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Stefan Kumalo

Stefan Kumalo is one of the most important character’s Cry, The Beloved Country. Right away, it is made known that he is a very respected priest. Throughout Book I, Stefan Kumalo is put through several tests and trials. His son is sent to jail for murder, his son got a woman, if you could call her that, considering she is only sixteen, pregnant out of wedlock,his brother has become someone he doesn’t recognize, or really seem to like, and his sister is a prostitute. At first, when he arrives at Johannesburg, and he begins to discover all of these things, he is OK, he remains strong in his faith. However, as time goes by, and things begin to build up, Kumalo begins to fall apart, and lose his faith. This falling apart is what proves that he is only human. Stefan Kumalo is a very complex man with strong faith in God, but he is still only human, and, like every other human being, he has his breaking points.

Stefan Kumalo has many qualities that shine through in Book I, both bad and good. Kumalo is patient. As a priest, patience is a big thing for him, but you see him lose his patience a few times throughout book one. An example of this would be on page 144, when he is talking to the girl his son got pregnant,"Not even, he asked, if I desired you?" He says this, as well as a few other cruel things. Kumalo is also kind, most of the time, which is another big attribute for a priest to have.These are positive things, obviously, but Kumalo also has some negative qualities. Kumalo, when he first got to Johannesburg, didn’t seem to understand the amount of crime there was in the city, and he didn’t seem to want to believe it. This is apparent on pages 48 through 49, when he lets the man take his money to go and buy him a bus ticket, when in reality, you don’t buy the bus ticket until you get up to the bus. So, this man had tricked him and taken his money. This experience also shows that Stefan Kumalo is quick to trust people. This is not necessarily a bad attribute, but it isn’t always a good one, either. To summarize, Stefan Kumalo has many qualities that shine through in Book I, both bad and good.

Paton did a good job of showing that Stefan Kumalo is only human, and he does have his breaking points. In the beginning of the book, Paton subtly, more through Kumalo's actions and words, than by actually describing him, as he did the environment in chapter one, shows what kind of person Kumalo is. We learn very quickly that Kumalo is a very respected priest. An example of this being apparent, is on page 35,when the child brings him the letter. The child treats him with a lot of respect, and calls him "umfundisi", which was, and still is a title of honor and respect in South Africa, where this book takes place. In the first few chapters that Kumalo is in Johannesburg, his faith remains strong. Kumalo continues to pray, and doesn't change much. As time continues, and Kumalo finds things out(his son is mixed in with the wrong crowd, his sister is selling herself to men, and his son got what could barely be considered a woman pregnant out of wedlock, just to name a few things), he begins to falter. It is made apparent that he is faltering, because he begins to not want to pray anymore(pages 141-142), and fall into a sort of hopelessness. This loss of faith, and hopelessness is natural for someone going through what he was going through. This showed that Stefan Kumalo is only human, and just because he is a very respected priest, does not mean that he, or his relationship with God, is invincible. Paton did a good job of showing that Stefan Kumalo is only human.

Stefan Kumalo is one of the most important characters in Cry, The Beloved Country. Stefan Kumalo is identified early on as a very respected priest, and man in general. Throughout the first book, Kumalo goes through various tests and trials that shake him, and his faith. Stefan Kumalo is a very complex man, with a lot of qualities, both bad and good, and he is a very respected, Godly man. In the end, though, he is still only human, he isn't invincible, and neither is his faith. Kumalo has his breaking points, just like everyone else, and Paton proves this throughout Book I.