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WEEP NOT CHILD
By Ngugi wa
Thiong'o
Summary of the Novel
Weep
Not, Child was written by Ngugi
wa Thiong'o while studying at at Leeds University in England in 1962. Weep Not, Child was
the second novel Ngugi wrote, although it was published before his first, The River Between. It follows the
tragic story of Njoroge, a young boy who seeks an education during the
1952-1960 Emergency in Kenya. This tumultuous time period saw the emergence of
Kenyan revolutionary groups against the British colonists.
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| Ngugi wa Thiong'o |
Weep Not Child centers around the interactions between British colonists in Kenya and the
native people. This book takes place during the Mau Mau Uprising, an eight-year
struggle in British-controlled colonial Kenya. During this 1950s uprising, the
British killed somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 African rebels. The success
of the British Empire can be attributed to their “divide and rule” practice, a
political tactic first utilized by the ancient Greeks. This practice makes it
difficult or impossible for smaller groups of people to band together and
revolt—and that is exactly what happened during the Mau Mau Uprising. Ngugi’s
works, including Weep Not Child, are piercingly critical of British
rule.
This book begins with Njoroge, whose mother
wants him to go to be the first in their family to attend school. They live on
Jacobo’s land—Jacobo being an African who deals with the white settlers in
order to to make his fortune. Among those settlers is Mr. Howlands, who owns
much of the land in the area. Njoroge has two brothers, Kamau and Boro. Kamau
is apprenticed to a carpenter. Boro was forced to fight in World War II and
suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Njoroge’s father, Ngotho,
farms on Mr. Howlands’ lands. He is a man who prizes the land and its care
above money.
When local African workers strike for
better pay, Ngotho fears losing his job if he participates. Yet, he attends a
strike meeting despite both of his wives’ disapproval. At the meeting, Jacobo
tries to end the strike before it can begin, prompting Ngotho to attack him. A
riot begins. Two people are killed during the riot and Jacobo promises to exact
revenge. Ngotho loses his job and must move his family; Njoroge’s brothers fund
his education so that he can go to school.
Njoroge transfers school because of his
father’s loss of employment and is separated from his friend Mwihaki, Jacobo’s
daughter. She and Njoroge were once classmates and close friends, but she now
attends a boarding school for girls. Njoroge is embarrassed about his father’s
attack against Jacobo, and so he is grateful for the distance between Mwihaki
and himself.
Meanwhile, in the Mau Mau Uprising, one of
the leaders Jomo Kenyatta is about to stand trial. While many of the native
Kenyans think he will be their savior from British rule, he loses at trial and
faces imprisonment. On the Kenyan side, there are more protests. The British
colonists take actions to further suppress and oppress them.
The uprising touches Njoroge’s family when
Jacobo accuses Ngotho of leading the Mau Mau. Jacobo hopes that the whole
family will be imprisoned. The situation for the Kenyans is, overall, getting
worse. British forces drag people believed to be involved with the Mau Mau out
of their homes and execute them.
While the situation in the country is
deteriorating, Njoroge is succeeding in school. He passes a rigorous high
school entrance exam, and his village, proud of his scholastic success,
collects money to fund his tuition. He and Mwihaki encounter one another again and
this time, Njoroge does not find their fathers’ differences to be a hurdle in
their friendship.
However, Njoroge’s life is not free from
the Mau Mau Uprising for long. One day, Jacobo is found murdered. Njoroge is
pulled out of school by Mr. Howlands and questioned, and both he and his father
Ngotho are beaten nearly to death before being released. The reader soon
discovers that Njoroge’s brothers killed Jacobo, and that Boro is a Mau Mau
leader. Their father dies from his injuries and Njoroge learns that his father
was only protecting Kamau and Boro, despite the fact that they lost respect for
him after he lost his job. When Kamau is imprisoned, Njoroge must provide for
both of his mothers. He is forced to abandon both school and his faith.
Njoroge has fallen in love with Mwihaki,
and professes his love to her, asking her to leave with him. She refuses
because she feels compelled to remain in Kenya and with her mother now that
Jacobo is dead. Njoroge attempts to hang himself. He is stopped by his mothers
but descends into hopelessness and shame.
In addition to the theme of families torn
apart by British rule, Njoroge’s fate shows how systemic oppression affects the
individual. As a child, Njoroge has a hopeful future. His father is successful
and he excels at school. Then, his family and those around him become
involved—willingly or not—in the Mau Mau Uprising. The harsh actions of the
British army and those who benefit from their rule tear apart Njoroge’s family
and strip him of his faith in God and will to live.
CHARACTERIZATION
Nyokabi
The
second wife of Ngotho, a plantation hand and the patriarch of the novel's main
family. Nyokabi cares deeply for her children, and strives to maintain peace in
the family.
Njoroge
Njoroge
is the novel's primary protagonist, and Ngotho's youngest son. He is the first
in his family to attend school, and he aspires to use his education to make
Kenya a better place. Ngugi describes him as “a dreamer, a visionary who
consoled himself faced by the difficulties of the moment by a look at a better
day to come” (130). The challenges to his optimism in large part constitute the
novel's primary arc.
Kamau
Njoroge’s
slightly older half-brother, and the son of Njeri. He is apprenticed as a
carpenter, and thus cannot join Njoroge at school. Because he goes directly
into a career, he is forced to mature more quickly than Njoroge does. As his
father ages and his brothers join the Mau Mau, Kamau becomes his family's main
support.
Jacobo
A wealthy
chief and pyrethrum farmer – indeed, the first African to be allowed to grow
the crop. He owns the land that Ngotho and his family live on, and he works
against the Mau Mau uprising as it starts to intensify. He is also Mwihaki's
father.
Mr. Howlands
A British
tea farmer who moved to Kenya to escape a troubled past. He owns the land that
once belonged to Ngotho's father, a source of tension between the men despite
the fact that Mr. Howlands is Ngotho's employer. As time passes, he is
appointed district officer, and viciously fights the rebellion.
John
Jacobo’s
son, who at the beginning of the novel is planning to to study abroad in
England.
The barber
A
humorous African who works in Kipanga. He likes to tell raunchy stories about
his exploits fighting in World War II.
Ngotho
The
patriarch of Njoroge's family, and a World War I veteran. He is married to
Njeri and Nyokabi, and is the father of Boro, Kori, Kamau, and Njoroge, as well
as another son, Mwangi, who died in World War II. He works on Mr. Howlands's
plantation, and longs for the white people to leave Kenya so he can have his
family's land back.
Njeri
Ngotho's
brave and intelligent first wife, and the mother of Kamau.
Boro
One of
Ngotho’s elder sons, who fought in World War II. He drinks frequently and seems
to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is particularly troubled by
the death of his brother Mwangi in the war. He eventually finds a sense of
purpose through fighting in the Mau Mau rebellion, where he becomes the leader
of a guerrilla group.
Mwihaki
Jacobo's
daughter, and one of the wealthiest girls in the village. She is close friends
with Njoroge, and eventually becomes his love interest. Their shifting
attitudes on the country's prospects in large part constitutes the novel's
primary arc.
Lucia
Jacobo's
temperamental adult daughter, who teaches at the elementary school.
Juliana
Jacobo's
wife, described as fat and stern.
Nganga
The
village carpenter, who apprentices Kamau. Although he is initially
characterized as stingy and mean, Nganga later shows his generosity by giving
Ngotho's family a place to live after they are evicted from Jacobo's land.
Mwangi
One of
Ngotho’s elder sons, who died while serving in World War II alongside his
brother Boro. His death is a primary motivation in the resentment that fuels
Boro.
Kori
Ngotho
and Njeri’s adult son. He works at the Green Hotel tea shop in Kipanga.
Mugo wa Kibiro
A seer
who predicted that white men would come and take people’s land, long before the
British came to Kenya. However, he also predicted that they would one day
leave, a prediction which gives Ngotho hope.
Murungu
The Gikuyu
name for the Creator.
Memsahib
Mr
Howlands’s moody wife, who “mattered [to her husband] only in so far as she
made it possible for him to work ... more efficiently without a worry about
home” (30).
Isaka
First
introduced as a jovial teacher at Njoroge’s school, with a reputation for
drinking and womanizing, Isaka later appears as a Christian revivalist after
the rebellion begins.
Jomo
Though he
never appears directly in the novel, Jomo Kenyatta's reputation as the Gikuyu
leader of the KAU makes him a hero to the village and Njoroge in particular.
Kenyatta is a real historical figure who would become the first Prime Minister
of Kenya after it achieved independence.
Kiarie
One of
Boro's politically active friends from the city, who joins him in many events
amongst the Gikuyu.
Karanja
A boy in
the village who brings the village news about the rebellion.
Dedan Kimathi
The
leader of the African Freedom Army, and an important figure in the uprising.
Though never directly featured in the novel, his reputation strikes fear in the
hearts of the villagers and Njoroge. He is another real historical figure, and
remains very controversial for his use of violence. Eventually, there developed
a schism between Kimathi's Mau Mau and Jomo Kenyatta's more moderate followers
in the KAU.
Mucatha
One of
Njoroge’s friends at school.
Stephen Howlands
Mr.
Howlands's youngest son (and the only one alive during the period of the
novel). He is shy and thoughtful, and Mr. Howlands has doubts about whether he
is suitable to inherit the plantation. He and Njoroge have an important
conversation late in the novel.
THEMES
Grief
In some
ways, grief is the primary driving force behind the action of Weep Not, Child. Boro is driven to join the Mau Mau to assuage his
grief over his brother Mwangi's death in World War II. Ngotho's resentments are fueled by grief over losing
his family's land to the British. Similarly, grief drives Njoroge's spiritual evolution. Nothing can undermine
his faith in God until Ngotho dies, at which point Njoroge stops praying.
Similarly, Jacobo's death prevents Njoroge from being with Mwihaki, because she must care for her mother. As the
characters cope with the deaths of their loved ones, their overwhelming grief
slowly dissolves into a sense of duty that allows them to transcend their
misery. Although Njoroge is nearly driven to suicide by Mwihaki's rejection and
his father's death, it is the necessity of caring for his mothers (which he
would not have to do if Ngotho were alive) that ultimately saves him.
Social class
As Ngugi
notes on several occasions, race is not the only obstacle that prevents the
characters from pursuing their goals in life. They are arguably even more
hampered by their social class. This applies to poor characters like Kamau, who must persist with the carpentry
apprenticeship he dislikes in order to support his family. However, even
upper-class characters find that their upbringing prevents them from being
truly free. For example, Mwihaki's affection for Njoroge is hampered by her
famiy's wealth, and the expectations that come from that. Similarly, Stephen Howlands must attend boarding school in
England even though he feels more at home in Kenya, and does not want to leave.
Njoroge has a great hope that education will help bridge the gap of social
class, but circumstances cede his education before he can test that theory.
The land
Ngotho
and Mr. Howlands share a fierce dedication to the
land. At the center of their relationship is the central problem of the
colonial presence in Kenya, and hence to the novel's main conflicts. Each has
his own deep connection to the land. Land is an important part of Gikuyu
culture, an indicator of a family. Mr. Howlands seems to have embodied some of
this sentiment, despite his racism. However, 'land' does not refer only to the
physical space used for living and farming. By the end of the novel, it has
acquired a multi-dimensional meaning. In addition to Mr. Howlands's shamba, the concept of land has come to include the
people who live on it. (Indeed, Ngugi suggests that dispossessing a people of
their land is not enough to separate them from it; the connection is too
strong.) “When the time for Njoroge to leave [for secondary school] came
near," Ngugi writes, "many people contributed money so that he could
go. He was no longer the son of Ngotho but the son of the land” (115). Land,
with all its profundity, is what the Africans lost to the British, and what
they are fighting to regain.
Love
One of
the major questions that Weep Not, Child raises
is whether love is a strong enough force to transcend suffering. The pure love
between Njoroge and Mwihaki certainly proves resilient over the course of
novel: “Her world and Njoroge’s world stood somewhere outside petty prejudices,
hatreds and class differences," Ngugi writes (97). However, the novel's
ending suggests that love may endure, but that it cannot change a person's
circumstances. Although the two young people want to run away and live together
in Uganda, they are ultimately bound by a stronger sense of duty to their
parents and their country. Part of the story's tragedy is that individuality is
helpless before greater forces beyond anyone's control.
Infighting
Weep
Not, Child is full of evidence that infighting between Africans was a major
problem during the Mau Mau uprising. Ngugi suggests that some of it may have
been justified; for instance, Jacobo is a truly villainous character, and we
are meant to sympathize with Ngotho when he attacks him. However, Ngugi is very
explicit about the fact that such infighting ultimately played into the hands
of the British, driving wedges between Africans and making the conflict more
violent than was necessary. The difference between the reputations of Jomo and Dedan Kimathi reveal how significant the ideological
differences amongst Africans had become. When Njoroge and Stephen Howlands
discuss the causes of prejudice, their insights offer a way for Africans to
move beyond their differences and fight for the common good. The tragedy is
that individual desires are often useless before larger social forces that in
many ways hurt everyone.
Women's role in society
Certain
aspects of Gikuyu society, like polygamy, female circumcision and wife-beating,
may be foreign and even uncomfortable for modern Western readers. But despite
its uncritical portrayal of these realities, Weep Not, Child is
thoughtful about the role of women in a traditional society. Mwihaki's failure
to continue to high school is not a reflection on women's abilities to succeed
in general, but it does highlight the difficulties that bright, motivated young
women face if they try to pursue an education. The narrator suggests that
Mwihaki's sense of obligation to her family, and the restrictive convent
atmosphere of her school, prevented her from doing as well as she might in
other circumstances. Njoroge's mothers, Nyokabiand Njeri, are other examples of strong women, although
they occupy more traditional roles in society than Mwihaki or Lucia do. Njeri in particular shows a strong
intellect and courage when she is arrested, and Nyokabi takes great initiative
in arranging for Njoroge to attend school. Together, the mothers show that
women play just as important a role in improving society as men do - provided
they live under a relatively tolerant patriarch like Ngotho.
Family loyalty
Njoroge
turns to many different sources of comfort as conditions deteriorate in his
village: school, religion, and his love for Mwihaki are some examples. Yet the
only force that stands between him and suicide at the end of the book is his
sense of duty to his mothers, who will be alone and destitute if he dies.
Mwihaki rejects him because she, too, must care for her mother. For Ngugi,
family loyalty is the ultimate bond. One of the primary challenges his
characters face is deciding how to best stay loyal to their family in a time of
conflict and contradictions. Boro is a particularly complex example of this
question. Ngotho orders him to stop fighting with the Mau Mau, but Boro feels
he must continue in order to avenge his father's death, and to fight for a
better future for his younger siblings. Whether to defend one's family by
immediately providing or by fighting for their progeny (in terms of rebellion
or, in Njoroge's case, education) is a question posed, but not answered, by the
novel.
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