Alan Paton

Alan Paton Death

In 1988 Alan Paton was diagnosed with inoperable and untreatable throat cancer. He continued to write until his death. He died near Durban, South Africa, on Tuesday, April 12, 1988. He was 85 years old and was survived by his wife and two children.

Alan Paton Themes

Alan Paton saw extreme suffering and bore witness to the discord created in his native land from the damages of political upheaval, people looking to profit off the natural resources in South Africa, and the harsh consequences of apartheid.

Fig. 2 - Anti-apartheid images show the need for change in politics in South Africa.

The Damages of Harsh Punishment

Influenced by his experience as a child with his overbearing father and by his work with the boys’ reformatory, Paton saw firsthand how harsh punishments damaged an individual’s psyche, prevented true progress, and were incompatible in a system looking to rehabilitate individuals for a better life.

Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful, a fiction novel divided into 6 parts, examines the lives of six individuals deeply impacted by apartheid and terrorized by harsh punishments and strict laws. The first story involves The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws. In 1952 this anti-apartheid movement backed protests that stemmed from a teenage Indian woman who read at a library reserved for white people. Each time she went to the library, she faced imprisonment or other harsh punishments. Her actions inspired others to protest the unjust laws, and the government increased the penalties for protestors. Eventually, The Defiance Campaign disbanded because the punishments grew too harsh.

The government's overarching punishments on protesters to protect apartheid were extremely damaging to individuals who were subjected to them. These strict laws ultimately harmed protesters and anyone who wasn't white. Payton used the stories in Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful to show how the penalties of protesting unjust laws prevented true progress from being made.

Fig. 3 - Prison time was a common punishment for protestors.

Father-Son Relationships

Perhaps while working through some of his feelings regarding his relationship with his father, Paton focused on father-son relationships within his writing. His most successful novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, dealt with the connections between fathers and sons and used the two protagonists, Jarvis and Kumalo, to explore these complicated relationships. Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom Kumalo have a deep divide between them that is only closed with Absalom’s impending execution for murder.

The two had differing ideologies, and the father focused on the community and relationships that kept their culture grounded. Absalom sought wealth, desired to leave his roots, and attempted to make way for himself in the bustling and growing city. Desperate, he turned to a life of crime and accidentally became a murderer. Ultimately, he and his father found peace and understanding in one another before Absalom’s execution.

James Jarvis and his son Arthur Jarvis are the other central father-son relationship in Cry, the Beloved Country. Arthur was the man murdered by Absalom in a robbery gone wrong, and he had fought diligently for the rights of South African citizens during apartheid in South Africa. While James found success and wealth by profiting off of South Africa’s native soil and others' hard work, his son sought to end the system that he profited from. However, after reading his now-deceased son’s letters, James Jarvis began to understand his son and started working in his son's honor.

Alan Paton Works

Alan Paton was a prolific writer who concerned himself with the politics and preservation of the unique culture in South Africa. He used his writing as a platform to show the discord in a society where native South Africans were exploited. Here are some of his notable works.

Fig. 4 - Crops native to the soil of Africa. The bright yellows, browns, and blues are visually stimulating and mirror Payton's descriptions of the landscape in his writing.

Cry, the Beloved Country

Cry, the Beloved Country followed the account of an older Black minster who must come to terms with the sin of murder his son committed. He is forced to face the decaying conditions of his South African society, where the old societal structures have been dissolved, and apartheid hurt indigenous people. Families were torn apart, and as many people lacked opportunity, some South Africans turned to a life of crime and violence.

Too Late the Phalarope

This novel, published in 1953, accounts for interracial attraction during apartheid South Africa. Alan Paton wrote it over two years. It dealt with one man’s struggle within a society that is intolerant of people who do not adhere to the status quo. A white police officer was chastised and dealt with his career and reputation ruined when it was discovered that he had sexual relations with a woman of a different race.

Tales from a Troubled Land

Tales from a Troubled Land is a collection of ten short stories that use intricate details and feature touching vignettes of South Africa and its people. This collection's main theme revolves around the inequity people faced during apartheid under The National Party. The theme of racism is prevalent throughout these stories, and Paton uses a compassionate tone when discussing his beloved homeland of South Africa.

Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful

Like much of Paton’s work, this novel is set in South Africa between 1952 and 1958 and deals with themes of harsh punishment and racism. Its anti-apartheid message aligns with Paton's political affiliation with the Liberal Party of South Africa. These 6 stories reflect the deep human price of maintaining a racially divided society.

Alan Paton Quotes

Here are some key quotes that describe his politics regarding apartheid.

Alan Paton was a devout Christian and fought tirelessly for equal rights during apartheid. In this quote from Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful, two characters discuss the suffering in their futures as they fight for equality. Regardless, the harsh punishments the two characters will endure supporting the anti-apartheid movement are worthwhile and necessary both in the eyes of God and their fellow citizens.

Paton had an uncanny ability to describe the sweeping South African landscape and equate it with the social situation of the area. Here he uses the dry, desolate land, which lacks nutrients, to parallel the condition of the society and local culture. The land is unmanageable and can no longer sustain life, much like the social conditions created by apartheid.

Alan Paton believed in the intrinsic goodness of humans and never lost faith in humankind’s ability to mend what was broken. He maintained faith in society’s ability to reconcile and rebuild broken bonds. He believed that the innocent child who wrongs is a product of a faulty system rather than the innate character of the child. He believed that to help, you must build the person rather than punish the person.