Critical analysis of "A Grain of Wheat" by Ngugi Wa Thiongo

 Assignment Topic: “A Grain of Wheat” By Ngugi WA Thiongo: A critical analysis

                                       Subject: The African Literature

                                       Name: Gohil Khanjaniba Mahipatsinh

                                                      Roll no: 13

                                      Enrollment no: PG13101009

                                      Class: MA (ENGLISH, Part-2)

                                                  Semester: 4^th

 Suggested by: Heenaba Zala

Dedicated to: The Department of English,

                          Smt.S.B.Gardi,

                          Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University,

                          Bhavnagar.

email_id: khanjani.gohil1993@gmail.com

                             Introduction of the Writer: Ngugi WA Thiongo 

                                    Ngugi WA Thiongo was from Africa and he also had written many literary texts under the most emerged English Language. This novel “A Grain of Wheat” has been written as a part of the African history and it was written when the author himself was studying in Leeds University and was firstly published by Heinemann in 1967. By occupation he was a Kenyan novelist himself. He is the founder and editor of the Gikuyu – a language journal. 

                                  The year of 1950’s and Mau Mau Emergency in “A Grain of Wheat” (1987) presented for first time from an African perspectives. That fight was against British colonialism and also in other countries. We can see the over powered Britishers in the map of the world. In other words, this book has covered up that portion of the state of Emergence as well as Uhuru kind of events in the African states. Here some major characters are focused like:

i.         Mugo

ii.       Gikonyo

iii.      Karanja

iv.     Mumbi

v.       Waiyaki

                   This book is more focusing on Fanonist- Marxism and also the poor of the Africa who were replaced by the white people and Britishers. Thus clearly these lines lead us to the post-colonial point-of-view regarding the narration of the text itself. Ngugi WA Thiongo himself remarked that:

     “I am a writer some have been called me a religious writer. I write about my people. I am interested in their hidden lives and hates and how the very tension in their hearts affects their daily contact with other men. How in other words, the emotions stream of the man within interacts with the real type” – This book is divided into the three parts. The novel starts in the village Thabai, just a few days before Kenyan independence of the village and has been selected as a day in December, 1963 (Uhuru Day).

                          The narrative technique and the characterization is well differ from the African and European perspectives. Where with the help of freedom fighting struggles, it looks back to the post-colonial approaches. However, it is not goes on coming an idea of climax. The plot refers to the rising action, middle and falling action. If we do feministic reading of the text we can take Mumbi’s character in the analysis. Who breaks the ideal moral woman’s idea in the society. Similarly we can say that this novel follows the regulations of the post-modernisms. Fanonist Marxism approach has taken place between Britishers and the rural people of Thabai. The movement is presented well in light and it also exemplified as a narration of nation. If we keep focus on the narration of nation, there we can say that the people who are already living on a place and when others comes with a power position at that time they have aura of being superior than the people who were living already there. Thus generally we have hatered for others who came over on our land and try to make us betrayed to win the land. Here by narration it is shown when Britishers came in Thabai or in the Kenyan society.

                              The narrative generally moves forward to the Uhuru celebration, it has unique narrative style which shifts its point of view from one character to another character. The title of the novel is taken from The New Testament and refers to a passage from Paul’s first letter to Corinthians which is placed as an epigraph at the very beginning: “Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, accept it die. And that which thou sowest, thou not that body that shall be. But bare grain it may chance of wheat or some other grain”.

                            The above given lines gives the reference of epic and religious tone at the end of the novel, same like this:

     “Verily, verily I say unto you accept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit”. – These lines directly focus on the rebirth of the wheat and new life to the livings. Here rebirth is represented as a mythical and utopia palingenesis. Let’s do analysis of some characters here:

                                   Major characters in the text

Mugo:  He is the main character and the hero of the British Concentration camps, where he led strike. Once he also protects a pregnant woman when one guard was trying to beat her badly. Mugo is a farmer, and he was under her aunt’s care who was a drunken woman and however, Mugo himself feels that he is an outsider. In between we can say that Mugo has different personality and also has respect for women and villagers. His characterization is stronger than Britishers.

Gikonyo: He is an ambitious carpenter and business man. He was married to Mumbi, but when he comes to his home to Mumbi at that time he became shocked by the news that Mumbi is pregnant. He was in the jail and at that time Mumbi was alone as a caretaker of Gikonyo’s parents. Gikonyo was having a rival or an enemy named as Karanja, who actually took advantage in his absence.

Karanja: He is young man and a friend of Kihika. Kihika was also in love with Mumbi. When Mumbi marries to Gikonyo he feels that he became alone in the village and there everything has been ended without Mumbi. He mostly focuses on his sorrows and desire for Mumbi. There he takes an oath that with his friends for the movement but he was in favor of Britishers and he joins their governance and becomes one of the guards. Karanja rises as a chief of the area.

         Meanwhile Karanja invites Mumbi to his office once and tells her that her husband is going to come soon. Because of weakness unfortunately Mumbi allows sex with Karanja but at a time she regrets and Karanja doesn’t get fulfillment of his love with Mumbi.

                  Then Karanja leaves working at the library in Githima, where he is little more than toy. The White men don’t have respect for him and black people hate Karanja. He becomes a man without the world. Mugo saves Karanja from almost certain death by his confession.

Kihika:  He was Mumbi’s brother and embraces the movement as a young man. He is more religious person and he compares the struggle in Kenya to the Jews in Egypt and wants to be free. He believes in sacrifice and unity. He wants Mugo in the movement and he plans an underground movement in the town. But Mugo becomes the reason of Kihika’s death as he reveals the next plan to the Britishers and Kihika was hanged. Thereby Kihika dies and becomes martyr for the movement. We can say that Mugo is responsible for Kihika’s death and he must be punished somewhere. Wambuku is Kihika’s girlfriend but she is not interested in his patriotism and her friend Njeri falls in love with Kihika. Wambuku marries to another man becomes pregnant but when being beaten by a guard, Mugo tries to save her. Although after a struggle she died.

Mumbi: Mumbi is the most beautiful woman in the village of Thabai. She was admired by many youngsters in the village but she falls in love with Gikonyo and they got married. She thinks that she will protect her husband when the officers will come to arrest him, but she does not. Thereby she takes entire responsibility of Gikinyo’s home and also takes responsibility of building a new house and working in the trenches while Gikonyo was away from her in imprisonment.

        But after meeting Karanja her life totally ruined and she goes back to her parents but also there she suffered and her parents throws her back because of her mistake. Then even she starts living her life alone and started working on her own abilities. Thus here the example of this character is more in light if we do feminist reading of the text.

Waiyaki:  Waiyaki was an early rebellion against the White men, who is rumored to have been buried alive with his head facing into the earth. And it becomes the main theme of the text “A Grain of Wheat”.

      Heroism and sacrifice in “A grain of wheat”

                           Heroism and sacrifice has been shown to the readers with the help of Kihika’s character and the courageous guerilla leader full of messianic spirit. This character has been given importance by the narrator himself for an example if we talk about Hitler, the black community will surely hate him but somewhere he is also worshipped as a Life giver or as a great man. Thus with the help of different perspective the narration gets difference. Thus sometime the protagonist becomes antagonist for some other readers and antagonist becomes super hero for the readers.

         Some of the points to be analyzed here

*        Mugo’s connection with the woman in the hut is a central element in the story. They are connected by their common loneliness. As Mugo was all alone and he was never tried to get part in the community. The old woman has lost her son and she also talks to no one. She and Mugo live in isolated way, away from the world, treated by loss and trauma.

*        Britishers came to Kenya and brought some technology and superiority in the village. Thus this difference became irony here.

*        Religion in itself is important element in the novel. God is on the side of oppressed and will save the impoverished and downtrodden. Mugo does not follow this but he makes changes to himself. Gikinyo’s refusal to talk about the child of his wife’s disloyalty leads him to a bitter isolation.

*        Karanja tries to become loyal to his work. But he is not even as important as dog to the white people.

*        Thomas has no idea how to implement his idealism. Uhuru is a failure of the British conquests of Africa. Kenya run by blacks will decay and self-destruct.

*        Independence is achieved; it is also marred by death and corruption. There is no hope that the dream of greatness will come true, because there white’s politics will be hurdle for that.

*        Mugo’s self realization and delusions of his mind changes himself entirely. He thinks that whatever happened to Mumbi is just because of him and also thinks that he should be punished in a way.

*        In detention Mugo was numb and he accepts punishments and he endures his existence. In actual sense, the sufferings were in the village was because of Mugo.

*        Instead of embracing the community, Mugo destroys himself at the end of the novel.

*        This novel ends with Uhuru. There no one knows what is coming? Good or bad? The reality remains as before it was that the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer.