rains. Here Jarvis lives, surrounded by bounty, a white man of wealth and power. Stephen's valley, however, is dry and barren. No rains replenish the earth; no crops can be grown. The land cannot support Stephen's people, and the young must leave their homes. Thus, "the tribe is broken," and the poverty of Ndotsheni is exchanged for the poverty of Johannesburg. The lushness of Jarvis' hills and the barren state of Stephen's valley symbolize the great divisions in South Africa: economic, cultural, and racial.

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/cry-beloved/style

   http://www.enotes.com/cry-beloved/summary

   http://www.enotes.com/cry-beloved/themes

   Rate answer:

   • Flag as inappropriate

   Posted by mshurn on Wednesday March 11, 2009 at 1:32 PM
   
   

2. 
   doochie Student
   High School - 12th Grade

   The hills above Ndosheni, where James Jarvis lives, are depicted by Paton as a lush and thriving enviornment with opportunity, while the valley down below are said to be barren and dry.  The valley below relates to the poverty faced by the blacks living there and is said that "the soil cannot keep them anymore," meaning that the interests of the young can no longer be satisfied by such a place.  The hills above symbolize prospertiy and happiness as evidenced by Jarvis and his unremarkable wealth.

   Rate answer:

   • Flag as inappropriate

   Posted by doochie on Monday April 13, 2009 at 7:00 PM