Weep Not, Child

by

Ngugi wa Thiong’o

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The Barber Character Analysis

A talkative and popular man who fought in World War II and now works as a barber in the town of Kipanga. The barbershop serves as a cultural hub throughout Weep Not, Child, a place where men go to discuss the latest news and talk about the drama unfolding between Kenyans and the white settlers. A vivacious and mildly irreverent man, the barber is eventually rounded up and killed along with five other men in the middle of the night. When Kamau tells Njoroge this tragic news, he admits that no one will ever know whether the white settlers or the Mau Mau were responsible for this heinous act.
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The Barber Character Timeline in Weep Not, Child

The timeline below shows where the character The Barber appears in Weep Not, Child. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Division and Conquest Theme Icon
Violence and Revenge Theme Icon
One particularly popular place in Kipanga is the barber’s shop, where men go to tell and hear stories. Mostly, they talk about the two... (full context)
Chapter 7
Division and Conquest Theme Icon
Violence and Revenge Theme Icon
Land Ownership and Power Theme Icon
...about what happened. “I would have done the same thing,” says a man at the barber’s. “It would have been all right if it had been a white man, but a... (full context)
Chapter 11
Division and Conquest Theme Icon
Violence and Revenge Theme Icon
...him lonely, so he goes one day to visit Kamau, who tells him that the barber and five other men were abducted in the middle of the night and shot in... (full context)
Division and Conquest Theme Icon
Hope, Progress, and Disillusionment Theme Icon
...looks quickly at the guards flanking Jacobo. “Their red jerseys reminded him of the dead barber,” Ngũgĩ writes. (full context)