When he gets to Johannesburg, the priest discovers that his sister had been a prostitute, his brother an influential but corrupt political figure in the pro-Africa movement, and his son a petty criminal who spent time in a reformatory. Before Kumalo has a chance to rescue his son, Absalom murders a white man during a botched burglary. This white man was famous for working on behalf of blacks in South Africa and was the son of a prominent white farmer, James Jarvis, from Kumalo's home district of Ndothseni. The second half of the novel focuses on the ways that Kumalo and Jarvis come to terms with their respective losses. In the process, Paton demonstrates that these are not just personal tragedies, but the results of a social system gone horribly wrong.
Among the novel's strengths is Paton's ability to remain true to human nature and not to retreat into unwarranted sentiment. For instance, Absalom Kumalo remains weak and cowardly. He is unable to justify his actions other than to say that he was frightened and repents the murder only because it means that he will be executed.
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