Ngugi Wa Thiong'o -- Fear of Failure/Need for Revenge

In Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's "Wedding at the Cross," the recipients meet three main characters that shape the story: Wariuki, a poor, yet happy milk clerk; Mariamu, a pretty youth born into "white privilege" in Africa, and Douglas Jones, her father. Wariuki fell in love with Mariamu, so her father arrange a meeting with Wariuki to assess his ability to care for his daughter. In all reality, he knew of Wariuki's station. His motive was to humiliate Wariuki into leaving behind the notion of ever marrying his daughter. This shame lit a fire in Wariuki's heart that he would spend his entire life trying to extinguish, leading him far from his initial love for Mariamu, and changing his entire character in the process.

The two lovers eloped, and for a time, lived together in poverty and extreme bliss. The shame that Douglas Jones instilled in Wariuki could not be ignored, however, and the need for revenge began to consume his life. He soon left his love to travel, continuously trying to find better employment, even at the expense of his patriotism at times, doing deeds that would be condemned by his fellow countrymen. This did not trouble him any-- his main motive in life was to overcome the failure that Douglas Jones had made him feel.

He came into wealth and found Christianity eventually, which is when he knew he could flaunt his success in front of Douglas Jones, although it ended poorly for him with Mariamu, remembering the man she fell in love with, left him at the altar. His fear of failure and incessant need for revenge against Jones backfired. He had been poor of money but rich of experience at the beginning-- now, at the end, he became rich of money but poor of experience.

The biggest literary device employed by Wa Thiong’o in the writing of “Wedding at the Cross” is antithesis. He switches between the story of Wariuki and Mariamu in what can only serve to contrast the two highly different motives of the characters, increasing the evilness of Wariuki to the reader while at the same time softening the position of Mariamu. In this, the recipient can further grasp the undying need for revenge that Wariuki was fostering in all of his brutal, often insane journeys.

Wa Thiong'o, Ngugi. “Wedding at the Cross”. The Norton Anthology of World  Literature: Shorter Third Edition, Two- Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2012. 1692-1702. Print.