Cry, the Beloved Country, written by one of South Africa's greatest writers, is the gripping story of how man-made evils occurred in the city of Johannesburg impacting the lives of every member of the Kumalo family. Stephen Kumalo, an old priest, has a big problem: he lost his brother, sister and son to the city. Losing them was one thing, but he is later shocked to see what his family has become. His brother, a politician and carpenter, has left the Church, his once respectable sister has now become a prostitute and an alcoholic, but what she least expected was that her son would commit crimes, such as robberies, and go terribly bad. . Nature writer, activist and reformer Alan Paton did an excellent job of showing the city's ills. Not only did he do so, but Alan Paton often uses biblical references in his writings. Throughout the novel we see the characters change and become more of a Christ or God figure. Through this style of writing, Paton has given South Africa a new and more modern Bible in which he teaches that we must love each other so that blacks and whites can live together. In Cry, the Beloved Country, you see many biblical references such as character names, character descriptions and actions. You can also notice a figure of Christ emerging from the characters. In Cry, the Beloved Country you can definitely see that Arthur Jarvis is a Christ figure in many ways. A Christ figure would be one who suffered greatly, endured agony, recognized as a martyr, and was most likely betrayed. Arthur Jarvis fits perfectly into this category because it has several characteristics as we mentioned above. First and foremost he was determined to make a change, he made sure to pursue his goals at all times and to finally understand the problems of South Africa and try to unite with black people, it can be seen that Mr. Jarvis is the epitome of figure of God. Alan Paton did a great job of using biblical references in his magnificent novel. One can easily see this novel as a parable with the figure of Christ and God. It can be seen that Arthur Jarvis resembled the figure of Christ with all his agony, betrayal and sacrifices while his father resembled the figure of God, in that he embraced everyone and saved lives. Alan Paton is a magnificent author whose gripping novel, which contains many biblical references, certainly illuminates what was happening in this time period. South Africa is progressing one step at a time and Alan Paton shows us this through this enchanting read. Works Cited Paton, Alan. Cry, Beloved Country. New York, NY: Scribner, 2003