James Jarvis, in Cry, the Beloved Country, hadn't ever concerned himself with the native people of South Africa during his entire life. However, when his son, Arthur, was killed by a native, Absalom Kumalo, he made an attempt to comprehend his son's efforts to bring justice to South Africa and end apartheid. Jarvis began to understand the problems between blacks and whites, which lead him to be sympathetic towards Stephen Kumalo, Absalom's father, and help his village.

When Stephen told James Jarvis that Absalom killed his son, James was compassionate and understanding. For example, when Stephen Kumalo first tells James about his connection to Arthur's death, he wasn't angry, in fact, he was sensitive towards him. James saw that Stephen was torn apart by this event and felt deeply moved. James had respect for Stephen and knew what he was going through since Stephen was about to lose...