Quiz: cry the beloved country d assessment items how do historical realities influence alan paton's cry, the beloved country? paton draws upon his memories of life in south africa prior to industrialization to describe the remote village of ndothsheni and to express his regret that tribal life is vanishing. arthur jarvis’s writings and essays are pulled from actual publications that were written in south africa in the 1940s and depicted the political realities of johannesburg. the lingering resentments between those who fought on opposite sides of the boer war in the early twentieth century in south africa are reflected in the conflict the novel exposes between those from rural backgrounds and those from urban backgrounds. the injustices that nonwhite south africans faced under racist laws are reflected in the descriptions of the shantytowns throughout johannesburg and the struggles people faced when they moved there.