Cry The Beloved Country Setting Analysis

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Setting is present in every story, but the way it is used can contribute to the development of the story in many different ways. The setting is a crucial part of every story as it provides a background to the plot and characters of the story. Many novels, such as Cry, the Beloved Country, contain settings that develop certain themes. The two main settings in the novel, Johannesburg and Ndotsheni, differ in many different ways. The world outside of Ndotsheni has changed a lot, and this is visible by the differences between the settings. Contrasting the settings of Johannesburg and Ndotsheni from Cry, the Beloved Country will develop the way racial tension and technology change.
The people in Johannesburg have changed so much that they are not …show more content…

One of those importants events is the rise of racial tension and apartheid. With the setting contributing to the development of the theme of racial tension, the reason why many people have changed is more evident. Gertrude for example, she “had to have money for the child” (60). She became a liquor seller and a prostitute to give his son a life in the harsh and unfair conditions of Johannesburg. The racial tension in Johannesburg much worse than the one in Ndotsheni because of the ambience and society. The ambience in Johannesburg is chaotic as people tend to be more violent. The society is broken, there are countless of borders between different races, placing some of them below the other. Contextual background along with outdated technology shows how Ndotsheni is falling apart. The location of Ndotsheni can be difficult to modernize, as the land around it depends on the villagers. There are not many shortcuts or easier ways the villagers can take to farm or educate children. This leads to people leaving the village, causing the hills around them to fall apart, making it and Ndotsheni uninhabitable. Racial tension and old vs new are some themes present in the book that with the setting, show the positive and negative changes of the