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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