Unity and Division Theme Analysis

Waiyaki feels convinced that the petty divisions and feuds between Kameno and Makuyu must end, since neither village is strong or large enough to resist the white colonialists on their own. Although educating children is critically important, Waiyaki also feels the that two villages must unite and face their common enemy together to strive for their “political freedom.” Waiyaki’s quest to unite Makuyu and Kameno against the white people suggests that a people under threat can only survive and defend themselves if they overcome their personal feuds, though this is a very difficult thing to accomplish.

Faced with the growing threat of colonialism, Waiyaki believes the two villages must resolve their differences and unite to fight for their own freedom, demonstrating the need for unity against a common enemy. Makuyu and Kameno sit atop two hills divided by a river, which symbolizes their division. Although they are closely linked, the villages are divided by long-standing rivalries, the most recent of which stems from Makuyu embracing the white people’s Christianity while Kameno rejects it in favor of tribal beliefs. At times, the animosity grows so intense that Kabonyi, an elder from Kameno, talks of taking his followers and setting fire to the Gikuyu Christians’ houses in Makuyu, indicating that the villages are beset by dangerous levels of infighting and resentment. Although Kabonyi believes the tribes can simply fight the white people with their shields and spears, Waiyaki has studied alongside white missionaries and knows that the Gikuyu will never prevail if they are divided. Rather, Waiyaki believes that Makuyu and Kameno must resolve their differences and unite—by focusing on their children’s education—so that, with the force of both villages, they can organize and fight for their “political freedom” and protect themselves from white encroachment. As a respected teacher and leader among the hills, Waiyaki counsels his followers that “a house divided against itself [cannot] stand,” implying that the Gikuyu will never stop the colonialists so long as they continue fighting amongst themselves.

Although Waiyaki knows he must use his influence in the villages to encourage unity, fear delays him before he is undermined by rivals seeking their own power, demonstrating the difficulty of uniting two groups, even against a common enemy. At the peak of his influence among the villages, Waiyaki has the opportunity to call for unity but fails to, distracted by his own feeling of importance and fear of challenging such long-standing resentment between groups, which may threaten his position of influence. This suggests that a leader can only make such a call by overcoming their fear and ego and accepting the risks. When Waiyaki does summon the courage to call for unity at the end of the novel, the Gikuyu people initially listen to him. However, his rivals, Kabonyi and Kamau—who are jealous of Waiyaki’s influence—manage to turn the entire meeting against Waiyaki by charging him of desiring to marry an uncircumcised woman, Nyambura, which violates an oath of tribal purity that Waiyaki once took. Although the tribespeople just heard Waiyaki’s call for unity, Kabonyi convinces the people that Waiyaki is a traitor to the tribe for wanting to marry an uncircumcised woman, which is a mark of white Christianity. The brief possibility of unity between Makuyu and Kameno quickly crumbles. Kabonyi and Kamau effectively undermine Waiyaki’s influence amongst the tribe and destroy his call for unity, all because they are jealous of his leadership, indicating that personal petty rivalries can thwart a people’s ability to unify themselves against a greater enemy.

Waiyaki’s defeat ends any hope of unity between the villages, and the novel’s ending implies that Makuyu and Kameno are ultimately left powerless before the white people because of their own divisions. After Kabonyi accuses Waiyaki of being a traitor for loving Nyambura, the tribe turns against Waiyaki and takes him away to face some unknown punishment. They completely ignore his call for unity, and everyone returns to their respective villages. The story ends with Waiyaki’s fate left unknown. However, the narrative notes that the ridges and the Gikuyu people, which were “awakening” to fight the white colonialists, return to silence, “hidden in darkness.” This implies that the tribe “sleeps” as it had before, allowing the colonialists to continue stealing land, reaping taxes, and installing their own government in the ridges, unchallenged. The novel’s tragic ending reinforces the need for unity amongst a people fighting against a common enemy. Waiyaki’s failure to establish unity, both due to his own fear and the pretty rivalries of others, allows the colonialists to succeed in their efforts, suggesting that the alternative to unity is ultimately defeat, the loss of a people’s agency, independence, and culture.