Which theme is revealed in this excerpt?

Read the passage.

excerpt from Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

The man lifted the cans from the cart and said, Where shall I put them, umfundisi? But Kumalo was dumb and stupid, and his wife said, We shall put them in the room that the umfundisi has in the church. So they put them there, and when they came back the man said, You would surely have a message for Jarvis, umfundisi? And Kumalo stuttered and stammered, and at last pointed his hand up at the sky. And the man said, Tixo will bless him, and Kumalo nodded.

Part A

Which theme is revealed in this excerpt?

The actions of others can be difficult to predict or understand.

Reconciliation and forgiveness are powerful forces.

The loss of traditional values can be disastrous to a society.

Racism and inequality divide societies.

Part B

Which statement best explains how the theme identified in Part A develops over the course of the text?

After reading his son’s writings, James Jarvis lets go of his anger, begins to implement his son’s philosophies, and develops a friendship with Kumalo.

Kumalo travels to Johannesburg and encounters several people who have been corrupted by their time and experiences in the city.

Despite Kumalo’s offer to bring her and her child back home to Ndotsheni, Gertrude decides to leave her brother and remain in Johannesburg permanently.

When Kumalo finally finds Absalom after a long search that took him all over Johannesburg, father and son are both ashamed and emotionally distant from one another.