I Will Marry When I Want | I Will Marry When I Want

At a glance:

Author: Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Ngugi wa Mirii
First Published: 1980
Type of Plot: Social realism; postcolonial
Time of Work: The 1970’s
Setting: Kenya
Principal Characters: Kiguunda, Wangeci, Gathoni, Ahab Kioi Wa Kanoru, Jezebel
Genres: Social realism, Drama, Postcolonial literature
Subjects: 1970’s, Africa or Africans, Power, personal or social, Betrayal, Poverty or poor people, Polygamy or bigamy, Illegitimacy, Corruption
Locales: Kenya

The set of the opening scene in I Will Marry When I Want reveals the stark living conditions of Kiguunda, a common laborer, his wife, Wangeci, and their teenage daughter, Gathoni. The three of them share a one-room house that is sparsely furnished and decorated. It consists of a bed for Kiguunda and Wangeci, a broken folding chair, and a cooking pot that sits on three stones. A pile of rags on the floor establishes that “the floor is Gathoni’s bed and the rags, her bedding.” Prominently displayed on the wall is a framed title-deed for one and a half acres...

I Will Marry When I Want | I Will Marry When I Want

At a glance:

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