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Nyokabi
Njoroge’s “elder” mother, and one of Ngotho’s two wives (the other being Nyokabi). Njeri is Kamau, Kori, and Boro’s mother, but she is also close with Njoroge, since Ngotho’s entire family is close-knit and strongly connected. During the intense turmoil between the white settlers and her fellow Kenyans, Njeri laments the fact that “all white people stick together” but that “black people are very divided.”
Njeri Quotes in Weep Not, Child
The Weep Not, Child quotes below are all either spoken by Njeri or refer to Njeri. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5 Quotes
Njoroge usually stood on this hill whenever he wanted to see his mother or brother coming from a distance. If he saw any of them he ran and helped them carry whatever they had. It did not matter if it was Njeri or any of her sons. The feeling of oneness was a thing that most distinguished Ngotho’s household from many other polygamous families. Njeri and Nyokabi went to the shamba or market together. Sometimes they agreed among themselves that while one did that job the other would do this one. This was attributed to Ngotho, the centre of the home. For if you have a stable centre, then the family will hold.
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Ngũgĩ makes a point in this section of emphasizing the closeness of Ngotho’s family. Unlike other “polygamous families,” he upholds, there is a “feeling of oneness” that exists in Ngotho’s household, as his two wives work together to complete the daily chores, and Njoroge treats both women like his biological mother. Although this passage might seem rather unimportant, it is actually significant, since it establishes the fact that this is a family that sticks together. In turn, Ngũgĩ prepares readers to understand just how troubling it is when Ngotho’s family suddenly plunges into discord as a result of the divisive Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
Chapter 9 Quotes
“The white man makes a law or a rule. Through that rule or law or whatever you may call it, he takes away the land and then imposes many laws on the people concerning that land and many other things, all without people agreeing first as in the old days of the tribe. Now a man rises and opposes that law which made right the taking away of land. Now that man is taken by the same people who made the laws against which that man was fighting. He is tried under those alien rules. Now tell me who is that man who can win even if the angels of God were his lawyers . . . I mean.”
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This conversation takes place the night that Jomo Kenyatta loses his trial and is imprisoned, an event that dashes the hope from Kenyans who wish to resist oppressive colonialist rule. In a long but politically insightful rant, Njeri breaks down the ways in which white settlers have subjugated Kenyans, explaining that “the white man” arrived in Kenya and instituted new “law[s]” and “rule[s].” In turn, these laws enable white foreigners to take land from Kenyans, so that when someone like Jomo Kenyatta tries to take a stand against this injustice, the colonialists can arrest him and find him guilty according Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam
Chapter 10 Quotes
Was he a man any longer, he who had watched his wife and son taken away because of breaking the curfew without a word of protest? Was this cowardice? It was cowardice, cowardice of the worst sort. He stood up and rushed to the door like a madman. It was too late. He came back to his seat, a defeated man, a man who cursed himself for being a man with a lost manhood. He now knew that even that waiting had been a form of cowardice, putting off of action.
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This passage appears after Njeri and Kori are arrested by white police officers for breaking curfew. The only reason this happens is because Jacobo has decided that he wants to capture Kori and Boro, who he suspects are involved with the Mau Mau. When Kori and Njeri are arrested, Ngotho sits in his hut and listens to the entire exchange, unable to move even to fight for his family members. As such, he wonders if he is “a man any longer,” a question that once again emphasizes his insecurities regarding his ability to protect his family. “Was this cowardice?” he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum volup
Chapter 18 Quotes
But as they came near home and what had happened to him came to mind, the voice again came and spoke, accusing him:
You are a coward. You have always been a coward. Why didn’t you do it?
And loudly he said, “Why didn't I do it?”
The voice said: Because you are a coward.
“Yes,” he whispered to himself, “I am a coward.”
And he ran home and opened the door for his two mothers.
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In this passage, Njoroge walks home with Nyokabi and Njeri after having given up on his plan to commit suicide. As he walks along the road, he is taunted by an internal voice branding him as a “coward.” This sense of shame recalls his father’s own obsession with the notion of cowardice—an obsession that ultimately led him to his death, considering the fact that he decided to sacrifice himself to protect his son (a final attempt to prove his honor). When Njoroge contemplates his own honor, though, he comes to freely accept that he is a “coward.” This is an Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut.
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Njeri Character Timeline in Weep Not, Child
The timeline below shows where the character Njeri appears in Weep Not, Child. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...home that evening, Njoroge tells him the good news and asks if their “elder mother,” Njeri, has told him that he too can go to school. “No, brother,” Kamau replies. “You...
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...it had been a terrible waste of life.” When gets home, his wives Nyokabi and Njeri tease him for staying too long in Kipanga, but he ignores them by asking if...
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Chapter 2
...particular night, many family members are present. “Boro, Kori, and Kamau were all sons of Njeri, Ngotho’s eldest wife,” Ngũgĩ writes. “Njoroge’s only true brother was Mwangi who had died in...
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Chapter 5
...them, he rushes out to help them carry whatever they might have—even if it is Njeri or one of his half-brothers. “The feeling of oneness was a thing that most distinguished...
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Chapter 8
...miles each day, meaning that he often comes home after dark. One night, he enters Njeri’s hut and senses tension. Before he asks what’s wrong, though, he sees that Boro has...
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Overcome by what has happened to her sons, Njeri says, “Why do they oppress the black people?” In response, Kori says that the white...
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Chapter 9
Discussing Jomo’s loss late at night, Njeri loses her temper. “The white man makes a law or a rule,” she says. “Through...
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Chapter 10
Late that night, Ngotho sits in Nyokabi’s hut. Eventually, Kori and Njeri retire to Njeri’s hut, and as they do so, police officers tell them to “halt.”...
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Because breaking curfew isn’t a serious infraction, Njeri is released after her family pays a fine. Kori, however, is not. Instead, he’s sent...
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Chapter 18
...asked him “to wait for a new day.” On the way home, Njoroge comes upon Njeri, who was also looking for him, and he feels “the guilt of a man who...
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