ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEL "THE INTERVIEW"
ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF NOVEL THE "THE INTERVIEW"
THE INTERVIEW
BY PATRICK M NGUGI
SETTING Nairobi city in KENYA
PLOT SUMMARY.
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 8th floor 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.
|
CHAPTER
EIGHT
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)
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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”.
ü
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.
ü
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”.
ü
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
ü
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.
ü
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)
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
She is a sister to the late Georgina who died of AIDS.
ü
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.
ü
She is Joe’s girlfriend. After meeting at the choir the two become friends and
they spend some times together, going out etc.
ü
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
ü
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.
ü
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?”
ü
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
ü
He is a cousin to Johnson Njogu and Bernard Kung’u.
ü
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.
ü
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
ü
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
ü
He is a rich billionaire and industrial tycoon. He is the one who owns Elephant Group of Companies.
ü
He
is a son of Kibe and Wacheke and a brother of Bernard Kung’u.
ü
He is educated. We are told that he gets a scholarship and goes to
study in America a five years’ course in Business Administration.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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
ü
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;
ü
He
is the older brother of Joe, Mary and Lucy.
ü
He is educated. He grows up at Uncle Jotham’s place where he finishes
school, and completes a six-months’ account course.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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;
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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:
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
Library services are provided in towns than in the countryside.
ü
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.
ü
Industries. Many industries are located in urban areas like the
City Soap Industry.
There are also sub
settings that sum up the urban setting.
ü
Office setting. We see the office setting in the building that the
City Soap Industry headquarters is located.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
He
had polished his shoes...that he could almost use it as a mirror. Pg 7.
ü
The
matatu were notorious for taking ages to appear pg 8
ü
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
ü
She
is as fit as a fiddle. Pg 38
ü
She
hugged me like hell. Pg 45
ü
Joe’s
heart skidded, stopped, then went wild beating like hell. 83
Metaphor
ü
Even
science can be an art in fact it is an art. Pg 34
ü
Since
when are you Red Cross. Pg 45
Euphemism
ü
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
ü
Where
did she come from? Where was she going? Who was she? What drove her insane? And
who were her relatives? Pg 18
Personification
ü
His
heart was racing vigorously. Pg 21
ü
Sorry
my mind was miles away. Pg 29
ü
Thank
your stars, Joe there is an opening for you. Pg 3
ü
Then
she smiled as his face registered in his mind. Pg 50
ü
His
heart raced madly. 53
ü
The
picture of his patient, the old cucu stared back at him. Pg 53
Barbarism
ü
Kwani,
whom did you expect? Pg 33
ü
Ngai
fafa. Pg 85
ü
It
was their shauri. Pg 72
ü
What
you guys call shamba? Pg 85
ü
Pole
sana. Pg 85
Allusion
ü
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
ü
And
continued to daydream in the night pg
ü
His
new-old friend, cucu. pg 72
Alliteration
ü
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
ü
Survival
for the fittest. Pg 8
ü
Do
you think that is just sour grapes or wishful thinking? Pg 27
ü
The
world will not end just because you missed the interview. Pg 27
ü
Let’s
cross those bridges when we reach them. Pg42
Moreover religious
language has been used.
ü
May
God bless you and bless your ways throughout your life. Pg 41
THEMATIC
ANALYSIS
NEPOTISM
ü
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.
ü
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
ü
Also
Daniel Kung’u is the Personnel Manager at the City Soap Industries which is
owned by his cousin Johnson Njogu.
CONFLICTS
ü
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
ü
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.
ü
One,
is the fact that he misses the interview and consequently misses the job altogether.
ü
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”
ü
Three,
when he finds out that Njogu has taken cucu secretly from the hospital without
informing him he becomes uncomfortable.
SOCIAL CONFLICT.
ü
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;
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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 characterised 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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
THE PLIGHT OF HIV/AIDS
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;
ü
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.
ü
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
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.”
ü
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
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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
ü
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”.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
We
are told that some good Samaritans were carrying refuges in Lorries to the
Catholic Mission in Londiani.
ü
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 minor 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
ü
What
goes around comes around. Joe did his best to help cucu but he ended up
benefiting more than he had expected.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
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.
ü
Poverty
is another crisis that is facing developing countries. It makes people to be
dishonest and selfish. It should be eradicated immediately.
ü
People
should not be given jobs depending on whom they know but what they know.
ü
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 
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