The River Between: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

Muthoni dies in Siriana. Waiyaki returns to Kameno to inform Nyambura and Miriamu. Before she died, Muthoni had told Waiyaki to tell Nyambura that she “see[s] Jesus” and has become “a woman, beautiful in the tribe.” Waiyaki dwells on those words and walks listlessly, overcome with sadness. All day and night, he finds himself asking, “why?” though he does not know what exactly he is questioning.

When Joshua hears of his daughter’s death, he shows no emotion and resolves to stay firm on his “journey to the new Jerusalem.” Chege sees Muthoni’s death as proof that the white religion causes division and death. He fears for the unity of the ridges and the survival of his people, but he will no longer speak. He also fears for Waiyaki and wonders if Siriana corrupted him, but he remains silent.

In Siriana, Livingstone sees Muthoni’s death as confirmation of “the barbarity of Gikuyu customs.” Though Livingstone had arrived in Kenya as a bold young man “fired by a dream of heroism” and evangelization, he is now old, fat, and weary. Livingstone considers himself an “enlightened” missionary, as he takes a less militaristic approach to evangelizing the tribespeople than his predecessors. He prefers to let the Gikuyu keep their customs and thus prevent the strife and war that comes from stripping a people of their own culture. However, Livingstone regards female circumcision as a singular exception, an unarguable evil that must be “rooted out.” To Livingstone, Muthoni’s death confirms that he must fight the practice with all his power—“The war was now on.”