The Symbolism of Land in Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country

Tradition is an essential element to a healthy society. It provides a sense of identity and a foundation for future generations to improve upon. In Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, the importance of maintaining tradition is conveyed through using land to symbolize tradition.

Paton describes the land as sacred, as something to live upon and tend to with the faith that it will always support its residents. Paton writes that "the grass is rich and matted, you can not see the soil. It holds the rain and the mist, and they seep into the ground, feeding the streams in every kloof. It is well tended and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it, laying bare the soil. Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator. Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed (Chapter One)." Similarly, tradition deserves respect. It must be fostered in households to keep those households in tact.

Without tradition, man is lost: his sense of belonging disappears and he is forced to learn for himself - -and learning requires time and experience. There is more potential for innovation when traditional ideas and sediments do not pose boundaries for the innovate, but innovation is more difficult because there is nothing to look back upon. With nothing to refer to, innovation is very hard. Without innovation, society remains static and does not develop. Tradition abets the development of society.

Additionally, Paton writes that the "great red hills stand desolate, and the earth has torn away like flesh. The lightning flashes over them, the clouds pour down upon them, the dead streams come to life, full of the red blood of the earth. Down in the valleys women scratch the soul that is left, and the maize hardly reaches the height of a man. There are valleys of old men and old women, of mothers and children. The men are away, the young men and the girls are away.

The soil can not keep them anymore (Chapter One)." Paton continues to symbolize tradition as land. This passage emphasizes one of Paton's main themes: one must maintain tradition to thrive and to thrive prosperously. Tradition is a reliable source for advice because it has been tested and proven successful by generations of people. Here, Paton creates a melancholy, impoverished ambiance, where the earth is malnourished.

The land's pitiful state alludes to another one of his themes: because the people of this land are losing their tradition, their society is falling into disrepair. Young people are moving out of the town to look for opportunities in other places (usually Johannesburg because it is the nearest major city). Without tradition to nourish the people, they suffer. Their crops are withering because they are suffering from a drought of rain, but, more symbolically, a drought of tradition. As their tradition disppears, their socitey detriorates; people no longer want to stay in the village due to the drought.

After Paton mourns over the condition of the land (of tradition), he speaks of how people are leaving their homeland (abandoning tradition). The African natives immigrate to Johannesburg, where Paton states that "all roads lead to Johannesburg. if you are white or if you are black they lead to Johannesburg. If the crops fail, there is work in Johannesburg. If there are taxes to be paid, there is work in Johannesburg. If the farm is too small to be divided further, some must go to Johannesburg.

If there is a child to be born that must be delivered in secret, it can be delivered in Johannesburg (Chapter Nineteen)." These words color Johannesburg negatively because it is described as a hellish alternative to tradition. The streets are too crowded, prositution and other illegal activities run wild, filth and disease are everywhere - it is not a place people usually choose to live; it is a place where they must live.

Similarly, sometimes tradition must be lost due to dire circumstances (ie, conforming to the customs of your neighbors to prevent being persecuted), but it is not lost easily or painlessly. Sometimes, it must be lost. When the natives leave their land (their tradition) for Johannesburg (for what is new and nontraditional), the people of South Africa are dragging themselves to a nasty place, hoping for better lives. Their land, their tradition, is the place where they must stay in order to lead the fulfilled lives that they seek, but they do not realize this.

In conclusion, Paton continually emphasizes the importance of maintaining tradition by using the land to symbolize tradition. By using this symbol, he eloquently explaining how one can not sacrifice tradition without consequences.