A Grain of Wheat Essay

A Grain of Wheat is a novel by Kenyan novelist Ngugi wa Thiongo. The novel weaves several stories together during the state of emergency in Kenyas struggle for independence (19521959), focusing on the quiet Mugo, whose life is com globed by a dark secret. The plot revolves around his home crossroadss preparations for Kenyas independence day celebration (Uhuru day). Former resistivity fighters General R and Koinandu plan on publicly executing the two-timer who betrayed Kihika (a heroic resistance fighter hailing from the village) on that day.First of all, Ngugi use legion(predicate) characters to express the aim of the story as an African man the booster of this story is the loner Mugo, a hero of the British concentration camps where he led a hunger strike and he also tested to stop a village guard from beating a significant woman to death. Although he is thought to be a hero done the whole book, he is the traitor of Kihika betraying him to the British in a self-loving act to save himself.Also Gikonyo, an ambitious carpenter and business man whos married to Mumbi. He confessed to taking the oath of the resistance bandage in a concentration camp, securing an early release only to mention that his wife had borne a child with his hated rival Karanja while he was away. another character is Mumbi, the wife of Gikonyo and sister of Kihika. While Gikonyo was imprisoned she slept with Karanja who had been establish village chief by the colonial power.Also, Karanja, a collaborator with the British and widely suspected to be the traitor who betrayed Kihika. In addition toKihika, a resistance fighter who conquered a police station and killed the hated govern Officer Robson before being caught and hanged after being betrayed by Mugo. and canful Thompson, an early British settler and administrator of Thabai, who believes in the ideals of colonial imperialism and persecutes inexorable Africans. A Grain of Wheat is about the events that lead up to the Kenyan ind ependence, or Uruhu.The setting is a Kenyan village. When the characters Gikonyo and Mumbi get married, are in love and just started their lives, Gikonyo is sent to detention. When he comes back after vi years, Mumbi had his rivals child. They cannot find the words to talk about the past, and a wall is created between them. Mumbis brother gets captured and hanged and after loads of events, the township realize that the one they thought to be the hero, was actually the betrayer.