The Personal is Political

Abstract

In this article, I posit that Ngũgĩ’s oeuvre presents numerous instances of love, betrayal, and adultery. While love and adultery are limited to personal spaces, betrayal occurs in both the personal and political spheres in Ngũgĩ’s works. In the novel A Grain of Wheat, betrayals in the personal sphere are juxtaposed with betrayals in the political sphere. The betrayal within the political sphere has implications for the personal relations of the characters. Political ideals are betrayed by the complex and divided characters in Ngũgĩ’s narratives. The characters are not spared betrayal on personal and political levels. The personal and political betrayals thus are conflated and make it a critical area of study. This study seeks to emphasise that both forms of betrayal are crucial and the relationship between them is inseparable. The personal betrayal in Ngũgĩ’s A Grain of Wheat (1967) occurs in romantic relationships; more specifically, the betrayal is represented by adultery in marriage, while the political betrayal emerges as betraying one’s country.