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MINOR CHARACTERS

• MRS. STEPHEN KUMALO

Stephen Kumalo's wife is a Zulu woman who bears whatever comes her way. She is forceful once a decision is made, and staunchly supports Kumalo. Warm-hearted, she welcomes Absalom's wife and Gertrude's son as her own children.

• WIFE OF MPANZA

She is a woman of Ndotsheni whose son was so excited by Johannesburg that he stepped into the path of a large truck. In a way, the boy's excitement prepares us for Kumalo's reactions to Johannesburg.

• THE MAN WHO CARRIED THE BAGS

He is a Zulu friend and advisor of Kumalo's, who helps him see that people do not blame him for his relatives' behavior. He takes Kumalo to the train and meets him when he returns. A willing go-between, he asks Kumalo to locate the daughter of Sibeko in the Johannesburg suburb of Springs. He is so happy working for James Jarvis that he says he would die if Jarvis asked it.

• MR. MAFOLO

Mr. Mafolo is an Anglican businessman who rescues Kumalo and takes him to Msimangu on his first night in Johannesburg.

• FATHER VINCENT

Father Vincent is a rosy-cheeked, good-natured priest from England assigned to the Mission House with Msimangu. He helps persuade a white lawyer, Mr. Carmichael, to take Absalom's case.

• DUBULA

A black man described as the heart and soul of protest in Johannesburg. Because he is incorruptible, government officials consider him dangerous. He organizes the bus boycott and inspires the building of Shanty Town.

• THE YOUNG WHITE MAN FROM THE REFORMATORY

He is dedicated to helping delinquents become good citizens. He takes Absalom's return to crime as a personal failure and goes out of his way to help Kumalo. He gives him rides, urges him to get a lawyer for Absalom, keeps him informed, and comforts him. Like Arthur, he represents those whites who are working to build a better future. ••• THE PREGNANT GIRL

She is the girl who is pregnant with Absalom's child. An orphan, she has survived by living with any man who wants her. At Mrs. Lithebe's house she is at first attracted to Gertrude's ways, but changes under the influence of Kumalo and Mrs. Lithebe. She agrees to raise Gertrude's son if Gertrude should leave, marries Absalom so that her own baby will be legitimate, and goes back to Ndotsheni with Kumalo. She and her unborn child also represent hope for the future.

• JOHANNES PAFURI

He is arrested with Absalom and Matthew Kumalo for the killing of Arthur Jarvis. Like Matthew, he is acquitted.

• JOHN HARRISON

He is the brother of Mary Jarvis, Arthur's wife. He idolized Arthur Jarvis and helped him establish the African Boys' Club in Claremont. He takes the Jarvises to his parents' house during their stay in Johannesburg.

• MR. HARRISON

He is John Harrison's father, a man who respected but thoroughly disagreed with Arthur Jarvis. He explains Afrikaner or Nationalist positions to James Jarvis after Arthur's funeral.

• THE SMALL WHITE BOY

He is Arthur's 9-year-old son. He visits High Place and Ndotsheni after Arthur's death, and asks Kumalo to teach him Zulu. In their conversations, he quickly grasps the poverty of Kumalo's people. He asks his grandfather to send milk for sick children, and that action begins a series of projects shared by Kumalo and James Jarvis. The boy is an angelic figure whose inner goodness offers hope for the future.

• THE CHIEF

He is the ineffective, almost comical head of Kumalo's tribe. The pitiful way he tries to help set stakes for the dam site makes Stephen Kumalo realize his brother John was right about one thing-the tribe needs a different kind of leadership.

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