Summary
Introduction
The Black Hermit (1962) by Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o (GOOgee wah teeAHNG) is a social problem play. The drama investigates how suddenly new African nations such as Kenya struggle to define a national identity after generations of occupation by European countries.
Ngugi, born in 1938, grew up during Kenya's fierce guerrilla war for independence, which ultimately freed the country from British rule. The play centers on the tragedy of Remi, a young man torn between his tribal heritage, Western Christian upbringing, family responsibilities, and the progressive ideas he encountered through his university education.
Throughout his career, which spanned over half a century, Ngugi wrote more than a dozen plays in both English and his native Gikuyu. A frequent Nobel Prize contender, Ngugi embraced the ancient idea of theater as a space to reflect on societal challenges. Like the works of playwrights Ngugi admired—Henrik Ibsen, George Bernard Shaw, and August Wilson—The Black Hermit pushes audiences to reconsider their beliefs and confront new, daring ideas.
Plot Summary
As the play opens, Nyobi and her daughter-in-law Thoni are engaged in daily chores in their village. As Thoni sorts beans for dinner, Nyobi notices the young woman is crying. Nyobi privately laments the absence of her son, Remi, the first from their village to attend university in the village.
Thoni acknowledges her loneliness. She was previously married to Remi's older brother, who died in a motorcycle accident. Before leaving for the city, Remi married Thoni in accordance with tribal customs, but Thoni longs to fulfill her role as a wife and mother. Nyobi feels helpless as she watches Thoni's youth fade away, like "bits of a cloth hung in the sun."
A village elder arrives unannounced. He tells Nyobi that one of their most respected oracles had a vision that the village could only prosper with Remi's return. Plagued by drought, the village has found little hope in the new national government composed of a union of tribes directed by the Africanist Party. "We are promised roads, hospitals; but which hungry man wants a road?" The elder seeks Nyobi's permission to go to the city and convince Remi to return. She agrees to think about it.
A convert to Christianity, Nyobi is uncertain about the elders's plan because it lacks Christ's blessing. She seeks advice from her pastor, who harshly criticizes Remi for abandoning his responsibilities to his family and tribe. "Your son was lured away by Satan into the City." Although reluctant, the pastor agrees to go to the city to persuade Remi, partly out of a desire to revitalize his aging Church with fresh leadership.
In Act 2, the play shifts to the city, where Remi now works as a clerk for a British oil company while attending university. He indulges in the city's nightlife but cannot fully shake his connection to his village. Remi's unresolved feelings toward Thoni are a source of inner conflict—he believes their marriage was a mere obligation to custom despite his long-held affection for her. He has never even told his lover Jane, a white South African, about Thoni. Jane senses his emotional distance and grows frustrated.
Remi's friend Omange visits him, and they discuss their nation's future. Omange is troubled by the persistent racial tensions despite independence, while Remi is torn between his loyalty to tribal identity and his newfound passion for nationalism. Remi admits to hiding from Thoni, unwilling to confront the complexities of their relationship. Omange urges him to return to the village to face his responsibilities.
When the village elders arrive, Remi rejects their pleas to return. Later, the pastor...
(This entire section contains 878 words.)
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visits, appealing to Remi's sense of duty toward his mother, wife, and the village's spiritual well-being. "God needs you. Your mother needs you." Realizing he can no longer remain a hermit, Remi reluctantly agrees to go back.
Jane, heartbroken, begs Remi to take her with him. He finally admits to being married, shattering Jane's hopes. "You are too weak to tell me the truth," she accuses, devastated by his dishonesty.
In Act 3, Remi returns to his village. His mother eagerly anticipates the reunion. Thoni, haunted by troubling dreams, fears the worst.
Upon his arrival, Remi is swept up in the village's celebrations, where he delivers a rousing speech denouncing their tribal customs and promoting the progressive nationalism of the Africanist Party. He coldly refuses to reunite with Thoni, dismissing their marriage as an outdated tradition.
Thoni feels like a weed "pulled out and flung on the bare path." She tells a neighbor she is leaving, going to the "place of darkness" where she will be free of her sorrow. Before Thoni departs, she leaves a letter for Remi with the neighbor confessing her love. When the neighbor delivers the letter, Remi is still pumped from his speech. "You may praise yourself," she says contemptuously, "but what of her?"
Reading the letter, Remi realizes too late how blind he has been to Thoni's feelings. A procession of elders soon arrives, carrying Thoni's lifeless body on a stretcher—she has taken her own life. "She was holy," the pastor murmurs to the shocked Remi.
Kneeling beside her body, Remi is devastated by the realization of what he has lost. "Thoni, what have I done?" he cries, overwhelmed with grief.