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.