Allusion In Cry The Beloved Country

The biblical allusion made, by Alan Paton, of the biblical figure John the Baptist to John Kumalo, in Cry the Beloved Country, is used to develop his character while describing how fear can make one power hungry and limit one's full potential in society. The compare and contrast of John Kumalo’s voice and John the Baptist’s voice shows that fear can have a great impact on how and why they act. They both have a majestic voice when addressing people. “Here is the moment, John Kumalo, for the great voice to reach even to the gates of Heaven.” (219). His god like voice that booms when he speaks is an important characteristic developed in the novel just like John the Baptist’s voice. “John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make

This goes against John the Baptist’s voice which is characterized as “the voice in the woods”, a desperate cry contrasting to a booming growl. This contrast shows the fear that is developed from John Kumalo’s voice. “And the voice dies away, as thunder dies away over the mountains, and echoes and re-echoes more and more faintly” (219). John Kumalo’s ideals are like the echo, reiterated continuously but losing the energy because of his fear of losing power. Just as their voice contributes to their power, their reasons for their wealth of power is different. John Kumalo unlike John the baptist does not act this way for god, but for himself. “‘Your brother has no use for the Church any more. He says that what God has not done for South Africa, man must do. That is what he says.’” (55). John Kumalo is a corrupt official and believes that he must make the difference to create equality in South Africa. “But for that they say he has not enough courage, for he would surely be sent to prison.”