Alan Paton, in his novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, shows how the horrors of South African apartheid effected two individual families, one black and one white. Throughout the course of the novel, these two families overcome the chains of apartheid and learn that love and forgiveness cross racial lines. In this novel a black man, Absalom Kumalo, makes a decision to murder a white man, Arthur Jarvis. This decision effects the main character, Stephen Kumalo, …showed first 75 words of 459 total…

…showed last 75 words of 459 total…gives hope to all people that apartheid can end some day. In conclusion, when Absalom shot and killed Arthur, it did more good than bad. It helped out many more people than was possible before. The decision that Absalom made effects the main character, Stephen Kumalo, the secondary character, James Jarvis, as well as the overall work. This could have been the plan all along that one should die so that many more could live.