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John Kumalo is a successful businessman and important politician .He is a powerful speaker who defends the rights of the black South Africans,but his fear of punishment prevents him from pushing for actual radical change, and he is considered by many to be without courage.BUt,the book show John as acorrupt and selfish person, and that he only wants to give speeches because he enjoys having the spotlight. He doesn't have any real passion for social change.We can see this in this part of the novel There are some men who long for martyrdom, there are those who know that to go to prison would bring greatness to them, these are those who would go to prison not caring if it brought greatness or not. But John Kumalo is not one of them. There is no applause in prison.In this passage, the narrator comes right out and tells us that John gives his speeches for the applause. He would never go to jail for the sake of the cause of black liberation, because he won't get endless praise and attention in prison.

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Theophilus Msimangu is a priest who lives in Johannesburg. Msimangu stands by Kumalo's side as they search for his son. He stays supporting and helpful most of the time, but he loses his temper as well. He is humble, honest and gentle through most of the story. Msimangu has the clearest understanding of South Africa’s injustices, and he serves as Paton’s mouthpiece in suggesting a solution: Christian love. According to Msimangu, white South Africans oppress the blacks because they fear their numbers and their power. Msimangu believes that only selfless love can counter this fear. Msimangu’s own selflessness is affirmed at the novel’s close, when he gives his worldly possessions to Kumalo and joins a monastery.

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Faustino Scaminaci

Mattheu Kumalo a secondary but important character in the novel cry the beloved country is the son of John Kumalo and cousin of Absalon. In the novel he is mainly know as a friend of Absalon how committed the robbery, but he did not say the same to the judge he denied being part of the robbery were Absalon murdered a white man. With the pass of the novel the reader discovers that he is one of the persons you couldn’t depend on. Because he will always do what is convenient for him, such us his father would up do.

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James Jarvis- Violeta Alasino/ Sol Maltaneres 

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James Jarvis- Violeta Alasino/ Sol Maltaneres 

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When the novel begins, Jarvis is ignorant of the injustices of South Africa. To understand his son, Jarvis reads Arthur´s writings about the violence towards black people and he is moved by his son´s language and experience. Jarvis does not undergo a political conversion so much as a moral one because he is not interested in doing so. James Jarvis character development can also have similarities with today´s society because of the lack of information people has as regards discrimination and injustices. Thanks to movements such as "Black Lives Matter" , people are more concerned and informed about how strong is the impact of this situation. With this character, the author succeeds to demonstrate how strong is the importance of being open to change and to contemplate the people who suffer racism or discrmination of any type. James Jarvis said " I do not say we are free. I do not say we are free as men should be. But at least I am free of the chief. At least I am free of an old and ignorant man, who is nothing but a white man´s dog". In this quote, John explains to Kumalo that while he can never be truly free as a black man living in South Africa, he feels freer in Johannesburg because there is no chief to dictate his actions. Since black people are living in a world of institutionalized racism, they will take whatever freedom they can get, even while knowing their freedom doesn´t compare to a white person´s freedom. We want to leave a little message for you, as Alan Paton said "The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again". With this quote we want to convey the message that the world can be full of injustice, but what makes a difference is what we do about it.

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In the novel “Cry the beloved country” the main character, Stephen Kumalo is characterized as a progressive, innocent and spiritual man.

Throughout the novel, Kumalo develops his thoughts, expectations and settles his beliefs. He is portrayed as an open minded and serviceable man, always ready to help others, this is clearly shown after he returns from Johannesburg with his sister’s son and son’s girlfriend, being ready to offer them a new beginning, "I shall care for your child, my son, even as if it were my own", and by the end of the novel when he returns to Ndotsheni with health and educative developments. Kumalo ‘s remarkable characteristic in the novel is his innocent attitude towards people, a good example being after arriving at the big city, he trusts a man who ends up stealing his money.

Stephen Kumalo is a reverend so it may not be surprising to describe him as a deeply religious man, but his beliefs in the novel are not settled or static as we would expect from someone who preaches. In fact, he delves into a spiritual (and physical) journey in which his faith is questioned as his moral compass is constantly stirred with the events that take place.

Nevertheless as lost and desolate he may find himself, Kumalo is through and through a tribal man with Christian customs. Reason for which he is highly respected and even revered in and out of his community. This is beautifully and powerfully portrayed in book 3 when Kumalo and the people of Ndotsheni pray in the tribal manner as a means to redemption and restoration. “ they kneel on the bear red earth, and he raises his hand, and his voice also, and strength comes into the old and broken man coma for is he not a priest?”

By the end of the novel, Kumalo is able to see the world with a more wholesome perspective, and at the same time remain true to himself.

Kumalo’s spirituality is depicted in the song “You Say” by contemporary christian singer Lauren Diagle:

“You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

...

In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity”

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James Jarvis- Violeta Alasino/ Sol Maltaneres

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James Jarvis- Violeta Alasino/ Sol Maltaneres

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JAMES JARVIS

The meaning of the character for the reader is the awareness that he takes as he reads the experience of another person who suffered discrimination throughout his life. When the novel begins, Jarvis is ignorant of or indifferent to the injustices of South Africa. To understand his son, Jarvis reads Arthur’s writings about the injustices he perceives in South Africa, and he is moved by his son’s language and ideas. Jarvis does not undergo a political conversion so much as a moral one because he is not interested. James Jarvis character development can also have similarities with today society because of the unknown injustices and lack of information that are made due to discrimination and racism. Thanks to movements such as “Black lives matter”, people are more concern and inform about what is happening nowadays. With this character, we want to achieve awareness about the importance of being open to change and to contemplate on the people who suffer racism and discrimination. We also want to emphasize that a person can be confused for a long time with his thoughts, and the important is to change that. James Jarvis said "I do not say we are free here. I do not say we are free as men should be. But at least I am free of the chief. At least I am free of an old and ignorant man, who is nothing but a white man’s dog”. In this quote, John explains to Kumalo that while he can never be truly free as a black man living in South Africa, he feels freer in Johannesburg because there is no chief to dictate his actions. Since black people are living in a world of institutionalized racism, they will take whatever freedoms they can get, even while knowing their freedom doesn’t compare to a white person’s freedom. We want to leave a little message for all of you, as Alan Paton said “The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again”. With this quote we want to convey you that the world can be full of injustices, discrimination and violence, the important thing is that we do something about it.

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In Cry the Beloved Country the character Father Vincent is a dedicated activist and devoted representative of Christian ministry and an Angelican priest from England. This character symbolize a generous, liberal and understanding man who wants to understand Kumalo and where he comes from. He also introduces Kumalo to Mr. Carmichael and cousels Kumalo when he is brokenhearted over his son and presides over the wedding between Absolom and Absolom s girlfriend. These actions shows how bountiful Father Vincent is and also, he is genuinely a great help to Kumalo,  apart of these actions there are quotes that show his generosity , "They talked about the place where Kumalo lived and worked. And the white man in his turn spoke about his own country, about the hedges and the fields, and Westminster Abbey, and the great cathedrals up and down the land." This quote shows when  Kumalo first meets Father Vincent, they speak for some time about their native lands. Father Vincent is eager to hear about Ndotsheni, and to tell Kumalo everything he can about Great Britain. Moreover, when they discuss the hardships faced in Ndotsheni, and the terrible things that have happened to Kumalo's family, Father Vincent advises Kumalo to find solace in prayer. He sees the overwhelming mixture of sorrow and grief on the old man's face. To this, he offers his insight: '--Sorrow is better than fear, said Father Vincent doggedly. Fear is a journey, a terrible journey, but sorrow is at least an arriving. … When the storm threatens, a man is afraid for his house, said Father Vincent in that symbolic language that is like the Zulu tongue. But when the house is destroyed, there is something to do. About a storm he can do nothing, but he can rebuild the house.' This passage expresses Father Vincent's insightful understanding of the cultural differences between white South Africans and the Zulu culture. Last but least, Father Vincent uses a lot of Bibble words in the novel, for example to comfort Kumalo. To conclude with these aspects we can know that Father Vincent is a lovely and admirable character.

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Gertrude Kumalo is Stephen Kumalo’s sister, she is twenty-five years younger than him, and lives in Johannesburg with her child. The first time we get to know about Gertrude is through a letter from a man named Msimangu. He writes to Stephen and tells him that he should go to Johannesburg because Gertrude is very ill. Once he arrives to Johannesburg he learns that she has been corrupted by the influence Johannesburg has on anyone who is rather flighty. She became a prostitute, “These women sleep with any man for their price.” and makes her money selling illegal alcohol “She is one of the queens, the liquor sellers. They say she is one of the richest of our people in Johannesburg.”  She has an identity that is full of disappointments for her family, and the book shows her as a weak woman due to her sexual desire “I am a weak woman, you know it. I laugh and speak carelessly. Perhaps it would help me to become a nun", mainly due to the religious influence. Gertrude is also portrayed as a woman that has no self-discipline, which is shown when Kumalo reminds her of her Christian duties and obligations and she attempts to return to them, but lacks real determination. Even from her name, which is not a usual name for a female character we may perceive a lack of values. Gertrude is also a very famous character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet who betrays the memory of her dead husband; in Cry, the beloved country, Gertrude betrays her family values and has “many husbands”. That parallelism with Hamlet’s Gertrude and the lack of morals shown throughout the novel, depict her as an unfaithful and a woman with no fidelity.

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Characters are symbolic of a larger idea and are revealed by words and actions.

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Characters are symbolic of a larger idea and are revealed by words and actions.

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Arthur Jarvis is a character on ‘Cry the beloved country' who is dead throughout the novel, as he was accidentally murdered. He was a white man that fought for racial injustices, for that reason, is that we can know how respected he was in the black community. In this quote, "How this Club would be arranged without your participation, would be a mystery to many minds among us" we can see how a man writes to him letting him know that it would be a honor for their black club to have him as a president of the organization, showing how important he is. As he is very supportive.
Moreover being well respected, he was very passionate. His passion, is put on the love he had for South Africa and his people. This is shown on a quote which says "It is only [when one learns that there are other things in South Africa than sun and gold and oranges] that one's love grows deep and passionate, as a man may love a woman who is true, false, cold, loving, cruel, and afraid". This quote is a comparison of the passionate love he has to South Africa, and his love for a cheating woman. Reflecting that South Africa may be cheating because of all its problems and complications, nevertheless he loves his country and wants to ward it, improve it and change it.
Finally, we can say that he is very inspiring, through what we know about him from the writings and books he left on his house. Arthur’s essays show new ways in which South Africans could improve their conditions and achieve justice. Also, when Arthur’s house was inspected, he had on his bookshelf books of very important South Africans figures. This represents his interest and intelligence on where to look for help and inspiration, and also, with the idea that maybe some day, someone would follow his essays.

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Theophilus Msimangu is the friend of kumalo, his guide and protector. His Greek name and symbol in the novel is “ beloved of God”. One of his main actions in the story, as well as guiding and protecting Stephen Kumalo, is to send the letter to this same character to travel to Johannesburg to take care of his sister, Gertrude. This character is represented as a generous, religious, and respectful person throughout the novel.

” But there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power. I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring only the good of their country, come together to work for it.” in this quote he express that the only solution to conflicts between white and black people is love. Christian love is the only salvation because it would overcome the power of man.

Also, Theophilus is shown as a generous person in several of its actions, for example, “Kumalo went with his friend to the gate, and Msimangu said, I am forsaking the world and all possessions, but I have saved a little money. I have no father or mother to depend on me, and I have the permission of the Church to give this to you, my friend, to help you with all the money you have spent in Johannesburg, and all the new duties you have taken up.” In this part of the story, Msimangu gives Stephen Kumalo all his savings because his friend needed the money, and to cover all the expenses he had had in Johanneburg.

Moreover, Msimangu from the beginning of the story is shown as a respectful and modest person. We can see this clearly when he sends a letter to Stephen Kumalo to inform him that his sister was sick. In that letter, he never mentioned that Gertrude was a prostitute, so we can assimilate that it was a very respectful attitude from his part.