Identities in motion in the rhythm of history: A Grain of Wheat and Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

• Grant number: 22/01730-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Modern Foreign Literatures
• Principal Investigator: Laura Patricia Zuntini de Izarra
• Grantee: Iuri da Silva Gomes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the relationship between space and identity in A Grain of Wheat (2012 [1967]) and Petals of Blood (2018 [1977]) by Ngugi wa Thiong'o. It starts from the understanding that these works engage in a dialogue with each other, reflecting the rhythms of the nation: from the struggle for independence to the post-independence era. Considering these events, the characters participate in the nation in different ways yet converge in their contributions to the construction of the nation and identities as sites of value and meaning. The novel A Grain of Wheat discusses the struggle for Kenya's independence, while Petals of Blood portrays post-independence Kenyan society, suggesting responses to the issues raised by the former. In both works, four characters live under the yoke of history, each attributing different meanings to it. They are all shaped by their relationships with their spaces and the means through which they reveal their identities. The investigation into the relationship between space and identity was guided by the theoretical frameworks of Postcolonial Studies and Humanist Geography. The study highlighted, through mapping the experiences of the main characters in both novels against physical and symbolic spaces, the predominance of symbols in A Grain of Wheat in interaction with identities and possible imagined places; whereas in Petals of Blood, the construction of identities is primarily linked to the social realm, immediate life, and the urgent need - as indicated by the events of the novel - to create a dignified place.