Note: I've read the first pages book three.
In class, an observation that was brought to attention was that book I and book II in the novel Cry the Beloved Country both start with the same paragraph in the mountain. Book III does not start with this same paragraph, nor does it start in the mountain. This book starts in the city, the opposite place of the mountains. In class, the discussion lead to how the paragraph was symbolic towards the similarity between Kumalo and Jarvis. Another direction I thought through when the observation came to attention was whether these paragraphs helped develop a theme so far in the novel which could help to predict the third book. So far, the book I and book II have started in the mountains and ended in the city. Alan Paton creates a clear theme that whomever or whatever comes from the mountains changes and becomes more corrupt when it or they become involved with the city. This is true for the people in the novel like Gertrude, Absolom, and even Kumalo. It is also shown in the topic of writing which focuses on the peace and beauty of the land when the characters are in the mountains, and the chaos and destruction when the characters are in the city.
Since the last book starts where the other two books end, in the chaotic city, an idea is that the mood of the novel and its components will be opposite of the first two stories as well. This idea means that book III starts in the city and ends in the mountain, the people will continue to have better moral standards, and the writing style will be peaceful
No comments:
Post a Comment