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A Grain of wheat: Themes


A Grain of wheat: Themes
 
*             The Anticolonial Struggle:
     The action of the novel focuses on the protagonists’ remembrances of the events of the ‘Mau Mau’ Revolt- the birth of a new Kenya. The definition of the actual meaning of Uhuru is an open political and social question: the new Kenyan bourgeoisie sees it indeed as the possibility to replace the colonizer without changing the existing social, political and economic structure, whereas for gĩkũyũ peasants Uhuru means a profound break with the colonial past, a rebirth which has to bring about the restitution of the lands usurped by the white settlers and the eradication of poverty. People tries to struggle for their own Uhuru and it is the main and central idea of this novel and so it can be taken in consideration as per one of main themes of this novel. Here I am also agreeing with the author that Uhuru is one’s right and he/she must get it without any race of color, country or anything else. Writer shows his point and his argument in novel like:
          “Nearly everybody was a member of the Party, but nobody could say with any accuracy when the Party was born: to most people, especially those in the younger generation, the Party had always been there, a rallying centre for action. It changed names, leaders came and went, but the Party remained, opening new visions, gathering greater and greater strength, till on the Eve of Uhuru, its influence stretched from one horizon touching the sea to the other resting on the great Lake. Its origins can, so the people say, be traced to the day the Whiteman came to the country […].”
“the Whiteman came to the country, clutching the book of God in both hands, a magic witness that the Whiteman was a messenger from the Lord. His tongue was coated with sugar; his humility was touching. For a time, people ignored the voice of the Gikuyu seer who once said: there shall come a people with clothes like the butterflies. They gave him, the stranger with a scalded skin, a place to erect a temporary shelter. Hut complete, the stranger put up another building yards away. This he called the House of God where people could go for worship and sacrifice.”
*             Violence:
     When colonization is main part of the novel then it was next to turn into Decolonization. But Decolonization always comes with violence. Decolonization is a violent event. Decolonization is quite simply the substitution of one "species" of mankind by another. The substitution is unconditional, absolute, total, and seamless. Decolonization, which sets out to change the order of the world, is clearly the agenda for total disorder. It is also known as historical movement.
*             Betrayal:
     Individual’s betrayals are representative of the vast betrayal of the whole society by its power elite. Karanja was more powerful and in power position so, Mumbi betrays Gikonyo when he was imprisoned and slept with Karanja and also having child, too. Mugo betrays the whole village with his idea and because of it only some people were caught by British people. He was the person who betrays the entire village, so it is also known as one of main theme of this novel. 
  
*             Love:
      We can find example of love marriage of Gikonyo and Mumbi in this novel and even if we think in platonic way then we can realizes that every person of this novel is in love with Uhuru, self-freedom and nativism. They want to fight for their native land and want to see their self-free from British Colonization, so Love is also noticeable theme of ‘A Grain of Wheat’.
*             Patriotism:
              There is no doubt that it is one of most important themes of this novel ‘A Grain of Wheat’.  This novel is starts with only ‘Mau Mau Movement’ so it is very well known patriotic movement for self-right and native country and land so it leads us towards patriotic atmosphere and intention.

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