Biblical Allusion In Alan Paton's Cry, The Beloved Country

In Alan Paton’s compelling novel “Cry, The Beloved Country” published in 1948, he eloquently writes about the characters Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis to tell a story with a momentous message about the effect of apartheid in South Africa. Paton expertly solidifies his dynamic and forceful writing in his novel with his uses of various literary elements like imagery, diction, allusions, motifs, and even the simplicity of his poetic writing voice. Although, in chapter 36 Alan Paton’s uses of biblical allusions and connotative diction serve to help the reader better understand and to highlight the change that is to come to the racial unjust country.

Biblical allusions are all throughout the “Cry, The Beloved Country”, everywhere from names to direct quotations from holy scripture. Chapter 36 is no different with the presence of biblical allusions. Paton uses the biblical allusions to enhance the reader's understanding of the circumstances. The use of allusions in this chapter also adds an undertone that greatly advances the power of the words in the text. One example that Paton uses is when Stephen Kumalo goes on a journey towards the mountain. The biblical aspect comes into play because of a direct and indirect biblical correlation. Firstly, Kumalo goes to the mountain to be closer to God; yet it also connects to the biblical story of the

Paton’s use of both biblical allusions and connotative diction serve to illustrate the change that has occurred and the change that will come about to the society and people of South Africa. More specifically the biblical allusions allow for the reader to better understand/relate and gain a humanistic view of the characters. While connotative diction enables the reader to infer what the future holds for Kumalo and South Africa after the book ends as the light and dawn will