I see only one hope for our country,
and that is when white men and black men . . . desiring only the
good of their country, come together to work for it. . . .
See Important Quotations Explained
Summary — Chapter 7
Kumalo sits in his lodgings, writing a letter to his wife
and listening to Gertrude sing as she helps Mrs. Lithebe around
the house while her son plays in the garden. Msimangu arrives and
brings Kumalo to the shop of his brother, John. Although John does
not recognize Kumalo at first, he seems pleasantly surprised to
see him. Kumalo learns that John’s wife, Esther, has left him, and
that John has since acquired a mistress.
John tries to explain why he stopped writing home and
then asks Kumalo if he may speak in English. In a strange voice,
he relates that he has been seized by “an experience” in Johannesburg
that has made him see things differently. In the village, John says,
he was a nobody and had to obey the chief, whom he calls ignorant
and a tool of the white man. In Johannesburg, he says, he is free
from the chief, although he adds that the church serves a similar
function in keeping black South Africans down. Things are changing
in Johannesburg, John proclaims, and his voice deepens with emotion
as he decries the wealth and power of the mine’s owners and the
poverty of the miners. Although the bishop condemns this economic
discrepancy, he lives in a fancy house, which embitters John toward
the church.
Msimangu questions John’s fidelity to his former wife.
Before John can respond, Kumalo intervenes and John’s mistress silently serves
tea. Kumalo confesses that listening to John is painful for him,
both because of John’s manner of speaking and because much of what
he says is true. He tells John he has found Gertrude and asks about
Absalom. John says he does not know where either Absalom or his
own son are, then remembers that they were working in a textile
factory in Alexandra. Msimangu and Kumalo take their leave.
As they head to the textile factory, Msimangu explains
to Kumalo that much of what John said is true, and that John is
one of the three most important black men in Johannesburg. Msimangu also
suggests, however, that if John were as courageous as he maintains,
he would be in prison, and Msimangu observes that power can corrupt
even the most dedicated politician.
At the textile factory, the white men who manage the
plant are helpful, stating that Absalom has not worked there for
twelve months. Kumalo and Msimangu meet a friend of Absalom’s who says
that Absalom used to live with a Mrs. Ndlela in Sophiatown. The
two priests find Mrs. Ndlela, who tells them that Absalom has moved
to Alexandra. After Kumalo steps outside, Msimangu asks Mrs. Ndlela
why she seems so sorry for Kumalo, and she reveals that both she
and her husband felt that Absalom kept bad company.
Summary — Chapter 8
Msimangu and Kumalo catch a bus to Alexandra from Johannesburg.
As they board the bus, however, they are stopped by Dubula, another
of the three most important black leaders in Johannesburg. Dubula
tells them that blacks are boycotting the buses because the fares
have been raised and persuades them to walk the eleven miles to
Alexandra. As they walk, they accept a ride from a white driver, who
goes miles out of his way to help them.
