The symbolism of the land to Paton’s overall message. The loyalty and trust with in a safe haven environment put together for ones who cares for others. The safe haven environment creates an innocent place to grow prosper and stand tall amongst others. The huge change of the safe haven environments to ex-safe haven environments are changing everyone that steps into the place, stripping them of their innocence, and any loyalty they contained inside themselves before they came to this horrid place.

“The grass is rich and matted you cannot see the soil. It holds the rain and the mist, they seep into the ground, feeding the steams in every Kloof.” The loyalty and trust talked about in the previous paragraph lies embedded in that quotation. The care, trust, and love for everyone in this safe haven environment stands tall and strong here.  There are no lies to trace back to the “soil” bitterness of their hearts. The grass is the caring loving people that live in this environment spreading the love amongst the others. Eventually building up into streams that flow through everyone but tracing back to this one particular place. “Rich green hills breakdown. They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature. For they grow red and bare; They cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the Kloofs.” The change in the environment is slowing breaking down the next generation, then the next generation even further, until they have fallen into the appitamy of it all. Growing up in that strips any innocence that could have been; to where there is none. So it makes it almost impossible for them to be loyal, trustworthy, caring, or loving people.

“Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator.” The sacred grounds are trusting to mostly everyone. The Creator is perfect which basically makes him innocent. Young ones are able to grow as innocent people because the place is innocent. Starting off with innocence can lead to greatness. Also can start off with the innocence and be stripped of it. “Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and the stones cut under the feet.” Starting with no innocence at all leads to unfulfilled lives. The ones that could be great are not because of the un-safe environment the young one is living in.

“Dead streams come to life, full of the red blood of the earth.” The change of the place is changing everyone. In some way the lives are corrupted because of the place surrounding them. Weather it corrupted them into killing someone, or stealing something, or having one of the worst jobs for you cause you think it is the only way to get the money you need, or even buying and selling drugs. Everyone is corrupted in the town someway or another. “Maize hardly reaches the height of a man.” The defected place enables man to be the best men of tomorrow. The consequence being falling shorter and shorter of the duties laid down for us long ago, the environment laid down to be kept up and pure, and the love supposed to be shared and held for everyone and each others hearts. “[everyone has left]. The soil cannot keep them anymore.” Looking at this in a religious way I think of this being the second coming. The world filling full of hate, anger, corruption, and no future for anyone is when everyone will leave and the earth will be wiped clean again to become pure as it once was. Because they say everything is only going to get worse until it gets so bad that we are being forced and need to be ready to leave.

The overall message is that it is really hard to change what has been done unless man of all power comes and wipes everything clean to just start over. The symbolism of the land is that the land are the people. The safe haven of the home should be kept as pure as possible. Cause it is possible for the people to become corrupted and strip it of its pureness little by little.