Previous
Kihika
Gikonyo is Mumbi’s husband and Wangari’s only son. Gikonyo spends his early years as a poor carpenter supporting himself and his mother, who were abandoned by his father. Although he is shy, Gikonyo falls in love with Mumbi and she with him, and for a few months he is deliriously happy. However, this comes to an end when he is arrested and taken to detention on suspicion of having sworn the oath and and conspired with the Mau Mau, which he did. Although Gikonyo remains firm for the first few months of his detention, the passage of time wears him down and eliminates any noble thoughts of freedom or national suffrage. Driven by a vain hope to be released early and returned to Mumbi, Gikonyo confesses the oath, betraying his country and shaming himself. Gikonyo secretly carries this guilt and shame with him for the rest of the story, becoming a vessel through which to explore the dark effects of a burden of guilt. When Gikonyo is released from detention, he returns home to find Mumbi has had a son by Karanja, the rival of his youth. Rather than ask Mumbi what happened, Gikonyo immediately turns to rage, which he keeps within himself for years, furthering his suffering. Although Gikonyo becomes a wealthy merchant, his relationship with Mumbi and his own self-loathing continue to fester until he beats her, causing them to become estranged from each other. Although Gikonyo and Mumbi never completely reconcile in the story, Mugo’s sacrifice and bravery touch Gikonyo so deeply that he realizes he too must own his guilt and shame, and he takes the first steps towards admitting his wrongs and reconciling with his wife, thus demonstrating the redemptive power of honest confession.
Gikonyo Quotes in A Grain of Wheat
The A Grain of Wheat quotes below are all either spoken by Gikonyo or refer to Gikonyo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“Many of us talked like that because we wanted to deceive ourselves. It lessens your shame. We talked of loyalty to the Movement and the love of our country. You know a time came when I did not care about Uhuru for the country anymore. I just wanted to come home.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
Unknown to those around him, Kihika’s heart hardened towards “these people,” long before he had even encountered a white face. Soldiers came back from the war and told stories of what they had seen in Burma, Egypt, Palestine and India; wasn’t Mahatma Gandhi, the saint, leading the Indian people against the British rule? Kihika fed on these stories: his imagination and daily observation told him the rest; from early on, he had visions of himself, a saint, leading Kenyan people to freedom and power.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Gikonyo greedily sucked sour pleasure from this reflection which he saw as a terrible revelation. To live and die alone is the ultimate truth.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Harambee
Quotes
Courage had failed [Gikonyo], he had confessed the oath in spite of his vows to the contrary. What difference was there between him and Karanja or Mugo who had openly betrayed people and worked with the whiteman to save themselves? Mugo had the courage to face his guilt and lose everything. Gikonyo shuddered at the thought of losing everything.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire A Grain of Wheat LitChart as a printable PDF.
Gikonyo Quotes in A Grain of Wheat
The A Grain of Wheat quotes below are all either spoken by Gikonyo or refer to Gikonyo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“Many of us talked like that because we wanted to deceive ourselves. It lessens your shame. We talked of loyalty to the Movement and the love of our country. You know a time came when I did not care about Uhuru for the country anymore. I just wanted to come home.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
Unknown to those around him, Kihika’s heart hardened towards “these people,” long before he had even encountered a white face. Soldiers came back from the war and told stories of what they had seen in Burma, Egypt, Palestine and India; wasn’t Mahatma Gandhi, the saint, leading the Indian people against the British rule? Kihika fed on these stories: his imagination and daily observation told him the rest; from early on, he had visions of himself, a saint, leading Kenyan people to freedom and power.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Gikonyo greedily sucked sour pleasure from this reflection which he saw as a terrible revelation. To live and die alone is the ultimate truth.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Harambee
Quotes
Courage had failed [Gikonyo], he had confessed the oath in spite of his vows to the contrary. What difference was there between him and Karanja or Mugo who had openly betrayed people and worked with the whiteman to save themselves? Mugo had the courage to face his guilt and lose everything. Gikonyo shuddered at the thought of losing everything.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
