What are the themes

One important theme addressed in the book, In the House of the Interpreter, is that of colonial apartheid.

Ngũgĩ’s memoir, written about his high school years 1955 – 1959, serves as a historical document bearing witness to the existence and effects of colonial apartheid on Kenyan natives. It contains historical facts, such as the hanging of the Mau Mau guerilla leader Kimathi in February 1957, or the relocation of Ngũgĩ’s village as part of the Britain’s villagization program begun in 1955. The historical facts presented within the memoir give credence to the events and provide awareness of colonial apartheid in Kenya. Because Kenya became a British colony in 1920, the memoir takes place after British rule has existed for over 30 years. As hostility heightens over the years, it peaks with the Emergency Act of 1952 to repress the Mau Mau guerillas. Ngũgĩ finds himself at a critical transformative time in his life as the political background unfolds beside him.

The degradation of native Kenyans by powerful outside societal forces creates a serious imbalance of power, resources and opportunity. Ngũgĩ’s memoir challenges the British historical viewpoint of Kenya and creates its own historical narrative from a native Kenyan. Here, native Kenyans are rounded up in raids, imprisoned and interrogated, and subjected to collective punishment where the purported crimes of one or few extend to the whole community. The relocation of Ngũgĩ’s village is a prime example where members were accused of feeding the Mau Mau fighters at night. From this, the entire village was razed and moved under guard to make it easier for the British to monitor Mau Mau affiliation. In the process, land and building resources was redistributed in favor of the already wealthy and colonial rule supporters. Beyond the lack of individual freedom, the constant fear and poverty lead to lack of opportunity of native Kenyans in education, vocational work and job choice.

The memoir stands as evidence of the effects of colonial apartheid on Ngũgĩ and his family. Unlike a historical text that focuses upon the institution itself, Ngũgĩ’s account writes about historical events as they relate to his experience and growth. From the lens of an adult writer, he can safely view past events and mark how his identity transforms over the course of his high school years. The description used to re-imagine his first return from Alliance to his burned home village is provocative and poetic, “the hedge of ashy leaves that we planted looks the same, but beyond it our homestead is a rubble of burnt dry mud, splinters of wood, and grass. My mother’s hut and my brother’s house on stilts have been razed to the ground. My home, from where I set out for Alliance only three months ago, is no more” (5). The governmental act now has a human face associated with it. The despair and desolation upon seeing his village gone is felt personally as Ngũgĩ feels a stranger in his own (new) village and (new) family-built home.