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Kinuthia
Miriamu is Joshua’s wife and Nyambura and Muthoni’s mother. Although Miriamu respects Joshua, she primarily fears him. He often beats her because she is circumcised, even though she was circumcised long before they were married, as all women in the tribe are. When Muthoni dies of an infection following her own circumcision, Miriamu grieves for her lost daughter and appreciates Waiyaki’s care for her, contrasting with Joshua’s callous dismissal of his daughter’s death. However, although she respects Waiyaki, Miriamu begs Nyambura not to marry him, since defying the will of the tribe will cause yet more pain and trouble in their family from the other villager’s in addition to Joshua’s outrage.
Miriamu Quotes in The River Between
The The River Between quotes below are all either spoken by Miriamu or refer to Miriamu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“Father and Mother are circumcised. Are they not Christians? Circumcision did not prevent them from being Christians. I too have embraced the white man’s faith. However, I know it is beautiful, oh so beautiful to be initiated into womanhood. You learn the ways of the tribe. Yes, the white man’s God does not quite satisfy me. I want, I need something more.”
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Chapter 7
Quotes
Joshua was such a staunch man of God and such a firm believer in the Old Testament, that he would never refrain from punishing a sin, even if this meant beating his wife. He did not mind as long as he was executing God’s justice.
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Chapter 8
Quotes
[Miriamu’s] faith and belief in God were coupled with her fear of Joshua. But that was religion and it was the way things were ordered. However, one could tell by her eyes that this was a religion learned and accepted; inside, the true Gikuyu woman was sleeping.
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Miriamu Quotes in The River Between
The The River Between quotes below are all either spoken by Miriamu or refer to Miriamu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“Father and Mother are circumcised. Are they not Christians? Circumcision did not prevent them from being Christians. I too have embraced the white man’s faith. However, I know it is beautiful, oh so beautiful to be initiated into womanhood. You learn the ways of the tribe. Yes, the white man’s God does not quite satisfy me. I want, I need something more.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
Joshua was such a staunch man of God and such a firm believer in the Old Testament, that he would never refrain from punishing a sin, even if this meant beating his wife. He did not mind as long as he was executing God’s justice.
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Chapter 8
Quotes
[Miriamu’s] faith and belief in God were coupled with her fear of Joshua. But that was religion and it was the way things were ordered. However, one could tell by her eyes that this was a religion learned and accepted; inside, the true Gikuyu woman was sleeping.
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