The Impact of Colonialism on the Society in “The River Between”

Analyze how the novel represents a particular issue,character, event or ideology. (The River Between or Cry, The Beloved Country)
How does this issue, character,event or ideology represent a challenge to AND/OR questioning of an existing definition, mentality, attitude, way of thinking, group, practice, individual or idea?
You must quote directly from the novel. Be specific and be focused.
-You can focus on one issue represented in the novel (example- the role of gender, role of parents, role of race, role of class)
-You can focus on one character in one novel
-You can discuss one particular event in the novel
-You can discuss a particular idea or concept (example- white supremacy, feminism, religion, race, Apartheid, etc)
-THERE MUST BE ONE LITERARY TECHNIQUE- (example- metaphor. imagery, point of view, etc)
-It should be an ANALYSIS not summaries
-Formal Tone
-Avoid Generalizations
-Argument should be in introduction
-Active voice
-No "in my opinion"
-No use of "mankind, dark people, no racism
-Literary techniques

The Impact of Colonialism on the Society in “The River Between”

The concept of division within the community has been prevailed for a long time. I belief that division plays an integral role in bringing negative changes and ideologies. Often, within the contemporary communities, leaders apply the notion of divide and conquer to have an easy time ruling. In The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, division stands out as a major effect that colonialism had on the natives.  In Ngugi’s novel, the title is a symbol of the division as river Honia in the novel acts as a boundary or rather a division between the two ridges. In the novel, the narrator asserts that "The two ridges lay side by side, hidden in the darkness. And the Honia River went on flowing between them" (152). This narrative denotes that the two ridges were set apart by the river, a symbol of division fostered by colonialism. The author provides an outstanding account of the negative effects of British colonists and how they led to conflicting ideologies in the communities in which the novel is set. This essay provides an analysis how British colonists conflicted the natives bringing divisions to a community that was once peaceful. Some of the aspects analyzed comprise of how British governance system divided the natives, the division brought by Christianity and efforts made by the communities to attain independence from colonist’s exploitation.

The title of the book, The River Between is an allegory that represents division as a result of colonization, particularly in Kenya at the period when the British brought with them Christianity. The Christianity religion is partially accepted by some individuals within the setting of the novel while a majority of the society held on their traditional norms. The narrator describes Joshua’s house as "tin-roofed rectangular building standing quite distinctly by itself on the ridge.” (28). This particular point of view demonstrates how the collaborators separated themselves from the rest of the community due to differing ideologies thus denoting a division among the natives. Also, the roof of the house is depicted to be decaying, an imagery denoting the gradual process of colonization and division within the communities due to colonization. Decaying is also a metaphoric term showcasing how colonization was ruining the culture of the natives and thus dividing them from their beliefs and customs. I therefore belief that division is the main effect that colonialism had on the colonized communities as it is evident in the entire novel from the introduced governance, religion and even among the locals.

The author presents the Kikuyu society as people who have been divided and torn between two completely different worlds. On one side, they perceive that it is their responsibility to remain loyal to their customs and traditions while on the other side, there are missionaries who are trying so hard to change their beliefs on the notion that their practices are primitive and not good in diverse ways. As a result, there are mixed reactions in regard to colonialism which denotes division in their feelings towards colonialism. Waiyaki was in between these two divisions and that is why he “would not have liked to be seen by Kabonyi standing with Joshua's daughter. He resented this and wondered if he too was becoming a slave to the tribe" (Ngugi 81). Joshua was a Christian while Waiyaki’s father resisted the new religion and that is why he did not want to be found seen with the daughter of a Christian. A major reason as to why Christianity presented a challenge to the Kikuyu tradition is because the society considered their tradition to be a more significant factor other than just succeeding the ways and deeds of their ancestors. According to their ideology, the tradition was of maintaining their identity. Ngugi shows the hitches and hindrances that come up when individuals on both sides disagree seeing the other group as traitors. The natives stuck to their roots resisting to adopt the new ways that have been introduced believing that their ideologies are superior.

The mode of governance introduced by the British colonists is another factor that lead to division in the land. Upon arrival, the British attained their power in the society through establishment of government posts which later initiated tax collection. When people in The River Between start feeling the weight of exploitation from the British colony, they decide to find a way of liberating themselves. However, there is a division in the technique employed in the effort to liberate the Blackman from the Whiteman. One group decides to use war as a means of liberation while another group opts to use the education introduced by the British to find their independence. For example, Waiyaki’s father is not pleased by the mode of governance introduced by the Whiteman and advice his son “Learn all the wisdom and all the secrets of the white man. But do not follow his vices." (20). According to him, the best way to attain liberation for Kameno and Makuyu, the two villages is by his son learning the introduced western education and then using it as a tool to fight them. However, this is not the case at the end as Waiyaki realizes that it is not only through education that independence will be attained. However, people of Kameno and Makuyu ought to achieve self-respect which can only be realized via political action possible by all the varied tribes united. On the other hand, people like Kabonyi who are staunch to their traditional ideologies believe that their traditional teachings are superior and they do not need to learn the ways of the colonialists in order to defeat them. At the meeting when Waiyaki is summoned, Kabonyi questions the enthusiasm that Waiyaki has for education by asking him “Or do you think the education of our tribe, the education, and wisdom which you all received, is in any way below that of the white man?”(95). this is a vivid indication that Kabonyi who is an icon of the traditional ideologies believes that they can use their own tactics to restore their land and attain independence.

In conclusion, The River Between portrays how colonialism brought division to the African communities. I believe that for a community to thrive, members ought to be united always. However, the lack of unity in Ngugi’s community is what makes them exploited. From the novel, division is evident in different aspects such as religion, ways of doing things, governance and restoration of independence. The author has used juxtaposition among the different characters within the novel to depict division brought by colonialism. In my experience, I have witnessed instances whereby leaders divide people in order to make it easy for them to rule. I believe that the same case is what happens in Kameno and Makuyu. It is thus important for citizens to remain united at all times in order to shun away bad leadership that divides them.

Works Cited

Thiong'o, Ngugi W. The River between. New York: Penguin, 2015. Print.