Does Absalom Kumalo receive a fair trial?
Although Cry, the Beloved Country is a novel about injustice, Absalom Kumalo appears on the face of it to receive a fair trial. Since he admitted that he killed Arthur Jarvis, the issue is not one of guilt or innocence but of intent, since he claims that he did not intend to kill. Absalom receives an adequate defense, by a distinguished lawyer, and the case is considered in detail by the judge, who carefully evaluates all the evidence. Because it cannot be established beyond doubt that the other two accused men were at the scene of the crime, they are acquitted, which suggests that this is not a trial in which innocent people are railroaded. In fact, it suggests the opposite, since it is clear that the other two accused were in fact guilty. The argument that condemns Kumalo is that he entered the house with a weapon, the use of which might result in the death of a man who interfered with the burglary. According to the judge, South African law says that an intention to kill may be infer
