Through most of Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, Kumalo is tortured by his disappointment in the decisions of his loved ones and the consequences they face as a result of their poor choices. Kumalo's pain and suffering is so pronounced that it emerges as one of the central themes of the story.
It tells the story of a father's journey from rural South Africa to and through the city of Johannesburg in search of his son. The reader cannot help but feel deeply for the central character, a Zulu pastor, Stephen Kumalo, and the tortuous discoveries he makes in Johannesburg.
