The Messiah Motif and Biblical Epigrams as Emblems of National Patriotic Culture in Ngugi's a Grain of Wheat (1967)

Abstract

This research interrogates Ngugi's use of the messiah motif and biblical epigrams in A Grain of Wheat. It analyses how the writer manipulates biblical allusions and symbols of martyrdom in order to articulate national patriotic culture. The thesis advanced in this research is that national patriotic culture shows itself through biblical epigrams that Ngugi employs in order to lend morale to the African people's struggle to liberate themselves and determine their destiny. He adopts from the Christian doctrine those fundamental humanitarian ideals that are parallel to Kenya's political history in order to advance national patriotic culture. The research argues that in the hands of patriots, Christianity can be employed to formulate a philosophy of liberation while in the hands of reactionaries it can be anti-liberation.