Cry, the Beloved Country Chapter Log (Chapters 18-29)

Chapter 18

Characters: James Jarvis, Thomas, Binnendyk, van Jaarsveld, Mrs.

Jarvis, Arthur Jarvis, Arthur’s wife and kids

Summary of Main Events: James Jarvis was told by the policemen, van
Jaarsveld and Binnendyk, that his son was shot dead. He and his wife
decided to fly to Pietermaritzburg.

Vocabulary:
Umzumzana – a respected person
Verandah – platform along the outside of a house; ground level

Chapter 19

Characters: John Harrison, Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis (James and Margaret
Jarvis), Mary Jarvis (Arthur’s wife), Arthur Jarvis, Arthur and Mary’s
children, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, Hathaway, Phillipson family

Summary of Main Events: Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis arrived in

Pietermaritzburg. They stayed with Mary Jarvis’s family (Mr. and Mrs.
Harrison and John Harrison). The Jarvis family (James, Margaret, Mary)
went to the morgue to see Arthur Jarvis’s body. When they came back
Mary and Mrs. Jarvis went to sleep, and Jarvis talked to Harrison about
Arthur.

Vocabulary:
Laboratories – room/building equipped for scientific experiments,
research, or teaching

Chapter 20

Characters: Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis (James and Margaret) Mary Jarvis, the
Harrisons, Arthur Jarvis, Washington Lefifi

Summary of Main Events: Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis and Mary went to Arthur’s
house. Mrs. Jarvis and Mary left early. Jarvis stayed and read some of
his son’s paper. Jarvis then saw the place his son was shot, and was so
upset by it that he could hardly think straight. He then left the house.

Vocabulary:
Vergelen – historic wine estate
Permissible – permitted; allowed

Chapter 21

Characters: Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis, Arthur Jarvis, Mary and the children,
Mr. Harrison, John Harrison, God/The Creator/All Mighty God, Abraham
Lincoln

Summary of Main Events: They attended Arthur’s funeral. Jarvis and

Harrison talked in Harrison’s study about Arthur’s life and many other
things. Jarvis received news of one of the intruding men and he read
the manuscripts his son wrote about native crime.

Vocabulary:
Reverie – being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts; daydreaming

Chapter 22

Characters: The judge, officers of the Court, the jury, the people, two
assessors to the judge, the three to be judged, (Absalom Kumalo,
Matthew Kumalo, Johannes Pafuri), Arthur Jarvis, lawyer who’s taking
the case for God, Richard Mpiring, Baby Mkize, “Mr. Prosecutor”,
Joseph Bhengu, Andries Coetzee, Esquire, Additional Magistrate,
Kumalo, Msimangu, Gertrude, Mrs. Lithebe, Jarvis

Summary of Main Events: Absalom, Matthew, and Johannes had their

trial. (Only Absalom’s took place in this chapter.)

Vocab:
Assessor – a person that assesses someone/something

Chapter 23

Characters: Arthur Jarvis, Father Beresford, Kafferboeties

Summary of Main Events: Gold was found in South Africa,

Vocabulary:
Bilingualism – speaking two languages fluently

Chapter 24

Characters: Jarvis, Abraham Lincoln, Shakespeare, Christ

Summary of Main Events: Jarvis went to his son’s house and read some
of the pages Arthur wrote. Reading these made his son’s death not
bother him as much anymore.
Vocab:
N/A

Chapter 25

Characters: Margaret Jarvis, Barbara Smith, man from Springs

(Barbara’s husband), Jarvis, Arthur Jarvis, “old parson”/Kumalo, Sibeko,
Absalom

Summary of Main Events: Jarvis and his wife went to visit their niece
Barbara Smith. Barbara and Margaret/Mrs. Jarvis went to the town.
Jarvis stayed home. Kumalo came to the house looking for smith’s
daughter. Kumalo and Jarvis talked, and Kumalo told Jarvis that it was
his son, Absalom, that killed Jarvis’s son, Arthur. Kumalo left after he
was told uSmith’s daughter was not there.

Vocab:
Hindrance – someone/something causes resistance or delay
Inkosizaki – unknown?

Chapter 26

Characters: John Kumalo, Dubula, Tomlison, policemen, Jarvis, Kumalo,

Msimangu, Harry

Summary of Main Events: John spoke about the gold and the peoples’
work rights.

Vocab:
N/A

Chapter 27

Characters: Mrs. Lithebe, Gertrude, Kumalo, Msimangu, “the girl”

Summary of Main Events: Gertrude and Mrs. Lithebe talked about

unknown things. A woman came to them and brought a newspaper
with the headline of a man being shot by a native. After hearing a nun
speak, Gertrude wanted to become a nun. She only told Mrs.Lithebe
this, and Mrs. Lithebe told her not to tell anyone. Gertrude was worried
of her son though, so she told the girl, and asked her if she could take
care of her son if she did become a nun.

Vocab:
N/A

Chapter 28

Characters: Judge, the court/people, two assessors, Absalom, Matthew,

Johannes, Arthur Jarvis, Richard Mpiring, Baby Mkize, Kumalo, Jarvis,
“the girl”, young white man, Msimangu

Summary of Main Events: Absalom is sentenced to be hanged.

Vocab:
Implicate – to be involved in crime
Trifle – of value or importance

Chapter 29

Characters: Father Vincent, Kumalo, Gertrude, the girl, Msimangu,

Absalom, white warder, John Kumalo, Johannes, Matthew, Jarvis, John
Harrison, Margaret, Mary and the children, Harrison, Baby Mkize, Mrs.
Lithebe, stout woman, Gertrude, the girl, Gertrude’s son

Summary of Main Events: Father Vincent married Absalom and the girl.
Absalom told his father he was afraid of the hanging, and cried to him.
Kumalo was forced to leave, even though he didn’t want to leave his
son.
Kumalo had gone to say goodbye to John, and tell him about God’s
love and how it changes. Kumalo then said something to John about
one of John’s friends spying on him for the police. John said “what a
friend” about the friend, and Kumalo said that his son had two
“friends”. This angered John (because his son, Matthew, was one of the
“friends”), and he ordered/force Kumalo out of his house, and locked
him out. Kumalo was upset that he didn’t get to tell John about God’s
changing love.
Jarvis left the Harrisons, taking Margaret, Mary, and the children with
him. John Harrison took them to the train station, and Jarvis gave John
an envelope with a letter. The letter was about the club John and
Arthur would have made, and Jarvis suggested John named the club
“Arthur Jarvis Club.” With the letter was a check for 1000 pounds to
John from Jarvis.
There was a going away party held at Mrs. Lithebe’s house. Msimangu
and Kumalo both gave short speeches. The stout woman gave a long
speech that they said “seemed to never end”. After, Msimangu gave
Kumalo a Post Office Book (which had money in it). Kumalo told
Msimangu he was the kindest man he had ever met. They went to their
beds to sleep.
When he woke in the morning, Kumalo prayed for Msimangu. He then
woke the girl, and went to wake Gertrude. But she was gone. Only the
boy, her red dress, and white turban were left.

Vocab:
N/A