Cry, the Beloved Country

James Jarvis lives on a farm overlooking Ixopo. He notices a car driving to the house below. He realizes they are police officers, and sees his wife Margaret pointing to the hill where he stands. James meets the policemen halfway, and the captain tells him that his son Arthur is dead, having been shot by an intruder. James stands in shock before he returns to the house to tell his wife about their son.

John Harrison, Arthur’s brother-in-law, picks up James and Margaret at the airport. He drives them to the police station where the police explain the murder. James asks to see the essay that Arthur was writing before he died, which they promise to give to him. The couple return to their house, and Arthur’s father-in-law Harrison tells James that the funeral for Arthur is the next day, and that several Black organizations want to attend because of the work Arthur did for them.

James sits in Arthur’s study and stares at his books. He reads his writing, which argues white people need to take responsibility and fix the damage they did to South African people. Specifically, Arthur argued against the inhumane treatment of Black mine workers.