Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton Main characters1. Stephan Kumalo/umfundisi, a humble reverend from Ndotsheni village.2. James Jarvis,3. Msimangu, Stephan Kumalos' host and guide in Johannesburg who has great knowledge of South Africa's problems.4. Absalom Kumalo, flees to Johannesburg and soon gets lost. Minor characters1. Mrs Lithebe allows Stephan Kumalo to stay in her home while she is in Johannesburg.2. Arthur Jarvis, son of James Jarvis and avid supporter of black South Africans. Setting Cry, the Beloved Country, is set in the 1940s in the metropolis of Johannesburg and the quiet county village of Ndotsheni, in a nation full of racial prejudice. , injustice and inequality, which stains and defiles the earth. Life in South Africa is always difficult in the cities and racial injustice adds to the problem. The only job you could really get if you were a person of color would be to go to the mines or factories. But the pay you receive is barely enough to keep you alive. Much less to support a family! So this leads many astray into a life of crime. Plot In the village of Ndotsheni, Reverend Stephan Kumalo receives news that his sister has fallen ill. So Kumalo embarks on a long journey to Johannesburg, with the aim of helping his sister, and in the hope of finding his son Absalom. When Kumalo arrives in Johannesburg, he is welcomed by Msimangu, a fellow priest. Kumalo then visits his sister Gertrude and convinces her to return to Ndotsheni. Later, Kumalo visits his brother, John Kumalo, looking for his son. They eventually find Abaslom arrested for the murder of Arnold Jarvis. In the hills above Ndotsheni, local police arrive at the home of James Jarvis, with news of his son's death. Jarvis and his wife then travel to Johannesburg. While in Johannesburg, Kumalo meets Jarvis for the first time and expresses his grief over the death of Jarvis' son. At the trial, Abasalom is sentenced to death by hanging. Kumalo returns to Ndotsheni, only to realize that the way of life that once held his people together was dying. James Jarvis becomes involved in helping the village, in an attempt to help rebuild the tribal way of life. ThemeCry, the Beloved Country expresses the prejudices and hatred we humans hold against our differences, which only cloud our vision and prevent us from seeing and doing what is right. Many people like James Jarvis, Arthur Jarvis, Napoleon Letsitsi and Stephan Kumalo were able to free themselves from all prejudices to help each other and, by doing so, help all of South Africa and its people..