General Principles of Intellectual Property: Concepts of Intellectual Proper...
Character in A Grain of Wheat
1. Character in A Grain of Wheat
Name : Parmar Krupa Jivabhai
Roll no. : 20
Enrollment no. : 20691084180040
M.A.Sem -4
Year : 2017-2019
Email id : parmarkrupaj25@gmail.com
Paper no. : 14
Submitted to : Department of English Bhavnagar
2. About Author
Ngũgĩ wa
Thiong'o born on 5
January 1938 in Kenya
Colony.
He is an award-winning,
world-renown Kenyan
writer and academic
who writes primarily
in Gikuyu.
His work includes
novels, plays, short
stories, and essays,
ranging from literary and
social criticism to
children's literature.
3. About Novel
A Grain Of Wheat is
a novel by Kenyan nove
list Ngũgĩ wa
Thiong'o first published
as part of the
influential Heinemann
African Writers Series.
It was written while he
was studying at Leeds
University and first
published in 1967.
5. Mugo
A handsome, introverted, mysterious man who lives
in the village and spent time in the detainment
camps.
Mugo is viewed by everyone as a hero because he
worked with Kihika and never cracked under
pressure.
He secretly was the one who betrayed Kihika, which
he eventually admits after hearing Mumbi confide in
him regarding her own life story.
he announces he was guilty at the Uhuru
celebration, which he originally thought he might
attend in a capacity as savior of the people.
He is nervous, full of contradictory thoughts, and
frustrated that people think he is courageous and
humble.
6. Gikonyo
A member of the Mau Mau and husband of Mumbi.
he spends years in a detention camp dreaming of
returning to her.
He is bitter and disillusioned when he comes back
and finds she has a child by another man.
He throws himself into work and becomes wealthy;
he is a model for people in the village.
He is injured in the Uhuru celebration, but this
allows him to start working on his attitude toward
Mumbi.
7. Mumbi
The beautiful sister of Kihika who dreams of sacrifice and
noble deeds, she falls in love with Gikonyo when she is
young and yearns for him while he is away in the
detention camp.
When she hears from Karanja that Gikonyo is coming
home, she yields to Karanja's advances and bears a
child by him.
She confides her story to Mugo, and he in turn tells her
he betrayed Kihika.
She does not want him or anyone else to suffer for her
brother, though.
At the end of the novel she is close to a reconciliation
with Kihika.
8. Karanja
An old friend of Kihika's who unsuccessfully tried to
woo Mumbi when they were young.
Karanja is prideful, spiteful, and happy to cooperate
with the whites if it means he can lord over others.
While others are fighting or interned, he becomes a
homeguard and eventually a Chief.
He also pursues Mumbi , she bears his child but
refuses to be in a relationship with him.
9. Kihika
The brother of Mumbi and a brave freedom fighter in
the Mau Mau.
He is responsible for killing DO Robson and taking
over Mahee prison, becoming a hero to the people.
He is betrayed by Mugo and is captured and
hanged.
His life and deeds are legendary, and part of Uhuru
is intended to celebrate him.
10. Warui
A wise elder of the village who was active in freedom
movement in prior decades and is now preparing for
the Uhuru celebrations.
He encourages Mugo to speak, and later serves on
his trial after he confesses.
11. Wambui
A woman in the village who looks older than she is.
She carried secrets from villages during the
Emergency and became famous for staving off a
police search of her person.
After Uhuru, though, she seems demoralized.
12. General R.
A military man whose goals are to get Mugo to speak
at Uhuru and to punish Kihika's betrayer.
He is stern and quiet and does not boast or get
involved in politics.
When he was young he had a tyrannical father
whom he wanted to kill, and was distressed when his
mother stood up for his father even though he beat
her.
He arrests Mugo and takes him to trial after Mugo
confesses.
13. Lieutenant Koina
A military man who serves with General R. As a young
man he worked for Dr. Lynd but was bitter against her;
along with two other men, he attacked her and her dog.
When he sees her years later he refers to her a ghost.
Thomas Robson
District officer
John Thompson
A Warden
