Integrite Fall 2012

Chimi Woo 43 fighters stayed. Because Kihika is blinded by his obsession with the Movement, he does not see that his visit to Mugo can endanger him. The narrator depicts .LKLND DV ³DOPRVW XQDZDUH RI 0XJR RU RI KLV GDQJHU OLNH D PDQ SRVVHVVHG´

ZKHQ KH ZDV WDONLQJ DERXW KLV SROLWLFDO LGHDO WR 0XJR ³a people united in faith are stronger than the bomb. Strike terror in the heart of the oppressora few shall die that the many shall live. 7KDWœV ZKDW FUXFLIL[LRQ PHDQV WRGD\ Else we deserve to be slaves, cursed to carry water and hew wood for the whiteman for HYHU DQG HYHU´

:KLOH OLVWHQLQJ WR .LKLNDœV ZRUGV TXRWHG DERYH 0XJR WKLQNV .LKLND LV mad and this thought only terrifies him. 0XJRœV IHDU DFWXDOO\ FRPHV IURP WKH IDFW that the government wanted Kihika and therefore the person who hides him must risk his own life. 0XJR EHFRPHV DQJU\ WR .LKLND ³:K\ VKRXOG .LKLND GUDJ PH into a struggle and problems I have not created? :K\"´ After Kihika arranged the time and place of their next meeting and left for the forest, Mugo EHFDPH RYHUZKHOPHG E\ WKH GLOHPPD RI IROORZLQJ .LKLND RU WKH ZKLWHPDQ ³,I , GRQœW VHUYH .LKLND KHœOO NLOO PH They killed Rev. Jackson and Teacher Muniu. If I work for him, the government will catch me. The whiteman has long arms. And WKH\œOO KDQJ PH 0\ *RG , GRQœW ZDQW WR GLH , DP QRW UHDG\ IRU GHDWK , KDYH QRW HYHQ OLYHG´ His last statement is true; his parents died poor and left him in the care of a distant aunt. However, she was verbally abusive to Mugo, and he felt WKDW ³>W@he world had conspired against him, first to deprive him of his father and mother, and then to make him dependent on an ageing hDUULGDQ´ After his aunt died, Mugo found KLPVHOI OHIW WRWDOO\ DORQH DQG ³>K@e wanted somebody, DQ\ERG\ ZKR ZRXOG XVH WKH FODLPV RI NLQVKLS WR GR KLP LOO RU JRRG´ This is why Mugo becomes jealous of what Kihika has, rather than being moved by his HORTXHQW ZRUGV ³.LKLND ZKR KDG D PRWKHU DQG D IDWKHU DQG D EURWKHU DQG D sister, could play with death. He had people who would mourn his end, who ZRXOG QDPH WKHLU FKLOGUHQ DIWHU KLP VR WKDW .LKLNDœV QDPH ZRXOG QHYHU GLH IURP PHQœV OLSV Kihika hDG HYHU\WKLQJ 0XJR KDG QRWKLQJ´

While Kihika imposes his vision and political ideal on Mugo without considering his situation, Mumbi shows personal interest in Mugo and she considers his well-being before any other public cause. If Kihika drives Mugo to anger and jealousy by forcing him to the movement, Mumbi awakens Mugo to moral responsibility by sharing her story of failure. Mumbi starts with the TXHVWLRQ RI ³'R \RX HYHU GUHDP"´ E\ H[SODLQLQJ ZKDW VKH PHDQV E\ GUHDP ³,W LV ZKHQ \RX DUH young in a clear day and you look into the future and you see great things. Your heart beats inside because you want the days to come quickly.

7KHQ /LIHœV VRUURZ FDQQRW WRXFK \RX´ Then she shares her dream of sacrifice with him and continues to teOO KLP WKH VWRULHV RI RWKHU ZRPHQœV sacrificial deeds. For example, Mumbi tells Mugo that Njeri had secret dreams of being close to Kihika and that is how she followed Kihika to the forest to fight there at his side and eventually she was killed in a battle. Mumbi also dreamed of sacrifice to save people, and she tells Mugo about the moment of crisis in her life while her husband, Gikonyo, was in detention. At the unexpected news about *LNRQ\RœV UHOHDVH IURP GHWHQWLRQ 0XPEL VXFFXPEV WR .DUDQMDœV DGYDQFHs and she conceives and gives birth to a child by him. Gikonyo is shocked at the sight