Assignment: The African Literature

   SYNOPSIS OF NGUGI WATHINNGO’S PETALS OF BLOOD

 Name - Jignesh  K. Panchasara

           Paper 206:  The African Literature  

Roll No- 8

             Enrollment no-3069206420200013

Email id-jigneshpanchasara5758@gmail.com

             Batch- MA 2020-2022

Submitted to - S.B Gardi Department of              English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji  

                                 Bhavnagar University.  

                       Introduction 

Ngũgĩ was Thiong'o is a Kenyan writer and academic who writes primarily in Gikuyu and who formerly wrote in English. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He is the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri.

Petals of Blood is a novel written by Ngũgĩ was Thiong'o and first published in 1977. Set in Kenya just after independence, the story follows four characters – Munira, Abdulla, Wanja, and Karega – whose lives are intertwined due to the Mau Mau rebellion.

Background of the Author

            Ngugi WaThinngo was born on 5th January, in 1938 kaminihu, near limuru in Kiambu district, of Kikuyu district, and baptized James Ngugi. His family was caught up in the Maumau war, his half-brother Mwangi was involved in the Kenya land and freedom army, and his mother was tortured at the kaminithu home guard post.

            He received a B. An in English from Makerere university college in Kampala, Uganda in 1963, during his education, a play of his, BLACK HERMIT was produced in Kampala, in 1962. Ngugi published his first novel, weep not a child in 1964 which he wrote while attending the University of Leeds in England; it was the first novel to be published by a writer from east Africa.

            His second novel, The River Between (1965), has as its background the Mau Mau rebellion and is described as an unhappy romance between Christians and non-Christians. His novel, again of Wheat(1967) marked his embrace of Feminist Marxism. He subsequently renounced English, Christianity, and the name James Ngugi Ngugiwathiongo, and began to write in his native Gikuyu and Swahili.

 Style of the Novel

            ‘Petals of Blood’ relies heavily on flashbacks, using the points of view of the four major characters is questioned by the police, the novel takes on certain characteristics of the detective novel, with a police offer trying to ascertain details of their pasts to find the murderer of Chui, Kimeria, and Margo. The narrative voices shift between Munira and the other characters describing the events of their lives and an omniscient narrator. There is also a suggestion of a communal narrative voice as Ngugi draws on the mythic past of Kenya to place the novel in a wider context than simply the colonial.

ANALYSIS OF THE SUBJECT MATTER IN NGUGI WATHIONGO’S.

Petals of Blood

            The title Petals of Blood is derived from a line of Derek Walcott’s poem ‘the swamp’ the poem suggests that there is a deadly power within nature that must be respected despite attempts to suggest by humans that they like harmoniously with it. Originally called Ballad of a Barmaid, it is unclear why Ngugi changed the title before release. The phrase “Petals of Blood” appears several times throughout the novel, with varying associations and meanings. Initially, “petals of blood” is first used by a pupil in Munira's class to describe a flower-Munira quickly chastises the boy, saying that there is no color called blood. Later, the phrase is used to describe flames, as well as relating to virginity during one of Munira's sexual fantasies.

            Petals of Blood is a novel written by NgugiWaThiongoand first published in 1977set in Kenya just after independence, the story follows four characters: Munira, Abdulla, Wanjaand Karegawhose lives are intertwined due to the Muamau rebellion. To escape city life, each retreats to the small pastoral village of Illmorog. As the novel progresses, the characters deal with the repercussions of the Muamau rebellion as well as with a new, rapidly westernizing Kenya. The novel largely deals with the skepticism of change after Kenya’s liberation from the British Empire, questioning to what extent free Kenya merely emulates, and subsequently perpetuates, the oppressions found during its time as a colony, other themes include the challenging of capitalist politics and the effect westernization education, schools, and the Mau Mau rebellion are also used to unite the characters who share a common history with one another.

            ‘Petals of blood’ was Ngugi’s first Novel written whilst not in full-time education, instead of writing over five years. Initially began whilst teaching at northwestern University in 1970 the writer continued to work on the novel after his return to Kenya, finally finishing the novel in Yalta as a guest of the soviet writers’ union, Ngugi was inspired to. Write the novel as a way of synthesizing the nation of a post-colonial nation, and a willingness to portray the agent of social change present in Kenya’s change from British East Africa. ‘Petals of Blood’ was the last of Ngugi’s Novels to be written first in English on 30 December 1977, shortly after the release of his play “will marry when I want”, Ngugi was taken into custody by law enforcement officials and held without charges for questioning. According to Patrick Williams, Ngugi was often criticized by detractors for “dragging political tone to his novel, including Petals of Blood, Ngugi had avoided government interferences until deciding to write in his native Gikuyu language. After the release of petals of blood, Ngugi wrote and began work on a Gikuyu language play called Ngachiika Ndeenda (I will marry when I want). He was then arrested and detained on both December 1977, for crimes relating to his “literary political” background. After this period, all of his novels would be written first in Gikuyu and later translated into English, a move understood to be a conscious decision to focus more strongly on the peasant workers of Kenya as inspiration for his novels.

            The book begins by describing the four main characters Munira, Karega, Wanja, and English on Abdulla just after the revelation that three prominent Kenyans, two businessmen, and one educator. Have been killed in a fire, the next chapter moves back in the timeline of the novel, focusing on Munira’s move toi1Imorog, to begin work as a teacher he is initially met with sustain poor classroom attendance as the villagers think he will give up on the village soon, in much the same way previous teachers have done. However, Munira stays and, with the friendship of Abdullah, another immigrant to i11morog who owns a small shop and bar carves out life as a teacher. Soon Wanja arrives, the granddaughter of the town’s oldest and most revered lady. She is an attractive, experienced barmaid who Munira begins to fall in love with, despite the fact he is already married. She too is escaping the city and begins to work for Abdullah, quickly reshaping his shop, and expanding its bai, daregasiriana. After a brief relationship with Munira, Tanja once again grows his illusion and leaves illmorog. The year of her departure is not good for the village as the weather is harsh and no rain comes, making for a poor harvest. In an attempt to enact change, the villagers are inspired by Karega to journey to Nairobi to talk for their members of parliament.

            The journey is very arduous and Joseph, a boy Abdullah had taken in his brother and who had worked in his shop, becomes ill. When they arrived in Nairobi, the villagers seek help from every quarter. They are turned away by a reverend who thinks they are mere beggars despite their pleas for help for the sick child. Trying at another house, some of the villagers are rounded up and forced into the building where they are questioned by Kimeria, a ruthless businessman who reveals that he and their Mp are in league with one another. He blackmails Wanja and subsequently rapes her upon arriving in Nairobi and speaking to their Mp, the villagers realize that nothing will change, as he is little more than a demagogue however they do meet a lawyer who wishes to help them and others in the same predicament and through a court case highlights illmorog plights this draws attention from national press and donation and charities pour into illmorog.

            Finally, the rain comes, and the villagers celebrate with ancient rituals and dances. During this time, Karega starts a correspondence with the lawyers that he met in Nairobi, wishing to educate himself further to celebrate the rain’s coming, Nyakinyua brews a drink from the Sangeeta plant, which all of the villagers drink. Karega tells the story of the love between him and Murakami, the older sister of Munira. Mukami’s father looked down on Karega because of his brother’s involvement with the Mau Mau. Forced to separate, Mariama and Karega do not see each other again, and Mukami later commits suicide by jumping into a quarry. This is the first time Munira hears the story. Later, an unknown plane crashes in the village, the only victim is Abdulla’s donkey. Wanja notices that there are several large groups of people who come to survey the wreckage and suggest to Abdulla that they begin to sell the thang, eta drink in Abdulla’s bar. The drink attracts notoriety and many people come to the bar to sample it. Out of fury for Karega's connection to his family and jealousy of his relationship with Wanda, Munira seems to have Karega fired from his teaching post with the school. Karega then leaves illmorog. Development arrives in illmorog as the government begins to build the trans-Africa road through the village, which brings an increase in trade. Dara returns to illmorog telling of his slow spiral into alcoholism before finally securing work in a factory. After getting fired from the factory, he returns to Fillmore. The change in illmorog is rapid and the villagers change into the town of new illmorog. The farmers are told that they should fence off their land mortgage parts of it to ensure that they owed a finite area. They are offered loans that are linked to their harvest turn out to pay for this expense. Nyakinyua dies and the banks move to take her land, she opens up a successful brothel in the town and uses herself as one of the prostitutes. Munira goes to see to attempt to rekindle their romance but is met with only demand for money he pays, and the couples have sex. Karega goes to see Wanja who both still have strong feelings for each other, but after disagreeing about how to herself finally from the men who have exploited her during her life wanting to bring them to her brother with all of her prostitutes sent away so that she could present the downtrodden but noble Abdulla as her chosen partner. Meanwhile, Munira is watching the brothel, and seed Karega arrives and then leaves. In a religious favor, he pours petrol on the brothel, set it alight, and retreats to a hill to watch it burn. wanna escapes but is hospitalized due to smoke inhalation, the other man Wanja had invited died in the fire. Manira is sentenced to arson, later Karega learns that the corrupt local. Mp was gunned down in his car whilst waiting for his chauffeur in Nairobi.

  CHARACTERIZATION IN PETAL OF BLOOD

            MUNIRA, a house boy who goes to illmorog to teach in its dilapidated school. He falls in love with Tanja and is the arsonist the police seek. WANJA-Granddaughter of Nyakinya. An experience barmaid who flees her past in the city. She falls in love with Karega, although she is still coveted by Munira. She also sleeps with Abdulla because of her reverence for his actions in the Mau Mau rebellion. An Industrious barmaid, she helps Abdulla’s shop to become successful and also sells thang’ eta she later becomes a prostitute and runs her own brothel before being injured in Maunira’sarson attack.

            ABDULLA-A shopkeeper who lost his leg in the Mau Mau rebellion. His main assets in life are his shop and donkey as well as a boy Joseph who he had taken in and cared for as a brother. He is the only major character to have worked with the maumau during the rebellion.

            Karega-young man who works as a teaching assistant at Munira’sschool before becoming disillusioned and heading for the city. After the trip to Nairobi, he becomes enamored with socialism and starts to educate himself on its principles and on the law. However, he later becomes disillusioned with the effect of education and how apt it is in the liberation struggle. As a youth he dated Munira’ssister who subsequently committed suicide, this was unknown to Manirauntil Karegareveals it to him and to others having drunk thang’eta. NYAKINYUA-the village’s most revered woman, and the grandmother of Wanja. She performs all of the traditional ceremonies in the village like his predecessors. After her death, Wanjasells her business to save Nyakinyua’s land from the banks and also uses the proceeds to start a brothel. A chimera-ruthless businessman who is a part of the new Kenya elite. Has an interest in illmorogfor business purposes and had a previous relationship with their Wanjaas the villagers travel to Nairobi to meet with their politician, Kimeria holds Wanja hostage and rapes her.

Reference

 

"SYNOPSIS OF NGUGI WATHINNGO’S PETALS OF BLOOD". Harrilibrary, 2022, https://harrilibrary.blogspot.com/2019/03/synopsis-of-ngugi-wathinngos-petals-of.html.

"Theme And Analysis Of " Petals Of Blood" By Ngugi Wa Thiong'o". Cliffsenglish.Blogspot.Com, 2022, http://cliffsenglish.blogspot.com/2015/08/theme-and-analysis-of-petals-of-blood.html.