A grain of wheat
Vincent Sylvester Wada
African Thought in African Literature APH 105
Prof. Anthony Chennells
November 8, 2014
Give examples of flaws in the principal characters in the novel: Gikonyo, Mumbi, Mugo… why do you think Ngugi should emphasize weaknesses in characters rather than heroic individuals in the days leading up to the Uhuru?
Ngugi begins A Grain of wheat with a quotation from the bible. It reads. ‘You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain’ (I Co 15:36). He chooses to focus his attention on the weaknesses of his characters. One may ask why Ngugi takes this path. It becomes apparent throughout the novel that the idea of nationalism which Ngugi tries to relate draws its strength from a collective effort of weak people and not of particular strong individuals. He further explains that the people who form a nation comprise both weak and strong persons. The interesting twists and flavor of A Grain of Wheat lie in the pretense of different persons who appear heroic when they are not, consequently inventing a meaning for their lives. This paper will bring to light the flaws of some of the principal characters in the novel.
Sandra Kring, states that, ‘The tiny seed knows that in order to grow, it needs to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness and struggle to reach the light’. This quote explains Ngugi’s idea of what every national movement consists. He believes that every national movement comprises of weak individuals whose combined strengths however, will give birth to a new nation. From the analogy of a seed, one can say that the shoot that eventually germinates does not resemble the seed that was initially planted. Ngugi focuses on the weaknesses of his characters in order to remind his readers that it is out of dirt and darkness and struggle that a new shoot spouts. He goes on to reiterate that the people are individually weak,
African Thought in African Literature APH 105
Prof. Anthony Chennells
November 8, 2014
Give examples of flaws in the principal characters in the novel: Gikonyo, Mumbi, Mugo… why do you think Ngugi should emphasize weaknesses in characters rather than heroic individuals in the days leading up to the Uhuru?
Ngugi begins A Grain of wheat with a quotation from the bible. It reads. ‘You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain’ (I Co 15:36). He chooses to focus his attention on the weaknesses of his characters. One may ask why Ngugi takes this path. It becomes apparent throughout the novel that the idea of nationalism which Ngugi tries to relate draws its strength from a collective effort of weak people and not of particular strong individuals. He further explains that the people who form a nation comprise both weak and strong persons. The interesting twists and flavor of A Grain of Wheat lie in the pretense of different persons who appear heroic when they are not, consequently inventing a meaning for their lives. This paper will bring to light the flaws of some of the principal characters in the novel.
Sandra Kring, states that, ‘The tiny seed knows that in order to grow, it needs to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness and struggle to reach the light’. This quote explains Ngugi’s idea of what every national movement consists. He believes that every national movement comprises of weak individuals whose combined strengths however, will give birth to a new nation. From the analogy of a seed, one can say that the shoot that eventually germinates does not resemble the seed that was initially planted. Ngugi focuses on the weaknesses of his characters in order to remind his readers that it is out of dirt and darkness and struggle that a new shoot spouts. He goes on to reiterate that the people are individually weak,