This news article covered the topic very well in my opinion. Although things have gotten better there still is inequality between the races today. In Cry, the Beloved Country inequality is all throughout the book. Many blacks have to leave their farms and go to Johannesburg because the rich white men have the best land. Many women go from being good wives to becoming prostitutes. Black families have to leave their houses and move to huts made out of scraps in Shanty Town. They are taken advantage of because of their reliance on the buses. Bus fairs were raised hurting the poor black people heading back and forth to work. Blacks are treated worse when they commit crimes, and are given less leniency for the most part. All these problems lead back to money and power. The rich want to stay rich. The dominant race wants to stay on top. To stay on top the wealthy white minority created a cycle of injustice to keep the power they held.
- "It is not permissible to add to one's possesions if these things can only be done at the cost of other men. Such development has only one true name, and that is exploitation."
- Alan Paton, Cry, The Beloved Country, Ch. 20
This photo shows the Shanty Town I was referring to. It's not fair that some people have to live in huts while others have big houses. The effect of this poverty and inequality is crime. Poor black people sometimes are forced to steal just to stay alive. In the book Absalom was desperate and ended up killing a man. Many blacks turn to other illegal acts as well. This cruel cycle of injustice hurts everyone in a way. If everyone was treated equal crime would go down and the country can function a whole lot better as well.
- "The truth is, our civilization is not Christian; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of loving charity and fearful clutching of possessions."
- Alan Paton, Cry, The Beloved Country, Ch. 21
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