Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart both encompass many different aspects of the effects that political turmoil has on society. An entire society does not change easily, and eradicating customs all at once and replacing them with something different from previously established customs does not resonate well with members of that society. While an individual can change voluntarily and with little hesitation, that person does not represent the whole. On the other hand, when others are introduced to new customs, the transition overwhelms them. The tensions related to social change that the characters of Cry, the Beloved Country and Things Fall Apart face consist of the so-called crimes committed, the environmental circumstances and their willingness and unwillingness to respect the new rules. Along Absalom's travels to places around South Africa, he is accused of deliberately shooting Arthur Jarvis with his revolver. His cousin Matthew and friend Johannes were also present at the time of the crime, but deny being part of the matter at hand when the courts begin to take control of Absalom's case. When the judge asks Absalom to speak, he says: This man was afraid. He saw my revolver. He leaned against the sink where he was working. He said, what do you want? Johannes said: we want money and clothes. This man said: you can't do such a thing. Johannes said, do you want to die? This man was afraid and did not speak. Johannes said that when I speak, people must tremble;… (Paton 193) Johannes portrays to Arthur that he should be afraid of him, offering the idea that he believed he had power over this individual, in this case, to take the place of innocent man life. The judge involved in the case d...... middle of paper ......ms to live with. An individual faces many challenges in society, whether it be crime and punishment, struggling to grow up, or other rapid changes. Cry, The Beloved Country and Things Fall Apart exemplify how societies can be disrupted and how people react to disruptions to their traditional way of life. Some choose to adapt to the new ways of society, while others resist assimilating with the innovative public. Social change happens wherever you are, however, how someone allows it to influence them remains determined by that person. Society maintains its own way of punishing, producing a particular type of person, and causes some to be prevented from adapting to its evolving ways. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things fall apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.Paton, Alan. Cry, Beloved Country. New York, NY: Scribner, 2003. Print.