Weep Not, Child: A Must Read

 

One of the most remarkable works of Prof. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o is the novel titled "Weep Not, Child." This novel traces the life of a young boy called Njoroge. The novel is set in colonial Kenya after the Second World War and a few years before Kenya's independence. Freedom fighters, especially from the Gikuyu tribe, have waged war against the colonial government. This novel depicts how innocent people, Njoroge being one of them, suffer from the endless struggle between the colonialists and the African freedom fighters. This article analyzes the themes present in “Weep Not, Child.”

Summary of the Plot

The novel begins when Njoroge, a very aspiring young boy, gets the opportunity to go to school. As young as he is, Njoroge is aware of his demanding environment. His father is a labourer at Mr Howland's farm. His brother Kamau is an apprentice at Ng'ang' a's carpentry workshop. Njoroge’s eldest brother-Boro is a disillusioned young man damaged by his involvement in the Second World War. Njoroge’s two other brothers are in Nairobi working for white men, probably as casual labourers. His family is squatting on Mr Jacobo’s land. Njoroge is aware of these dire circumstances of his family. His opportunity to get an education puts him at the forefront of saving his family from poverty facing it.

He starts school and works hard on his education. He performs well until he reaches high school. Unfortunately, his learning stops in the third term of his first year of high school. Their local community chief, Mr Jacobo, is murdered, and all the males of their family are accused of killing him. The police pick up Njoroge from school and take him to a concentration camp, where they torture him to reveal Jacobo’s murderer. Later, the police allow him to leave the camp. Njoroge reaches home and finds his father dying. His brother, Boro, now a freedom fighter and fugitive, also comes to see their father for the last time before he goes back to hiding. Boro is gravely affected by his father’s situation such that the next morning, he goes and kills Mr Howlands, the District Officer and the torturer of his father. Boro gets arrested and faces execution.

Since Njoroge can no longer attend school, he seeks work at an Indian shop. He gets fired due to his lack of interest in work and life. He is a young man who has seen his dreams shatter. He seeks comfort around Mwihaki, Jacobo’s daughter. She also rejects his idea of leaving Kenya and moving to Uganda. Njoroge considers this rejection a rejection of the love he and Mwihaki share. He contemplates committing suicide. However, when his two mothers call, he realizes he is wrong in trying to commit suicide. He is the only remaining man in his family. He should fulfil his duty of caring for his mothers and protecting them. He starts doing this by running ahead and opening the doors of their hats for them.

Themes

Disillusionment

Disillusionment pervades throughout this novel. The lives of several characters start with glimmers of hope that end in disillusionment. For example, we have Ngotho, Njoroge’s father. He labours on the farm of Mr Howlands. He loves working there because he knows the land is his and should take care of it. He believes that Mr Howland will leave and the land which belonged to his ancestors will be transferred to him. However, as time passes, this dream fades away, and a feeling of failure and sorrow grapples him. After attacking Jacobo in a rally, he loses his job at Howland's farm and gets kicked out of Jacobo’s land, where he lives with his family. These occurrences symbolize how Ngotho gets increasingly detached from his ancestral lands. He places a lot of expectations on Jomo, a Kenyan politician fighting for freedom, and thinks he is the “Black Moses” to lead them to salvation from the white colonial masters. Unfortunately, Jomo gets arrested, and his hopes of ever getting his ancestral lands back crash.

 The life of Ngotho gets worse. His son Boro considers him a coward for not fighting for his land. When Jacobo, the community chief, is murdered, Ngotho is arrested and tortured severely. He dies a poor man who had lost the ability to support his family, protect his children, and give them their ancestral land.

Another example of disillusionment is in the life of Mr Howland. He escapes England after World War I to come and settle in Africa, Kenya. He desires to be away from the politics of Britain that had left him a young man bruised by war with no employment. When he arrives in Kenya, he settles on Ngotho’s land, where he farms a lot. All is well until the Mau Mau Uprising forces him to leave his simple farming life and become a District Officer. This war forces him to send his wife and son back to Britain for safety, a place he had promised never to return. As a District Officer, he indulges in war and politics, which he resents, and abandons farming, which he loves. Mr Howland finds nothing fulfilling in his role as a District Officer. When he tortures Ngotho after the murder of Chief Jacobo, that incident leaves him with an uneasy and unpleasant feeling. He ends up dead without achieving his heart's desires.

Another prominent example of disillusionment is in Boro’s life. When Boro returns from the Second World War, the lack of employment and the loss of his brother Mwangi leads him into misery. He does not understand why they (Africans) had to be involved in the white man's war. Boro lost a brother and friends when fighting for nothing, only to be unrewarded by the ungrateful white man. He is always quiet and lost in his thoughts. Later, Boro joins the Uprising when Boro hears of the Mau Mau. Fighting is all he knows, and that is what he chooses to do. Boro goes to the forest to join the guerillas. When his second-in-command states they are fighting for freedom and their land, he laughs off those beliefs. Boro says that there is no freedom. There is only life and death. Either you kill, or you are killed. He also adds that he has lost many important people in his life such that even if they were to redeem their lands from the white man, such a victory would be of little value to him. The morning after his father's death, he indulges in a suicide mission to kill Mr Howland, the District Officer. He gets arrested by the home guards and is destined for execution. These incidences show how meaningless life was to Boro.

Lastly, Njoroge's life is the perfect example of disillusionment. As a young boy, Njoroge is full of hope. He sees himself as the saviour of his family, community, and even country Kenya. He hopes the Mau Mau Uprising will end soon and his country will be peaceful again. When he goes to secondary school, he sees his dreams taking shape. He even tells Mwihaki of his plans to study in Makerere after high school. Unfortunately, during his third term of high school, the police arrest him and transfer him to a concentration camp where they torture him for involvement in Jacobo's murder. A few days later, he witnesses his father's death. At this point, his brothers are either dead or arrested. When Njoroge seeks comfort from his childhood friend-Mwihaki, she chooses his mother over him. He feels beaten by life and has nothing to keep him going. He attempts suicide. Njoroge's life transforms from a very hopeful boy into a very hopeless young man. The author describes him later as an "old" young man to symbolize his high degree of hopelessness.

Christian faith and hope

The theme of Christian faith and hope are also common in the novel. Several characters in the book are Christians. They strongly believe that God will make things better in the coming days. For example, the Agikuyu community calls Jomo the "Black Moses" and compares itself to the Jews in Egypt. They believe that God sends Jomo to free them from the shackles of white men. Njoroge is also a firm believer in God. He prays every night before sleeping, hoping things will get better. When he attempts suicide, his mothers’ calls to rescue him. This rescue restores his faith in God, and better days are ahead. There is also Isaka, Njoroge’s primary school teacher. Even at the point of his death, he keeps calling the name “Jesus”, hoping that he will come and rescue him from these white soldiers who end up killing him. Additionally, there is Mwihaki. When she rejects Njoroge's proposal to flee to Uganda, she reminds him that they should believe in God; better days are ahead.

Opposition to Violence

The novel sends out a strong message that nothing good comes out of violence. The first instance of this message occurs when Ngotho attacks Jacobo on the podium. Ngotho ends up with an injured head, loses his job at Howland’s farm, and Jacobo kicks him out of his land. Since the rally turned violent, it failed in its purpose of pushing for better wages for Africans.

 Another instance of opposition to violence occurs when Jacobo has nightmares. According to Mwihaki, his father usually dreams that people are after his life. She believes that Jacobo has killed many people in his night patrol duties, so he has nightmares about people coming for his life. Jacobo receives threats twice due to his murderous activities against Africans. In the end, Kamau, Njoroge’s brother, kills him.

 Mr Howland’s violent lifestyle when he assumes the position of the District Officer also shows that violence is not good. He tortures Ngotho and his family, which leads to the death of Ngotho. The next morning, Boro kills him for killing his father, Ngotho. Boro is also arrested after killing Mr Howland, and he is destined for execution.

Moreover, the violence in the community makes both Ngotho and Mr Howland lose their families. Ngotho’s sons, except Njoroge, are either dead or arrested. On the other hand, Mr Howland’s family moves back to Britain.

Conclusion

“Weep Not, Child” is a thrilling encounter in Central Kenya following the Mau Mau Uprising. It shows how people not involved in the violence were innocently absorbed into it and punished for crimes they did not commit. Communities were at the mercy of the ruthless British troops, home guards, and determined freedom fighters. In the end, dreams were crushed, and hopelessness filled the air. Young women and men were reduced to merely living for the moment present or not desiring life at all.