The River Between

The complexity of cultural negotiation and resistance is exhibited most prominently through the character of Waiyaki. As he struggles to understand the complexities involved in resisting foreign cultural influences, he proves himself to be more open-minded than the other characters—all of whom are uncompromising in their own ways. Faced with their various forms of resistance, Waiyaki ultimately fails to integrate the villages and create a united front. Perhaps his failure stems from the fact that his methodology never matures beyond vague visions of unity and preaching for the need to create more schools. Throughout the novel, he maintains a near-religious faith in the ideal of education and refuses to engage politically, believing that the tool of learning is all his people need to achieve their liberation. Significantly, all of the men in the novel harbor a singular obsession of one kind or another, and this pattern offers insight into Ngugi’s view of the human condition, for the author suggests that humans are grasping, short-sighted animals whose passions prevent them from reaching a larger consensus, and thus negotiation and resistance are always out of reach on a grand scale.

Throughout the novel, Waiyaki struggles to coalesce a coherent vision for how best to help his tribe.