Katniss In Cry The Beloved Country

“‘I volunteer!’ I gasp. ‘I volunteer as tribute!’” (Collins 22). The most iconic moment in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games is when Katniss Everdeen volunteers to walk into a bloodbath in the place of her younger sister. It is easy to give Katniss the title of hero immediately. However, Prim, her sister, should not be regarded as weak. Primrose stands as a rock for their mother while Katniss is away; the young girl keeps her sanity when watching her sister fight right before her eyes. Because Katniss so bravely volunteered, it seems she is the main protagonist, but that does not mean Prim, a minor character, cannot do great things too. The relationship between major and minor characters is also seen in Alan Paton’s Cry the Beloved Country.

He dedicated his life’s work to bringing South Africa back together. Before readers even get the opportunity to hear Jarvis’s writings, they can tell he is an important man. His impact is visible through what others say about him. When Arthur’s father, James, sits down at his son’s desk for the first time, he sees scores of letters reading, “Mr. Jarvis, will you speak at the Parkwold Methodist Guild? Mr. Jarvis, will you speak at the Anglican Young People’s Association in Sophiatown? Mr. Jarvis will you…” (176). The letters asking for Mr. Jarvis to speak at various places go on for three more sentences. It is evident that Arthur was passionate about ending the divide in his country just through the messages that people sent him. Arthur’s writings also make it clear that he longed to mend the broken parts of the country. Similar to Msimangu, Arthur had a vast understanding of the cause of the divide in South Africa. However, Arthur did not only ponder upon why there is brokenness, but how the country would be put back together as well. The young man wrote, “Our natives today produce criminals and prostitutes and drunkards, not because it is their nature to do so, but because their simple system of order and tradition and convention had been destroyed. It was destroyed by the impact of our own civilization. Our civilization has therefore an inescapable

It is obvious that Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis are agents of restorative justice, but the other three men can be seen in the same way. At the beginning of the book, readers are exposed to Msimangu’s kind heart and his longing for peace in South Africa. His actions are a direct result of the way he feels about the brokenness in his country. Arthur Jarvis, although he never appears alive in the novel, also aims for the mending of South Africa. His writings and his impact on his son shows that he longs for restoration. Arthur’s son, following in his father’s footsteps, is also a minor character who is a major agent of restorative justice. The young boy demonstrates through love that he deeply desires the end of the racial divide. These minor characters with large impacts on the country demonstrate that main characters are not the only ones who strive for good in the world. It is evident in Cry the Beloved Country that any person, no matter their background or views, can make a positive impact on their country. Therefore, anyone can be a hero, even if they reach restoration through baby