Theme of Betrayal in “The Grain of Wheat”Presented by Riddhi Jani

Roll no:23

Semester: 4rth

Year: 2014-’15

Paper: 14, African Literature

Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardy Department of EnglishMaharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

• “The Grain of Wheat”- a complex novel.

• Multiple narrative lines.

• Mugo, Gikonyo, Karanja and Mumbi.

• Mau Mau struggle for freedom.

• Failure of the rebellion- British policy of ‘Divide and Rule’.

• Time of the novel is 1963.

Theme of Betrayal in the novel• Mugo’s betrayal of his friend Kihika.

• Both saw their life from different stands.

• Mugo’s confessional speech:

" I wanted to live my life. I never wanted to be involved in anything. Then he came into my life, here, a night like

this, and pulled me into the stream. So I kiled him.”

• Mugo’s guilt conscious is then mitigated by his bravery.

• He is taken to various detention camp.

• Betrayal of Gikonyo and Mumbi.

• Gikonyo breaks the oath of Mau Mau struggle.

• Mumbi breaks her marital vow.

• The words of Gikonyo’s mother.

“See how you have broken your home .You have driven a good woman to misery for nothing , let us now see what profit will

bring you , to go on piosoning your mind with these things when you should have accepted and sought how best to build your life . But you, like a foolish child , have never wanted to

know what happened.Or what woman Mumbi really is.”

• Mugo’s confession makes Gikonyo realize that Mumbi is really a good woman .

• Their life is also then settled.

• Love of both for each other gets renewal.

• Another betrayer is Karanja here.

• Karanja deliberately takes side of British people.

• He cruelly treats his own people.

That is when Karanja became a Chief. Soon he

proved himself more more terrifying than the one

before him. He led other homeguards into the forest

to hunt down the Freedom Fighters.

• Karanja betrays even Mumbi and Gikonyo also.

• These are the words of Karanja’s mother:

Don’t go against the people. A man who ignores the voice of his own people comes to no good end.

• So, in this way the theme of betrayal works in the novel.

• It shows man’s defeat from his desire.

Work Citation

• http://blida-english.bbactif.com/t195-a-grain-of-wheat-the-theme-of-betrayal

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Grain_of_Wheat

• http://web.udl.es/usuaris/m0163949/ngugigra.htm