Cry, The Beloved Country-Alan Paton-Answer Daniel RenfreySetting/ContextCry, The Beloved Country is set in South Africa in the late 1940s, just after World War II, and at the start of apartheid, when racial discrimination was in force in South Africa, was at its height. The three most important and interesting settings of the novel are: Ndotsheni, an isolated village in which the protagonist, Reverend Stephen Kumalo and his wife live, Johannesburg, where Stephen goes to find his son and sister, and High's farm Place.NdotsheniThe first two chapters of the novel take place in Ndotsheni. The book begins by describing the beautiful valley where Ndotsheni is located. However, the lands of Ndotsheni are corroding. As Ndotsheni is primarily an agricultural village, poor soil and drought can mean that some crops, such as maize, “barely grow to a man's height”. Paton describes the green hills of Ndotsheni slowly transforming into something much less healthy and less beautiful. They fall into the valley below and, as they fall, change their nature. Because they become red and naked. Too many livestock feed on grass and too many fires have burned it. This quote from Paton reflects the effects of the drought on the village. Due to the poor soil and the fact that the village is slightly overcrowded, more and more young people are moving to Johannesburg to find work. As a result, the village is mainly populated by elderly people and lacks life. There is a church available in Ndotsheni (before James Jarvis builds a new one at the end of the novel), and although it is old and dilapidated, it does the job, as do many of the elderly people in the village. all negative...... middle of paper...... hard to follow and the descriptions of the villages and Johannesburg are very deep. This descriptive writing creates beautiful and not-so-beautiful images of South Africa and in turn helps the reader understand the themes and message of the novel. The careful characterization used by Paton also helps readers develop their own ideas about South Africa during this time and connect emotionally to the characters. Narrative StyleThe novel is narrated in a general voice, which shows that it is written in the third person. “They walked until they came to Claremont and Kumalo was shocked by its dilapidated and dirty state, as well as the proximity of the houses and the dirt on the streets.” Worlds such as "they" and the name given by the narrator to "Kumalo" found in these directs. quotes from the novel are examples of writing in the third person. Word count: 3,300 words