A Grain of Wheat

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• A Grain of Wheat:-

                                                A Grain of Wheat is a novel by Kenyan novelist James Ngugi. first published in 1967 by Heinemann. The title is taken from the Gospel According to St. John, 12:24. The novel weaves together several stories set during the state of emergency in Kenya's struggle for independence (1952–59) ( Wiki.)

• Robinson Crusoe:-

                                                The novel Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a young and impulsive Englishman that defies his parents' wishes and takes to the seas seeking adventure. The young Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked and castaway on a remote tropical island for 28 years. The story may be based on the true-life events of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who survived four years on a Pacific island, or Henry Pitman, a political rebel surgeon castaway from a Caribbean penal colony. This classic tale of adventure features cannibals, captives, and mutineers. Some regard it as the very first modern novel written in the English language, launching the publishing industry. ( https://americanliterature.com) 

                                               Colonialism is a practice of the powerful over the less powerful. It is defined as an occupation of workers territory by a stronger nation or state for “political domination” “economic exploitation” and “civilizing mission.” Through these novels these three authors deal with imperialism, racism, class and cultural conflict to show how colonialism creates false illusion to believe that the West is “self” and the East is “other”; one is “superior” other is “subaltern”. Representation is an important aspect of colonialism and according to Edward Said representations of the Orient both visual and textual is a kind of illusion not real rather than biased and constructed by “Western Ideology.”Colonial representation is a discourse that relates with power and domination. It is productive and quickly spreads throughout the whole society to dominate the subaltern or the colonized.

                                                In Robinson Crusoe representation of colonialism is clearly reflected through the relationship between the colonized and colonizer, representation of a colonized land and people, and representation of colonialism from the viewpoint of trade, commerce and buildings empire. Crusoe is the representation of a colonial figure and colonial mind in this fiction, and Friday is a symbol of all those natives who were dominated in the age of “European imperialism”. Friday is so obedient, grateful and faithful to Crusoe that he never realizes that this man, who saved his life, is not only helps him from his good will but his main purpose was to make him a devoted slave. Crusoe and Friday live harmoniously on the island, but the methods with which Crusoe enslave Friday also link him to colonial history.

A Grain of Wheat " novel representation of African people struggle for identity. Through character of Mumbi justify African culture and lifestyle. This novel concern also on native colonial people. In the novel villagers do preparation of celebration of Kenya's independence day whose call Uhuru day. There were reflection of conflict of east and African with western community which believed that they all civilized rather than black people. They behaved with them as a master and ruler so that western culture try to overpower on them. Same happen into Robinson Crusoe novel. There were Friday was a slave and black person whose name & identity given by Crusoe who ruled on him. It was common native representation into both the novel.


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