John is getting a lawyer to discredit Absalom’s story, so Kumalo believes he must get a lawyer also to ensure that the truth comes out. Kumalo doesn’t think a lawyer can help Absalom, but Absalom asked for one and Kumalo wants to respect his son’s wishes.
Though Absalom is at the center of the plot of Cry, the Beloved Country, he is a somewhat mysterious figure. Having left home like most of the young people of Ndotsheni, Absalom finds work in Johannesburg. For reasons that are never made clear, however, he loses touch with his family and falls into a life of crime. Young and impressionable ...
Absalom is led astray by Johannesburg and the people with whom he associated, leading to his accidental murder of Arthur Jarvis during a botched robbery. Absalom is found guilty of the crime and sentenced to death. He is afraid, but eventually comes to a kind of peace before his death.
Unfortunately, the cousins get a very good lawyer and completely deny even being present when the incident occurs; they say they have no idea why Absalom is trying to bring them into this case.
As he awaits execution, Absalom finally understands all that his father holds dear. When it comes time for Stephen Kumalo to leave for Ndotsheni, Absalom clings to his father, finally realizing ...
Young and impressionable, Absalom carries a gun for protection, but when he fires the weapon in fear, he ends up killing Arthur Jarvis. Absalom’s basic innocence is affirmed when he confesses everything to the police, and even they seem to suspect his friend Johannes and not him for the murder.
Absalom’s basic innocence is affirmed when he confesses everything to the police, and even they seem to suspect his friend Johannes and not him for the murder. Nonetheless, the court holds Absalom solely responsible for the crime.
The Cry, the Beloved Country quotes below are all either spoken by Absalom Kumalo or refer to Absalom Kumalo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ).
The timeline below shows where the character Absalom Kumalo appears in Cry, the Beloved Country. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
That is what Absalom Kumalo had in his father, Stephen Kumalo in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country. This lesson will focus on the relationship between the father, Stephen Kumalo, and his son, Absalom. Lesson.
Stephen Kumalo is a leader in the village of Ndotsheni. He is the reverend of the village church, and people look up to him for spiritual guidance and advice about all aspects of their lives. Stephen loves his village and is very saddened by the changes that seem to be occurring to village life. People in the village see the lure ...
When you were very little, whom did you look up to for help? When you needed something, someone was there whether it was a mother, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, older sibling, or foster parent, someone helped you and got you ready for life. That is what Absalom Kumalo had in his father, Stephen Kumalo in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country. This lesson will focus on the relationship between the father, Stephen Kumalo, and his son, Absalom.
Stephen's siblings, John and Gertrude, both left the village for the city. While John has made a life for himself as a rich and powerful shop owner and politician, Stephen sees that his brother has lost his soul.
Defense attorneys are often the last ray of hope for people who have gotten into serious trouble. When Stephen Kumalo's son Absalom is arrested for killing a white man in Johannesburg, Kumalo knows that his son will need help when he goes to trial. Mr. Carmichael is the lawyer who defends Absalom Kumalo in court.
'I shall take the case for you, Mr. Kumalo,' said the lawyer, 'pro Deo, as we say. It is a simple case, for the boy says that he fired because he was afraid, not meaning to kill.'