HOPE

Hope is a hard virtue to maintain through tough times. Stephen Kumalo understands this first hand. After Kumalo had visited his son, Absalom, in prison, he fears that Absalom will not be released soon and about the girl Absalom impregnated. Kumalo carries the feeling of negativity back to the mission house. However, Father Vincent approaches with words of encouragement. With a sympathetic and tender voice, Father Vincent says, “And while there is life, there is hope for amendment of life” (100). In other words, while there is still time, there is time to change. To Kumalo, the words, “hope for amendment of life” spark a flame of hope for his son Absalom. It helps him get over his sorrow. But still, anxious Kumalo is still worried and Father Vincent tells him a story about the relationship between a house and the storm. In this story, he says, “when the house is destroyed, there is something to do. About a storm he can do nothing, but he can rebuild a house” (108). The story enlightens Kumalo and this time, instead of coming back down, he stays up. However, the words, “but he can rebuild a house” are also significant to the country. Analogous to the way white people and African Americans are, the Africans cannot do anything about the white people. However, they themselves can build their tribe, their country, and their culture back up. With this hope, African Americans can unite together as one to fight against a stronger more oppressive European force.