Kathy's Rewrite for A Grain of Wheat

This re-writing is based on the post-colonialist novel A Grain of Wheat by Kenyan novelist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. The story is told from the perspective of Mumbi.


“Gikonyo, are you going to go out today?” Mumbi said happily to her husband, who was sitting at a chair in the kitchen and holding a cigarette, without smoking, as if he was deep in his mind thinking about something. “If so, do not go back late. Don't forget Kihika will come tonight to have dinner with us.”
Kihika was Mumbi’s older brother. He was her only sibling. Their parents just had these two children, and they loved the two children very much. Kihika is a young man who embodied all the typical qualities of what a young man should have. He was strong, brave, and enthusiast about everything. Mumbi was very fond of this bother of hers. As a young woman, she really appreciated the qualities of her brother, thinking that her dear brother was truly a virtual figure of masculinity, and he should be a hero. Having read some romantic novels when she was a teenager, Mumbi had a conception in her daydream that if Kihika were living in a novel, he must have been the true hero in the story. As Mumbi was deep in her daydream, Gikonyo unconsciously stared at her for a short while. He did not respond her. It was easy to tell that he had something in his mind. That thought was troubling him, making him deep in silence. Of course he knew that Kihika would be coming this evening, he believed that he remembered this much clearer than Mumbi did, although Mumbi was the one who had blood relation with Kihika. He knew more clearly than Mumbi why Kihika intended to come this evening, and although he also wanted Kihika to come, to talk with him, he was nevertheless troubled by Kihika’s coming. What he was thinking about was much more than Kihika’s coming tonight. He was also worried about the future. Yes, the future, much more further than tonight. He was worried about Mumbi’s future as well.
“Hey, darling, what are you thinking about?” Mumbi turned her head towards Gikonyo. There was a touch of questioning in her big eyes. She noticed that he seemed did not hear her talking. “Why are you so silent today?”
“None.” Finally Gikonyo opened his mouth and gave out some words. “I’m just enjoying my cigarette. I remember Kihika will be coming this evening. Don’t worry. I will be back early.”
Mumbi relieved. She gave him a big smile. “That’s good. It’s really kind of you.”
“Yes, I always remember Kihika is your dear brother. Let’s welcome him this evening.”
*
After Gikonyo had left home, Mumbi also prepared herself for going out. She wanted to go to the market to buy some fresh goods for tonight’s dinner. Although the only guest tonight was her brother, she still felt honoured by his coming, since he is the person she respected the most. He was the hero in her daydream. She got changed, and stepped out of home. Walking in the street, she can see many people were busy doing their works. People walking in the street seemed to know what they wanted to do, and what they were supposed to do exactly. Everyone in the street seemed to have a clear direction. These people, they are not only Kenyan natives, but also what were commonly called white people. Most of them are English, since Kenya was commonly considered as controlled by English people, and there were many English settlers in Kenya. Although Mumbi herself was a Kenyan native, she felt that she had got used to these English settlers, or rather, she never feels really uncomfortable with these white people, if she could be honest. She knew that many Kenyan natives were not satisfied with these white people. They thought the white people came to settle on their homeland. The white people not only occupied their land, but also consumed their resources. In the natives’ opinion, these white people also exploited the native people, since they employed natives as labours to do works for them. To many Kenyan natives, this is no doubt an act of humiliation. These bad white people, they controlled the land that had originally belonged to Kenyan natives.
Mumbi knew that many Kenyan natives embodied this kind of conception. However, she could not really agree with them. Yes, they maybe right that white people used many of the resources that should have belonged to the natives, but these whites also brought many good things to Kenya. It is unquestionable that the English society was more civilised than Kenyan society, no?
Mumbi began to absorb herself in her daydream again. She remembered those beautiful houses that English settlers were living in. Those spacious houses! The exterior of the houses are so beautiful, not to mention the interior design of the houses. Mumbi knew that there were beautiful decorations, and exquisite ornaments in the English houses. She had passed many English houses, and thrown glances into the interior of the houses. Compared to these English houses, did not the Kenyan style interior a little bit too shabby? Oh, and see the dresses of the English ladies. Were not these dresses so beautiful? Yes, and the manners of these English people. Did not these perfectly illustrate the privileged civility of these white people? If Kenya was not as good as the English society, why could not Kenyan natives accept the good things of the white people? Moreover, did not these white people bring discipline and order to Kenyan society? Did not they bring those advanced goods to Kenya? See those cars. Were not these good enough for Kenya that we got a chance to see so many interestingly new things? Mumbi thought she did not understand why Kenyan natives were so angry with these white people. Maybe she would never understand. She was not born before the arrival of the large scale of white settlers. When she was born, these white people had already settled in the Kenyan land. She accepted this reality from the beginning of her life, and she never felt uncomfortable with the settlement of these people. She knew that Kihika did not welcome the settlement of these whites, neither did Gikonyo. Of course they had their reasons. She never succeeded in persuading them to think the same way as she did. However, nor could they persuade her.
Mumbi entered a grocery shop that she usually turned to when shopping. She greeted the owner. He was also a Kenyan native.
“Hi dear, what do you want today?” the owner asked her warmly.
“Oh, some fresh vegetables and fruits, my brother will come this evening. I want to make a big meal for him.”
“Kihika? How is he going?”
“I think he is good.”
The owner of the shop opened his mouth, but did not give out any word for a while. Mumbi turned her head to look at him. She could see that he wanted to say something. There was a sense of hesitance on his face. She smiled to him, as if to encourage him to speak out. Finally, he did speak. “Did you hear something? About Kihika?” His face turned grieved.
“What? What do you mean?” Mumbi felt something different. She became a little bit nervous.
“I heard something about Kihika. I heard he is organising something really serious to resist those white people.”
“What? No way!” Mumbi responded instinctively. She was more like shouting out. She could not accept this idea. This was something dangerous in a true sense.
“You don’t hear anything like that?” The shop owner asked her, clearly shocked by her lack of knowing the news.
“No.” Mumbi suddenly felt cold, although the weather is gentle and warm. She felt her blood flew reversely. That was a strongly strange feeling. Her mind was blank, making her nearly faint.
“Oh, poor dear. I’m so sorry. I can see from your face that you are clearly frightened. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” The shop owner did not feel better than Mumbi. He could see that he had scared this girl to death, and he felt really anxious and guilty. After all, he was not confirmed with the news. It was just something others had told him in their gossip. “Don’t worry, Mumbi. You know this is not true. It ‘s just what the gossip says. Maybe they are totally wrong. Don’t mind.” He tried to calm down the girl.Mumbi kept silent for a while. She was still chewing the words the shop owner had said. Was the news really unreasonable? She felt worried. Although the news was kind of gossip, there would not have been such gossip if there were not any reason. There must have been something that had led to this gossip. Was Kihika really going to organise a movement that resist the white settlers? She had always known that he did not like those white settlers. He was a member of those who thought the whites had occupied the land of Kenyan, exploiting the resources of Kenya, in terms of both natural resources and labour. Her husband Gikonyo also kept the same opinion. But resistance? That was a much more dangerous act than merely having opinions like that. They might lose their life if they tried to do this. Was her brother crazy?
No, I can’t let this gossip go. Mumbi told herself. I have to ask Kihika this evening.
Mumbi impatiently bought some vegetables and fruits, and then went back home quickly. She could not go to anywhere else to idle away her time. She did not have that mood. She tried her best to repress her fear and anxiety. In order to do this, she began preparing the dinner at a very early time, and tried to arrange the table setting the way she liked, imitating what the English ladies would do at home.
*
At dusk, Gikonyo went home.
“Hi, dear. How were you doing today?” He asked, casually.
“Not bad. I’ve spent my day preparing the dinner.” She tried her best to answer him, but apparently she lacked mood when speaking.
“See how beautiful our table is.” Gikonyo kissed his wife. “You are my good wife.”
“Of course.” She tried to respond him joyfully, but failed.
Gikonyo noticed something different about her. “Is everything okay?” He asked. “I feel you are not happy.”
Mumbi stared at her husband for a while. She was hesitant whether to tell him what she had been told by the shop owner. At last, she said. “I heard something bad when I went to the shop this morning.”
“Oh, what’s bad?” He began to worry about her grief.
“The shop owner told me that Kihika is organising a resistance movement against the white people. Did you hear anything like that?”
Mumbi noticed that there passed something on her husband’s face. Had he known this news already?
“You’ve heard this news, no?” She questioned him.
Gikonyo hesitated for a while. Yes, of course he knew this news, since he was a member of this movement as well. There were many other members who had agreed to participate in the movement. Kihika was the leader of the movement, and his intention to visit their home tonight is partly attributed to this. Kihika wanted to discuss with him about more detailed plans of the movement.
At last, he confessed. “Yes, I have heard this news.”
“Are you kidding?” Mumbi shouted out to him. “This is not a small thing. You should have told me this! Kihika is my brother. Don't you know I will be really worried about him if the news is true? This is dangerous! The movement is a bad idea because surely it’ll be dangerous!”
“I know, dear. I understand. That’s why I didn’t tell you anything about this. I know you will be worried.”“But the feeling is different. Words from you and from other people! This is dangerous. Tell me this is not true.”
“Darling, please calm down. Listen to me, the movement is going to be good for our homeland, for our nation. Do you understand?”
“So what they say is true. Kihika’s organising the resistance movement.”
“Yes, it’s true. But this will bring benefit to our homeland. We should be the masters of ourselves, we should not let outsiders to control us. Do you understand?”
“No. You don’t understand, darling!” Mumbi cried desperately. “What’s bad that white people settled in our place? You think they humiliate our Kenya people, but can’t you see they bring so many good things? They make us more civilised. They bring order and discipline to our land. And those cars, beautiful fabrics, those new things. If they hadn’t come, we couldn't have got these good points!”
“Mumbi, be conscious! I just can’t imagine you would say things like this. So you think those white people are better than our Kenyan people? They are more civilised and privileged? Are you crazy? Can’t you see we are humiliated? We lost our land, our resources, and our dignity. Can’t you see that we are considered as inferior by these white people? We are discriminated in our own land by outsiders, and you can’t see this?”
“But there is the reason. We are not as good as them. We need someone to bring new things to us so that we can become better, no?”
Gikonyo stared at his wife for a while. He could not believe she had said things like that. He knew she was not angry with those white people as much as many other Kenyan people did, but he could not believe she was the one who explicitly supported those whites. She could not see that Kenyan people was treated unequally. Gikonyo felt so upset and confused.
Finally, the only thing he could say to her was, “you are assimilated, darling.”
*
At dinnertime, the atmosphere was low. Both Mumbi and Gikonyo knew the reason. However, Kihika had not got any clue why they were unhappy. He just thought they had some quarrel before he arrived, and he tried very hard to cheer them up. His effort did not have much effect.
At last, they finished dinner. Kihika and Gikonyo shared their smoking time in the kitchen, and Mumbi brought some fruits for them to eat.
Kihika finally asked. “Are you okay? It feels like you are not happy. Don’t you welcome me?” He was just kidding, since he knew his sister respected him very much, and he was getting along with Gikonyo very well.
“Of course we do. Don’t be silly.” Gikonyo tried to comfort him.
“You had a quarrel?” Kihika asked.
Gikonyo instinctively lifted his head and threw a glance to Mumbi, and she also looked back at him. Alert filled their eyes.
Before Gikonyo tried to respond lightheartedly, Mumbi opened her mouth. “Yes, we had a quarrel earlier. It was about you, brother.”
Kihika looked confused. “Me?”“Yes. It’s like this. I heard from someone that you are preparing for a resistance movement against the white people. And when I asked Gikonya, he told me he’d already known this. I think he’d better have told me this earlier.”
“Oh. I see. But Mumbi, this isn’t worth to be so angry. After all you have known this news now. ”
“But are you sure you are going to lead the movement?” Mumbi asked impatiently. “Well, I mean, are you sure it is necessary to let this movement happen?”
“Why, my sister? I don’t understand you. Of course it is necessary.” Kihika looked a little bit confused. “Can’t you see the necessity?”
“Well, I think I understand a bit why you support the movement. I know what you and Gikonyo think, and yes, I know there are many people who agree with you. But I have my reason not to agree with the movement.”
“Such as?”
“Don’t you think the English people bring many good things to us? Like their culture, I mean things like their civility. And I think what they have brought to us makes us develop faster. You know, like technology good for our harvest. Can’t you see they bring us some benefit?”“Hey, you are crazy, my sister! Watch your words. How can you have such opinions?” Kihika got a little bit annoyed by Mumbi’s words. “It’s unreasonable you think this way! What’s the point the white people bring their things to make us better? Do you think they are helping us? They are helping themselves. Can’t you see that? They make our place better, so that they can live better in this place, and control this place. They are not helping us! They just want our land, they want to control our land, and us!”
“Okay, maybe they want our land. But anyway we are still living in our land, aren’t we? We didn’t virtually lose anything. But the reality is what they bring to us makes us better than before.”
“No, you don’t get the point, sister. What we really want is not that those white people making us better. We can help ourselves to make us better. We don’t need the help from these white people, since at the same time that they help us, they are making benefit for themselves. They control our most treasured things. Our land, and our life, that’s what we should treasure the most. Maybe they have brought something to us, but what we have lost is much more than what they brought to us. We lost our independence, our dignity. Our land is occupied, our people are controlled, we are humiliated. What we have lost is what we really want!”
Mumbi became silent. Her brother’s words were too convincing for her to totally disagree. Moreover, Kihika was the person he respected the most. She did not really want to offend him. However, she did not feel relieved.
“Brother, I also have personal reason to worry about you. You know the movement is too dangerous. I’m afraid you will get hurt. I don’t want to lose you." tears in Mumbi's eyes "Don’t forget parents just have you the only boy. Don’t you care about our feelings?”
“Of course I do. I ...I” Kihika stopped and turned to Gikonyo “Now, Gikonyo, come with me. Let’s talk about something really important.” The two men left the kitchen, leaving Mumbi alone, deep in desperation.