A Grain of Wheat

The words which characters use to refer to others show their perspectives and cultural divisions. The Kenyan men refer to the British as "these people." The white men are not individuals. Mwaura adds a diminutive ending to Thompson's name when he talks about him. Similarly, Thompson uses words to solidify his position of power. After spitting in Mugo's face, he demands that Mugo use a term of respect with him. Thompson is using words to humiliate Mugo and to make himself more powerful.

The novel uses local terms for important elements of life in Kenya. A shamba is a plot of land to farm, the origin of life. Another example is a panga, a local farming implement and part of the way of life of the Kenyans. When the Kenyans refer to elements of British culture, they often put them into cultural contexts of Kenya. That is why the train is known as the iron snake and why guns are compared to bamboo sticks.

The last chapter of the novel is titled Harambee. This is a Swahili word meaning a coming together. It has a dual meaning. The Kenyan people are coming together as a community under an independent government, and also Gikonyo and Mumbi are coming together to a new, tentative understanding of each other. This emphasizes the parallels in the novel between large, social issues and personal, human issues. Unity and communication are the things to strive for, both on the societal and the individual levels.