Cry, the Beloved Country Chapter 29 Summary

  • Father Vincent, Kumalo, Gertrude, Msimangu, and Absalom's fiancée all go to the jail to visit Absalom, and we reach for the tissues again.
  • Father Vincent marries Absalom to his fiancée, and Kumalo promises that he will look after Absalom's child as if it were his own.
  • Admitting he's really afraid Absalom promptly bursts into tears.
  • Kumalo tries to comfort his son, but he has to leave the prison. That's when two white prison guards pull the weeping Absalom away from his father.
  • Afterward, Kumalo goes to his brother John's shop, where he tells John that he's going home with Gertrude, her son, and Absalom's new wife.
  • Kumalo warns John to be careful—his big talk about strikes is starting to attract attention from the cops.
  • Meanwhile, James Jarvis leaves John Harrison with a present of a thousand pounds for Arthur's causes before leaving for home.
  • And Msimangu tells Kumalo that he plans to become a monk.
  • He gives Kumalo all of his possessions (which means a fair amount of cash. At least, after all of this, Kumalo doesn't have to add money troubles to his list of horrible heartbreaks).
  • As if to pour salt on poor Kumalo's wounds, Gertrude runs away, leaving her son behind, before Kumalo travels back to Ndotsheni.