THE INTERVIEW _ NOVEL
THE INTERVIEW BY PATRICK M NGUGI
CHAPTER ONE
THE ACCIDENT
Joe wakes up and
prepares himself to go for an interview. He completed form four at Nairobi
Central Academy but was not given the certificates since he had not cleared the
40000/= he owed the school as school fees. As a result he could neither get any
job nor go to college. We are told that their parents were killed in ethnic
cleansing thus Joe and his sisters were sheltered by their maternal uncle – Jotham.
Joe leaves for the interview and he goes through the newspapers headlines. One
of them reads
“ELEPHANT GROUP TAKES
OVER NAIROBI BOTTLERS”.
As he reaches the bus
stop he sees an old woman who seems to be mentally disturbed across the road.
The matatu are nowhere to be seen to take him to the interview on time. Then
the old woman starts crossing the road. Unfortunately, the fast moving matatu
knocks her down but Joe dives to rescue her from the full impact. He then calls
the police who arrive with an ambulance and collects the old cucu to the
hospital with Joe for further police interview at the hospital police post. Joe
wonders whether he would be able to make it on time to the interview.
CHAPTER TWO
AT THE HOSPITAL
At the hospital Joe is
so depressed for having missed the interview. One medic named Freddie Mwasi
tries to comfort him thinking that Joe is depressed because of the old cucu. A
full flashback is given on how Joe’s parents and other people were killed and
children massacred. Joe and his sisters managed to escape and found themselves
in Nairobi city. Together with their brother David, were sheltered by their
uncle – Jotham.
Joe is taken to the
hospital’s police post for further interview with Chief Inspector Margaret
Kinyua. Joe narrates what happened up the time the police and the ambulance
arrived. After the interview with Joe, she then orders Constable Kilonzo to
take Joe to the interview by the ambulance. It was then 9:15 while his
interview was scheduled at 8:30. He was 45 minutes late. Before they leave he
rushes in to see cucu, who’s been admitted. He meets Dr. Ochieng’ who’s
examining the old cucu. He thanks Joe for calling them in time. He asks Joe if
he is related to cucu and Joe refuses. After that Joe is rushed to the City
Soap Industries Kampala Road in the Industrial Area for the interview.
CHAPTER THREE
JOE ARRIVES FOR THE
INTERVIEW
Joe enters the
building and asks for Mr Daniel Kung’us office at the reception. The
receptionist confirms if he is one of the interviewees. She wonders why he is
so late, as his interview was scheduled at 8:30. She allows him go upstairs.
Another flashback is told of a girl named Gladwell who happened to be Joe’s
closest friend. The two met at the church when they were both choir members and
Joe loved her.
Joe enters the office
of Mr. Kung’u and finds a lot of young men and women who are also for the same
job. The secretary informs Mr Kung’u of Joe’s arrival and he gives him an
appointment to meet him at noon. He is happy and hopeful that at least the boss
has agreed to meet him. As he was leaving Gladwell stops him. He is so
impressed to see her. After a brief chat they arrange to meet later and she
goes back to the office. At exactly 11:30 he comes back and is allowed in
without the usual formalities. He explains why he was late for the interview.
Mr Kung’u says that they cannot hire him since he failed the interview in the
first place by not showing up on time for the interview and their policy does
not allow lateness for whatever reason. Then Joe is asked to leave his paper
and he leaves the office.
CHAPTER FOUR
JOE AND GLADWELL GO
OUT
David comforts Joe for
the bad news. Then Joe tells him how he met Gladwell in the office. Joe and
Gladwell meet at Ogden Cinema and they stride to Silver Moon Restaurant. They
talk a bit about Gladwell sister Georgina who died of Tuberculosis. Joe then
tells Gladwell how he rescued the old cucu. Joe feels a bit depressed that they
decide to change the topic. They leave each other while Joe is wondering if
cucu was to die, would she be buried anonymously. He hoped that cucu had a
family somewhere, and that someone somewhere might be looking for her.
Joe decides to go to
the hospital to see cucu’s progress. He goes to the ward number three and meets
Mildred Amiti – the nurse who is attending cucu. She gives him a brief summary
of cucu’s progress ever since he left. After staring at her and having some
more conversation with the nurse he excuses himself and leaves promising to
visit the following day.
CHAPTER FIVE
JOE SECURES A
JOB AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY
Joe suffers a
sleepless night because of cucu’s vision that keeps visiting his mind. He
leaves his bed and goes to watch the CNN. David also wakes up and goes to have
a chat with him. David informs Joe of the job he has found for him as a
librarian at the national library. Although it was the last occupation he
expected, for that moment it was better than nothing. He becomes a bit happy
and the two go to sleep.
In the morning Joe
reports at the National Library and is directed to the Chief Librarian’s
office, Mr. Julius Kimeu who was David’s old schoolmate. That’s how Joe gets a
part-time job at the National Library.
As Joe is engaged in
reading, suddenly the memory of cucu comes into his mind and fails to ignore
it. He asks for permission and goes to see her. At the hospital he finds a
crowd of people examining a dead body of a pastor who flung himself from the 8thfloor
because he was HIV positive. Joe meets Freddie – the medic and the two go to
see cucu. Dr. Ochieng’ gives them a summary of cucu’s condition that she is now
conscious only that she suffers from amnesia (loss of memory) as she couldn’t
remember anything.
CHAPTER SIX
AT THE HOSPITAL
Cucu is happy to see
Joe and she blesses him for saving her life by spiting on his face. Cucu asks
for the discharge and says Joe will direct her to her home. Dr. Ochieng’,
Freddie and Joe try to reason together what is to be done to cucu but later
they agree to meet the following day. Joe wonders how in the world a pastor can
get HIV but Dr. Ochieng’ informs him that HIV gets anyone including Bishops,
Doctors and other important dignitaries.
After leaving the
hospital he thinks of Gladwell and decides to go to the choir practice at St.
Bernadette Church where he meets her. After the practice the two walk home
together. Joe tells Gladwell of cucu but she doesn’t seem to be happy by the
way Joe is getting concerned with cucu and calls him RED CROSS.
Joe changes the topic
and tells her that he has got a job as Assistant Librarian at the National
Library. Later on they talk of a Pastor who jumped from the 8th floor
and died. Then Glad says even her sister Georgina was there and she died of
AIDS not TB as it was announced.
CHAPTER SEVEN
JOE GETS THE CONTACTS
OF CUCU’S RELATIVES
Joe recounts the day’s
events to his brother but he ends up discouraging him to continue with cucu’s
case. The next day he went to work but did not go to visit cucu. The following
day he goes and Dr. Ochieng’ gives him a brief summary of cucu’s accusation on
him why he had not shown up the previous day. As they talk to cucu she mentions
that her home is in Kariobangi. They are so impressed because at least they
have got where to start the house hunting mission.
Back at work Joe
receives a call from Glad who informs him that she has got the job at the City
Soap Industries. They plan to meet and have a drink together but he remembers
the house hunting mission with Dr. Ochieng’ and Mildred then they postpone
instead they agree to join the hunting mission.
He goes back to work
and decides to peruse the past newspapers. He comes across an announcement of a
missing person and discovers that it is cucu. He reads the caption below the
photo. Page 45
|
“Leah
‘Chiki’ Nyaguthii (above) went missing from her Muthaiga home about one month
ago. She is 70 years old. Light complexion and of slightly heavy build. She
was dressed in a light green frock and sweater when she was last seen. She
speaks Kikuyu, Kikamba, Kiswahili and a little English and is slightly
mentally disturbed. Anyone who might see her can telephone her son Johnson K.
Njogu at 3345643; or call nearest police station. A reward of Sh 100,000 will
be given to whoever helps in locating this woman.
|
JOE CONTACTS
JOHNSON NJOGU
Joe notes down the
telephone number of Johnson Njogu the old lady’s son. He asks Mercy Muraya –
the receptionist to ring it. Unfortunately he doesn’t get Njogu directly
because this is a home telephone. He asks for his office number and rings him
directly. The man sounds so hostile that Joe wonders whether he has done a
mistake.
Njogu thinks that Joe is just one of those nitwits who called him just
because they were after money. Joe calls him the second time, tells him where
the lady is and bangs down the phone. Joe wonders how God orchestrated this
plan in a mysterious way; that he could get the library job, find cucu’s
relatives and finally claim 100,000/= which would help him redeem his
certificates.
Glad comes over and
the two head to the hospital as he gives her a summary of the exciting news.
Arriving at the hospital Joe tells Dr. Ochieng’ the news. Dr. Ochieng’ is
impressed for the updates. They wait for Njogu to call but they are finally
disappointed.
Back home he tells the
story to his brother David who confirms that it should be the well known Njogu
since there is just one Njogu – the billionaire and the Chairman and Chief
executive of Elephant Group of Companies.
CHAPTER NINE
JOE’S BACKGOUND IS
GIVEN AND CUCU IS TAKEN
A flashback is given
on how Joe escaped with his sisters since all men and boys were killed only
girls and women were spared. Some unlucky ones (girls) were raped and abducted.
They were collected at the Catholic Mission by his brother and their uncle.
They lived with their uncle who provided them with both physical and
psychological needs. He sent them to school and David finished and got a job as
a bookkeeper.
He helped his uncle to provide for financial needs to his young
siblings. By the time Joe completed his Fourth Form he owed the school 40,000/=.
Mary (aged 22) completed her training and got a job as a nurse at Nairobi
Metropolis Hospice. She had to pay for Lucy who was a secretarial student at
City Polytechnic.
Joe thinks of his
paternal grandparents since he had seen them when he was so young. We are told
that their grandfather was Kibe and grandmother was Wacheke. We are also told
of Joe’s paternal uncle John Kibe who got a scholarship and went to America to
study Business Administration. Then a full flashback of Joe’s family is given.
Joe calls at the
hospital and Mildred says that cucu is still there despite being discharged.
Joe and Gladwell go to the hospital to see cucu. Surprisingly they find someone
else on cucu’s bed. They wonder whether cucu is dead or released to roam in the
streets. Later Freddie tells him that Mr. Njogu came to collect her.
CHAPTER TEN
A CHAUFFEUR COMES TO
PICK JOE
For two days Joe
becomes a zombie but later he becomes normal again. He goes back to work and
colleagues are happy. He is informed by Mercy that someone needs to see him. A
man who introduces himself to be Tony Kibe tells him that he has come to pick
him to go and meet Mr. Njogu. He seeks for permission and is allowed.
The
chauffeur opens the car door for Joe and he feels like a VIP. Tony and Joe talk
a bit about cucu and her improvements. Joe thinks that he is daydreaming but he
finally realises that it is real. He feels embarrassed when the chauffeur opens
the door for him. He wonders whether he is already a celebrity.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JOE IN NJOGU’S MANSION
Joe enters Njogu’s
living room which is full of modern and expensive items. Joe scans all these in
a few seconds as he stands mesmerised by the luxury of a modern high-class
living room. Joe meets Njogu’s family members who welcome him warmly and interview
him how he found cucu. Joe tells them everything including how his actions had
cost him a chance of an interview. Joe tells how he failed to get his
certificates for lacking 40,000 as fees arrears.
Uncle Dan comes in, in
the middle of the conversation. He looks familiar to Joe but his memory fails
him where in the world they had met before. After a while Joe remembers that he
is Daniel Kung’u the Personnel Manager at the City Soap Industries who told him
that the company does not tolerate lateness. They praise Joe for his good
heart. Then Njogu promises to pay the 40,000 for him to be able to collect his
certificates. He doubles the prize from 100,000 to 200,000 then offers Joe a
job at the City Soap Ind.
They ask David to be
fetched to come and celebrate with them. Meanwhile they ask Joe to tell them
his family Background. In the process they discover that he is a grandson of
Wacheke (cucu) and a nephew to Johnson Njogu and Daniel Kung’u and a cousin to
Joyce and Tony (Njogu’s children). What a coincidence!
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE REUNION PARTY
Joe is happy that he
has more money than he expected. He will have enough to pay for his
certificates and still have much left over. They inform their sisters Lucy and
Mary to accompany them for the reunion party at Njogu’s mansion. He also
invites Gladwell to go with them. Gladwell is surprised to hear that Njogu is
Joe’s relative and on top of that Joe has been offered a job.
Arriving at the
mansion Joyce and Tony meet the newcomers; Mary, Lucy, Gladwell, Joe and David.
The Njogus come out also to meet the newcomers. Cucu sends spittle of blessing
on their heads to bless them. They all break into a song and dance while tears
of joy welling in their eyes.
INTRODUCTION
THE TITLE OF THE BOOK
Perhaps the basic questions
to ask ourselves before we move further into the book are;
1. What
is the meaning of the word interview?
2. “What
is (are) the interview(s) in ‘the Interview?’”
The word interview can
be understood as:
i. A
formal meeting at which somebody is asked questions to see if they are suitable
for a particular job, or for a course of study at a college, university, etc
ii. It
is to ask somebody questions about their life, opinions, etc,
especially on the radio or television or for a newspaper or magazine
iii. To
ask somebody questions at a private meeting.
In The
Interview there are several interviews that relate to the title of the
book.
a. Job
interview at the City Soap Industry. The major interview in the novel is
the job interview which Joe has to attend but unfortunately he misses it
because of volunteering to save cucu. We are also told that a lot of candidates
have attended the same job interview at the CITY SOAP INDUSTRY including
Gladwell.
b. Police
interview with Joe. The second interview is held by the police (Chief
Inspector Margaret Kinyua) to interview Joe how the accident occurred and if he
can recognize the plate number of the matatu.
c. Hospital
interview. At the hospital also Joe is asked some questions including
whether he knows the old woman he saved.
d. Njogu’s
interview with Joe. Njogu asks Joe several questions after inviting
him to his home. In that interview they come to find out that they are related
and Joe is Njogu’s nephew.
e. The
life interview. Joe’s life is an interview by itself. From the way he
sacrifices his job interview, to save cucu’s life, then keeps on visiting her
at the hospital, and helps to finds her relatives. All these are series of
actions that later reward him the job he wanted plus other benefits.
CHARACTERS AND
CHARACTERIZATION
JOSEPH KIMANI (JOE)
He is
the main character in the novel. He is a son of Bernard Kung’u and
Nancy Mwihaki and a young brother to David Kibe, Mary Waithera, and Lucy Nduta
and a grandson of Leah Wacheke.
He is
educated. He is a form four leaver from Nairobi city
Academy but fails to collect his certificate due to debt of 40,000/= that he
owed the school as fees arrears.
He is
an orphan. He lost both his parents in an ethnic cleansing that took
place in Uasin Gishu district where he lived with his parents. We are told in
page 62 that “Joe was orphaned at age ten”.
He
becomes insomniac. Joe suffers from insomnia (the condition of being
unable to sleep) due to different circumstances. One is his state of
joblessness. Second is cucu’s accident and the related nightmares.
He is
kind-hearted and sympathetic. He saves cucu from a fatal accident and
takes care of her at the expense of his own job interview. Although he does not
know the woman, he keeps on regularly visiting her at the hospital, even after
being discouraged by his brother David and his girlfriend Gladwell, who mock
him “Red Cross”.
He is
quick in decision making. This is revealed from the way he saved cucu and
immediately contacts the police. The author says; “he jumped into the road,
got hold of the muttering woman and pulled her off road as he dived to avoid
the speeding matatu.” Pg 8
He is
lucky. His kindness to save and serve cucu opens doors for his future
success. He gets a part-time job as an assistant librarian, which helps him to
connect cucu with her family. He is awarded Ksh 240,000/=. He gets a job he
dreamt of; furthermore, still he is reunited with his relatives. This shows
that kindness pays.
He is
poor. He comes from a poor family that cannot afford to pay for his
school fees. However this is due to the massacre of his parents and land
grabbing. He is a good example in the society.
LEAH WACHEKE (CUCU)
She is
an old woman who at times is mentally disturbed. She goes mad after
the death of her husband Kibe who is killed in ethnic cleansing at Molo. Pg
75 Her condition results to her involvement in a matatu
accident and is rescued by Joe.
She
temporarily suffers from amnesia. {a medical condition in which somebody
partly or completely loses their memory} Cucu loses her memory of who she is,
where she came from, who her relatives are etc. later she gradually recovers.
She is
Joe’s paternal grandmother. It is later discovered that she is a real
biological grandmother to Joseph Kimani and a mother to Bernard Kung’u.
She
has a thanksgiving heart. After all that Joe did to her, the Njogus came to
collect her at the hospital without acknowledging what Joe did but she insisted
that Joe must be called to see her. The author says; {Tony telling Joe} “She
even said we had to wait for you before taking her away...we thought she’d
forget about it once she reached home but we were mistaken...” pg 76
GLADWELL
She is
a sister to the late Georgina who died of AIDS.
She is
a singer. We are told that she was singing in a choir at St Benedette
Church and that’s where she met Joe who is also a singer.
She is
Joe’s girlfriend. After meeting at the choir the two become friends
and they spend some times together, going out etc.
She is
an avid reader of novels. We are told that she was an addict of
romantic novels. Joe comments; “so Gladwell the
romantic novel addict was after the same job.” Pg 24
She is
pretty. We are told that she is so pretty that Joe hopes that one day
when she is not in the middle of too much reading – he would get the courage to
tell her how he felt about her.
She is
jealousy and selfish. She becomes uncomfortable and jealous when Joe
keeps on paying regular visits to cucu at the hospital and his intention to
look for cucu’s relatives. She mocks Joe by asking him “Since
when are you the Red Cross?”
She
gets a job at the city Soap Industry. Out of the great completion for
just one post she becomes victorious and gets that job. She is even thankful
that Joe was late for the interview because he might have qualified for the
post instead.
DANIEL KUNG’U
He is
a cousin to Johnson Njogu and Bernard Kung’u.
He is
the Personnel Manager at the City Soap Industries. He is the one who
conducts the interview for the company to fill in the vacancy of a lab
technician.
He is
very strict about time. Joe comes a bit late for the interview for having
done a generous work but his excuse hits the wall. The receptionist tells Joe “Well,
Mr Kung’u is very particular about time.”.pg 21. In the office he tells Joe
“I’m sorry but our policy does not allow lateness for whatever reason” pg 26
He is
inconsiderate. Although Joe is late for a genuine reason he does not consider
him. He says that they can’t hire him because he failed to show up and they
will only consider those who are on time.
JOHNSON NJOGU
He is
a rich billionaire and industrial tycoon. He is the one who owns Elephant
Group of Companies.
He is a son
of Kibe and Wacheke and a brother of Bernard Kung’u.
He is
educated. We are told that he gets a scholarship and goes to study in
America a five years’ course in Business Administration.
He is
a very kind man. Although at first Joe thought he is a rude man, the way he
talked to him on the phone he came to realise that he wasn’t so at all. He
treats Joe kindly after discovering what he did to his mother that Joe feels
like a VIP.
He has
a thanksgiving heart. Although he had promised 100000/= to whoever will
help them relocate their missing mom, he doubled the prize to 200000/= for Joe
plus paying his fee arrears and offering him a job at the City Soap Industry.
All these happen before even discovering that they are related.
He is
carried away by culture shock in America. He completes his studies but does
not return back home on time. He even gets a job
He is
remorseful and apologetic. This happens in different scenarios; first
he apologises for not taking Joe seriously when he called firstly, informing
him of the found cucu pg 80. Secondly, he feels guilty and sorrowful for having
abandoned home completely when in America. Pg 88
DAVID
He is the
older brother of Joe, Mary and Lucy.
He is
educated. He grows up at Uncle Jotham’s place where he finishes
school, and completes a six-months’ account course.
He
works as a bookkeeper. After getting the job, he takes over the
responsibility of buying clothes for Joe, paying for his education and giving
him a little pocket money.
He
finds a part-time job for Joe. Due to the state of joblessness that is
eating his young brother he decides to find a part-time job for him through his
friend Julius Kimeu as an assistant librarian.
He is
selfish: He discourages Joe from visiting cucu since he does not know her
he even mocks Joe by telling him “I hope this time you will not witness
another accident and play the Good Samaritan” pg 34.
Other characters
include:
Uncle
Jotham; a kind-hearted man who takes care of his sister’s (Nancy)
children after the death of their parents. He sends them to school and takes
care of all the physical and psychological needs.
Dr
Ochieng’: He serves as a Doctor at the National hospital. He is also very
kind-hearted man since he gives maximum care to cucu and gives a hand of
cooperation to house-hunt cucus relatives with Freddie the Medic and Mildred
the nurse.
Mercy. The
library receptionist who helps Joe to get his call through to Njogu.
SETTING
The setting of the
book is in a modern city Nairobi in Kenya. It portrays the challenges in post
independence African countries in urban areas. The setting is urban due to the
following reasons:
Mode
of Transport. Matatu transport is a common public transport used in
Nairobi city. Also Ambulance services are common in town than in the
countryside.
High
unemployment rate. In towns most educated people have no jobs as evidenced
by a number of young people who appear for interview just for one post.
Library
services are provided in towns than in the countryside.
Life
style. The kind of lifestyle described in Njogus home symbolises the kind
of life the rich people live in big cities. Things like36-inch TV, video, and
hi-fi equipment, computer, fax machine cum photocopier.
Industries.
Many industries are located in urban areas like the City Soap Industry.
There are also sub
settings that sum up the urban setting.
Office
setting. We see the office setting in the building that the City Soap
Industry headquarters is located.
Hospital
setting. We see hospital setting at the National hospital where cucu is
admitted. But also incidents like suicide of HIV/AIDS victims take place there.
Restaurant
setting. We see Joe and Gladwell going out at Silver moon Restaurant
for a drink and some chats. This is common in towns than in countryside.
STYLE.
The book is rich in
its style. The author has employed both the narrative technique to a large
extent and dialogue to bring the characters to life. For example in page 73 Joe
is taking to Tony.
“Are you looking for me?”
Joe asked.
“Are you Joseph
Kimani? He was asked in reply.
“Yes, i am” Joe said
politely but curiously.
“Then you are the man
I am looking for. Let’s go....
Point
of view. The writer has used all the three persons. However 3rd person
singular is the dominant one. This is to say the author narrates the story.
The author has
employed the language of conversation with informal words like
“Oh God Jeeysus! Pg
87
“Aunteeeee! Ankoo is
calling you! Pg 56
Code mixing like
What you guys call
shamba?
Very sad. Pole sana.
Also the book has
employed the language of newspaper reporting.
E.g. In pg7 ELEPHANT
GROUP TAKES OVER NAIROBI BOTTLERS.
Also in pg 54 there is
an advert for a missing person, common in newspapers.
LANGUAGE USE.
The author has used a
lot of figures of speech to enrich his style and get his messages across. Some
of the figures of speech used are:
Hyperbole.
He had
polished his shoes...that he could almost use it as a mirror. Pg 7.
The
matatu were notorious for taking ages to appear pg 8
The
silence that followed the next few seconds was so heavy that you could hear
particles of dust fly past your ears and settle on the ground. Pg 83
Simile
She is as
fit as a fiddle. Pg 38
She
hugged me like hell. Pg 45
Joe’s
heart skidded, stopped, then went wild beating like hell. 83
Metaphor
Even
science can be an art in fact it is an art. Pg 34
Since
when are you Red Cross. Pg 45
Euphemism
You see
she seemed not to be of sound mind when I saw her before the accident. Pg 18
(meaning she was insane)
Rhetorical question
Where did
she come from? Where was she going? Who was she? What drove her insane? And who
were her relatives? Pg 18
Personification
His heart
was racing vigorously. Pg 21
Sorry my
mind was miles away. Pg 29
Thank
your stars, Joe there is an opening for you. Pg 3
Then she
smiled as his face registered in his mind. Pg 50
His heart
raced madly. 53
The
picture of his patient, the old cucu stared back at him. Pg 53
Barbarism
Kwani,
whom did you expect? Pg 33
Ngai
fafa. Pg 85
It was
their shauri. Pg 72
What you
guys call shamba? Pg 85
Pole
sana. Pg 85
Allusion
I hope
this time you will not witness another accident and play the Good Samaritan. Pg
34 (referring to the Good Samaritan in the Bible)
Oxymoron
And
continued to daydream in the night pg
His
new-old friend, cucu. pg 72
Alliteration
They are
very lively, lovely folks. Pg 94
Reiteration.
Oh young man thank
you, thank you, thank you so much.pg 41
Also there are sayings
idioms and proverbs
Survival
for the fittest. Pg 8
Do you
think that is just sour grapes or wishful thinking? Pg 27
The world
will not end just because you missed the interview. Pg 27
Let’s
cross those bridges when we reach them. Pg42
Moreover religious
language has been used.
May God
bless you and bless your ways throughout your life. Pg 41
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
NEPOTISM
This is
the act of giving unfair advantages to your own family if you are in a position
of power, especially by giving them jobs.
Joe gets
a job through his brother who is a friend of Julius Kimeu – the chief librarian
at the national library. David reports the matter to Joe by saying “there is
a job for you somewhere. A friend of mine has fixed something for you” pg 33
Also
Daniel Kung’u is the Personnel Manager at the City Soap Industries which is
owned by his cousin Johnson Njogu.
CONFLICTS
This is a
situation in which there are opposing ideas, opinions, feelings or wishes; a
situation in which it is difficult to choose and sometimes the two opposing
parties end up fighting. In this novel there are two major types of conflicts;
Intrapersonal (internal) conflict and social conflict.
INTRAPERSONAL CONFLICT
This
takes place within the mind of a character. The character struggles to make
decision, take action, or overcome a feeling. In the novel we see Joe involved
in this conflict due to some reasons.
One, is
the fact that he misses the interview and consequently misses the job
altogether.
Two, the
accident he witnesses and the related nightmares that he tries to overcome but
he fails. The author tries to explain this situation in page 32 by saying
“Every time he
closed his eyes he saw the pitiful figure of the old woman being knocked and
dragged by the matatu. He tried reading a novel hoping to drift into sleep, but
visions of the accident still crept into his mind”
Three,
when he finds out that Njogu has taken cucu secretly from the hospital without
informing him he becomes uncomfortable.
SOCIAL CONFLICT
This
conflict usually involves one community/society or any social group with
another. In this society we see the Repercussion of social conflicts between
communities as a result of ethnic cleansing that take place some years back in
Uasin Gishu district. These repercussions include;
Massacre/massive
killings. We are told that even at Kondoo area of Burnt forest in the
rift valley one night some warriors raided the farms killing many people.
Houses were burnt and people including children were massacred.
Raping.
We are told in page 63 that during the massacre women and girls would be mostly
spared but the unlucky ones were abducted and raped.
Family
disintegration. Joe’s family is completely disintegrated, and relocated.
Joe and his siblings leave their area and go to live with their uncle Jotham,
while the grandmother (Wacheke) and other relatives are separated.
Land
annexation/appropriation. During the tribal crashes the land is taken from
the owners by strangers/invaders. For example in page 6 the author says
“When David visited
what had once been their homestead years later, he found strangers living on
the farm... They dared him to set foot on the compound if he valued his life”
But also when Njogu
comes back from America he tries to trace their home in Molo but he says “it
was all in shambles with strangers living on the farm.
POVERTY
This is the state of
living below the poverty line - the official level of income that is necessary
to be able to buy the basic things you need such as food and clothes and to pay
for somewhere to live.
This society is characterized by poverty. More often than not poverty in this society is caused
by the state of joblessness. This society is no exception. The author has
portrayed the theme of poverty in the following scenarios.
Joe’s
family is so poor that Joe fails to pay the school fees. As a result he is
unable to recover his secondary school certificates. He is out struggling and
looking for the job that will enable him to help his financially burdened
brother and pay for his school fees arrears and redeem his certificates.
Many
people are poor and can’t afford the living. This is evidenced by the way they
make prank calls to Njogu claiming to have located the missing cucu just to get
money from him.
Many
educated people are jobless. This is evident in the office of the Personnel
Manager of the City Soap Industry where a score of young women and men appear
for interview just for one post. This shows how the state of joblessness is big
and serious resulting to poverty in this society.
UNEMPLOYMENT
This is
the state or the fact of a number of people not having jobs. Unemployment is a
common problem in developing countries especially among the youths. Many
educated people are jobless. This is evident in the office of the Personnel
Manager of the City Soap Industry –Daniel Kung’u- where Joe finds a score of
young women and men who appear for interview all clutching envelopes and other
papers and sat in nervous anticipation just for one post. This shows how the
state of joblessness is big and serious resulting to poverty in this society.
Joe
suffers the fate of joblessness and he tries to find any job that will help him
to clear his school fees arrears. He gets a part time job at the National
library and accepts it though it’s not one that he anticipated. He accepts it
nevertheless since something is better than nothing.
AFRICAN TRADITIONS
A tradition is a
belief, custom or way of doing something that has existed for a long time among
a particular group of people. In this society there are some few cases of
African tradition though it seems to be a modernized society.
Blessings. More
often than not the elders bless the young by spitting on their forehead or on
their palms. Cucu blesses Joe in a similar way. The author says; “After sending
spittle of blessing upon his face, she released Joe from the tight embrace”
page 4. Also in page 95 we are told that when the family is finally reunited
“cucu spits over their head to bless them.
Unity
and cooperation in extended family. Africans have always been living in
unity and cooperation among the members of extended family. In this book we see
after the death of Joe’s parents they are hosted by their maternal uncle who
takes care of them including sending them to school and meeting their physical
and psychological needs. David also cooperates with his siblings when his uncle
is burdened.
HIV/AIDS is a common
theme in the contemporary African literature. Many authors write showing the
ways it spreads and preventive measures. Most of them use characters as their
mouthpieces to pass over the intended message. In this book AIDS is discussed
in the following approach;
There
are suicide cases. People who suspect they have the disease jump off from
the eighth floor where AIDS victims are taken care of and end their lives.
HIV is
indiscriminate as it gets anyone. Joe wonders how a pastor can be infected
with HIV but Dr, Ochieng tells him that HIV does not care who you are as long
as you indulge in risky behaviours you will be subjected to it. He says:
“We know bishops,
doctors and other important dignitaries who have succumbed to the disease.
However what is important is that it can get anyone. No one is out of reach as
long as they continue indulging in risky activities” pg 43
AIDS
has no cure yet but there are preventive ways. Using Dr. Ochieng’ as his
mouthpiece the author says that the only ways to stay out of AIDS are:
To
abstain from sex if you are single.
Be
faithful to one partner.
Practice
safe sex- If you are not sure if your partner is faithful. This includes using
a condom.
Take HIV
test if you eventually decide to get married.
People
are not telling the truth about AIDS. We are told the Gladwell’s sister
–Georgina died of AIDS. However to avoid stigma it was announced that she died
of Tuberculosis (TB) pg 46
LUCK AND FATE
Luck refers to good
things that happen to you by chance, not because of your own efforts or
abilities and fate implies the power that is believed to
control everything that happens to somebody and that cannot be stopped or
changed.
Everything
that happens to Joe’s life seems to be controlled by powers outside himself.
Joe witnesses an accident that becomes a turning point in his life completely.
The accident makes him miss the interview, thus he misses the job he desired.
He gets another job that still works miraculously to help him locate cucu’s
relatives only to discover that he was helping his own cucu. The
author expresses this luck and fate in the following way “Throughout the
lunch hour Joe kept on thinking how, by a stroke of luck, he had come across
the advert.”
He
continues to say “Was it by divine mercy that he had got the job at the
Library in the first place? Was it through divine design that he had witnessed
the accident, so that he could fail the interview and get this job at the
library, so that he could be instrumental in helping the Njogus find their
loved one? God surely worked in mysterious ways.” Pg 59
Eventually
Joe gets 240,000/= and the job he desired just for helping their own
grandmother unknowingly. Also this incident helps them to discover that the
Njogus are their real relatives who got misplaced long ago.
There was a power
beyond Joe’s control that was orchestrating all these things in Joe’s life.
CLASSES
These are the groups
of people in a society that are thought of as being at the same social or
economic level. In most post colonial African countries there are classes of
poor people and rich people. In this society, this situation is evident.
The poor/low class.
The poor
class as represented by Joe and his siblings are getting hard time to sustain
their living. It is shown that due to poverty at home Joe is not able to pay
for his school fees thus unable to get his certificates. This is contributed
partly by tribal/ethnic clashes which result to the death of their parents and
appropriation of their land where they could produce. It is also contributed by
the state of joblessness that Joe faces. He gets a part time job at the
National library and accepts it though it is not one that he anticipated. He
accepts it nevertheless since something is better than nothing.
Many
people are poor and can’t afford the living. This is evidenced by the way they
make prank calls to Njogu claiming to have located the missing cucu just to get
money from him.
Many
educated people are jobless. This is evident in the office of the Personnel
Manager of the City Soap Industry where a score of young women and men appear
for interview just for one post. This shows how the state of joblessness is big
and serious resulting to poverty in this society.
The Rich/high Class
The rich
class is represented by the Njogus. These have everything they need; good
houses, expensive cars, big income generating projects etc. The author
describes Njogu’s home in a way that everything there symbolises wealth. In
page 76 he says “the stately mansions behind the elegant gates and
beautifully trimmed hedges mesmerised him”.
He
continues to describe the mansion from inside that when Joe entered Njogu’s
living room he saw expensive items which displayed affluence to the point of
obscenity and arrogance. The author says “Joe scanned all these in a few
seconds, as he stood mesmerised by the luxury of a modern, high-class living
room”. Pg 78
HUMANITY AND KINDNESS
Humanity is the
quality of being kind to people and animals by making sure that they do not
suffer more than is necessary. The entire book seems to be centred on the theme
of humanity and kindness. The author shows how some people play the role of
good Samaritans in helping other people in need of their help. The following
cannot be left unmentioned.
Joe plays
the role of a Good Samaritan by helping cucu at the expense of his own job
interview. However the author shows that kindness pays. Joe eventually gets the
job he aspired for and discovers that he was helping his own biological
paternal grandmother.
We are
told that some good Samaritans were carrying refuges in Lorries to the Catholic
Mission in Londiani.
Uncle
Jotham takes care of his sister’s children and becomes their guardian meeting
their immediate physical and psychological needs, feeding, clothing and
counselling them, until all four siblings become too much a burden for him and
his young wife.
Other themes
include
Selfishness. Both David and
Gladwell show selfishness by discouraging Joe who keeps on visiting cucu and
taking care of her since he is not related to her.
Jealousy. Gladwell becomes
jealousy when Joe spends much time thinking about and visiting cucu than
spending time with her (Gladwell)
Sacrifice. Joe sacrifices his
life to save cucu in a moving matatu. He could probably be injured as well but
he never cared about that since he wanted to save cucu. He sacrifices his time
to send cucu to the hospital and misses the interview but also to visit cucu at
the hospital every now and then.
MESSAGE
What goes
around comes around. Joe did his best to help cucu but he ended up benefiting
more than he had expected.
HIV/AIDS
is indiscriminate as it gets anyone. People should be careful by abstaining
from sex if they are single, be faithful to one partner, practice safe sex – if
one is not sure if their partner is faithful – This includes using a
condom and taking HIV test if one eventually decides to get married.
We should
avoid social conflict in the society as it may result to massacre of innocent
people, raping of girls and women, family disintegration, and land alienation.
Unemployment
is a big problem among the educated youngsters. Governments should create
employment opportunities for the youths otherwise there will be much trouble in
the future.
Poverty
is another crisis that is facing developing countries. It makes people to be
dishonest and selfish. It should be eradicated immediately.
People
should not be given jobs depending on whom they know but what they know.
We should
be thankful to people who have helped us as did cucu and Njogu.
RELEVANCE
The book is relevant
in a number of ways.
1. AIDS
is killing people day by day. Additionally there are many cases of people
committing suicide when they suspect they have acquired the disease.
2. Unemployment
and joblessness are common problems in Africa today especially Tanzania.
3. The
gap between the rich and the poor is widening day by day
4. There
are few generous people in the society who can sacrifice their lives to save
others as did Joe.
5. Nepotism
is also rampant. People get jobs in the government offices not on the basis on
technical know-what but know-whom.
No comments