Many countries around the world feature many different cultures. Some countries have cultures that provide unity and education, while other countries' cultures exploit diversity and tragedy. However, through the concept of multiculturalism, differences between cultural or ethnic groups within a country can be allowed and respected. Important traits such as politics, race, religion, and context dominate the concept of multiculturalism in today's world. Multiculturalism is very common within the borders of the country of South Africa. In fact, Alan Paton explains in detail how the traits of multiculturalism play a crucial role in the multicultural context of South Africa through his novel Cry, the Beloved Country. Race is examined thoroughly and professionally in South Africa in Paton's novel. Gender role and religion are also addressed in the novel. These three traits could not be described without the importance of the setting of this novel. In Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, the concept of multiculturalism in South Africa is best understood from the novel's discussion of race, gender roles, religion, and environment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayRace is an essential part of South African multiculturalism. Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country is built around the concept of race. First of all, the centerpiece of the novel itself concerns a Zulu priest who searches for his son convicted of murdering a white man. Thus, it can be inferred from the outset that, based on the central plot of the novel, racial injustice is a common problem in South Africa in the daily life of the country. Second, Alan Paton is a South African author known for specializing in his writing on apartheid. According to a SAHO article, Paton "was credited with stimulating awareness of apartheid abroad." This proves that Paton has experience and expertise in South African racism. Finally, this novel was published the same year that apartheid was introduced in South Africa. The year was 1948. According to a separate article written by the SAHO, "Apartheid was the ideology supported by the National Party government and was introduced to South Africa in 1948." This shows that race is a main part of Paton's novel because of the significant era in which the novel is written. Throughout Paton's novel, race foreshadows the importance of multiculturalism in South Africa. Paton's novel itself also provides some quotes regarding racism. Paton describes a quote in his novel, and it is almost described to the point where the reader can get the impression that South Africans are used to race being an issue in their country. Paton states: "Kumalo entered the carriage for non-Europeans, already filled with the humblest people of his race, some with strange assortments of European clothing, some with blankets over their strange assortment, some with blankets over the semi-nudity of their clothing. primitive dress…”. This quote almost forces the reader to feel that racism is just an ordinary ordeal in South Africa. In fact, it seems quite ordinary to the point that the reader can feel that it is quite normal where it might be allowed and respected in the country, creating an atmosphere of multiculturalism. To accompany Paton's quote, he also mentions another long quote. on race. In chapter ten, Paton mentions that white nurses are more engaged in training than white nurses.black nurses. However, at the end of the paragraph, Paton mentions: "But our friends held out and they will train there until we have our own place." » This quote shows that instead of the two races arguing about training, the blacks decide to work with the whites, because it indicates that both races have friends in the opposite color. These two quotes are related because they prove that multiculturalism develops from opposing races cooperating with each other instead of forming heated arguments among themselves. It is thus proven that race is an essential element of South African multiculturalism. However, in Cry, the Beloved Country, the racial concepts do not correspond to the real aspects of race in South Africa, because Paton writes about racial cooperation while apartheid exists in the real world of South African cultures. However, the plot of the novel involves racial injustice, which is why comparisons between the book and real life seem inconsistent. Besides race, gender role is crucial when it comes to the multiculturalism of the country of South Africa. The two sexes have many differences within South African cultures. Men and women are very diverse when it comes to achieving goals. In South Africa, women have to endure great suffering. In fact, “30% of African households and 26% of all households are headed by women – this generally means no men contribute to the family income.” This statistic shows that a good portion of South African women have to carry their respective families on their shoulders. Additionally, men in South Africa are paid much better than women in the country. Even when men and women work in the same job, men are in most cases better paid than women. Another example of the scrutiny women face is the fact that most women have less sleep and leisure time than men, and that most poor women work "almost twice as much." hours per day than their male partners. It can certainly be said that women are treated unfairly in South Africa. All the pain that women have to endure is well explained in Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country. In the novel, a quote is provided to show how accurately Paton describes gender roles in real-world South Africa. Very similar to reality, the women in the novel are forced to endure overwhelming suffering. They are also forced to suffer in silence. In the novel, Paton writes: “May God save this piece of Africa that is mine, delivered in labor from my body, nourished by my breast, loved by my heart, because such is the nature of women. » This quote comes from a mother of an infant who suffers from difficult living conditions. As stated in the quote, we can conclude that the poor woman is crying out to God because it is the only way she can let her emotions out. She cannot express her feelings of suffering in any other way due to the context of the book – the woman must suffer quietly. In Cry, the Beloved Country, it is clearly shown how women must face difficult consequences, both in the novel and in real life. The last important criterion for South Africa's multiculturalism concerns the country's different types of religion. There are several types of religions that different South Africans belong to. These religions include Buddhists, Christians, folk religions, Hindus, Jews and Muslims. There are a wide variety of religions in South Africa, but only one is worth mentioning. According to Global ReligiousFuture Christians made up 81.2% of the country's population in 2010, while other listed religions made up less than 1% of the population. The second highest percentage was 14.9% and was among the unaffiliated. In 2020, the percentages should be about the same. This data serves to show Christian dominance in South Africa. Most Christians in South Africa are related to each other and are not affiliated with any other religion. According to an article written by Tessa Freeman in a peer-reviewed journal, one of the major problems in South Africa is that Christians find it difficult to interact with other people of different religions. According to Freeman's statement, South Africa is a predominantly Christian country. In Cree, the Beloved Country, the different religions unite the country, instead of struggling to accept each other's differences. This produces an excellent example of multiculturalism. In The Cry of Paton, the Beloved Country, the discussion of religion provides a feeling of unity and cooperation. Instead of being an atmosphere of Christians against the world, the novel offers an atmosphere of acceptance of the differences of others. There are two quotes that perfectly describe how religion brings people together in Cry, the Beloved Country. In the first quote, Paton writes: “I HAVE A place to sleep, my friend, in the house of an old woman, a Mrs. Lithebe, who is a good member of our church. She is a Msutu, but she speaks Zulu well. She will consider it an honor to have a priest in the house. Whatever the differences between Msutu and Zulu, religion brings the two together in this context. This is very different from the way religion is approached in considerations of reality. Another example of how religion provides a sense of togetherness in this novel is when the priests sit and eat with Kumalo. Paton writes: “They entered a room where a table was set, and there he met many priests, white and black, and they sat down after grace and ate together. » This quote shows how religion not only brings people together, but it also shows how religion can bring different races together as well. This also adds to the inconsistency of the racial discussion in this book. Regardless, there is evidence that religion unites the characters in Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country in a very unique way. Unlike the hesitation to cooperate with others, Paton shows his own way of bringing the country of South Africa together through the concept of religion. It wouldn't be possible to discuss race, gender roles, and religion without the setting of Cry, the Beloved Country. To begin with, the theme of race is deeply affected by the context of this book. First of all, Cry, the Beloved Country was written in the late 1940s, the same time that apartheid was introduced to South Africa. This shows the outline of the story. Given that Paton's novel was published in the late 1940s, it is likely that the novel mentions something to do with race. Due to the time period in which the novel was written, the racial topics discussed in the novel are visibly highlighted due to the introduction of apartheid. Whether or not apartheid was introduced before or after the 1948 novel, it is evident that racial segregation was a major concern at the time, providing the spark that ignited the introduction of apartheid. Second, gender role is also affected by the context of Paton's novel. The two locations where the story takes place are Ndotsheni and Johannesburg. Ndotsheni is a fictional village while Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, according to Benjamin Sawe..