“…women were women…”: A Feminist Evaluation of Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s “A Meeting in the Dark” Anonymous College

In the story A Meeting in the Dark”, Ngugi wa Thiong’o describes patriarchy in the Gikuyu (a tribe in Kenya) culture. Patriarchy dictates the social aspects of the Gikuyu people such as education, religion, circumcision, gender roles and marriage. Patriarchy intersects with religion and as such John suffers due to religion and patriarchal standards. A Feminist reading of Ngugi wa Thiong’o spells out Ngugi’s patriarchal agenda through the relationships between John and his father (Stanley) and John and Wamuhu. There is also an intersection between religion and patriarchy ( Patriarchy is disguised as religion).

John’s father oppress John’s mother using religion. Ngugi wa Thiong’o writes, “he (John) knew it was he(his father) who had stopped his mother from telling him stories when he became a man of God…She would say to him ‘Now, don’t ask for any more stories. Your father may come”. Here, it is clear that John’s mother is a patriarchal woman, she does not believe in her rights, she is afraid and submissive to John’s mother. Ngugi wa Thiong’o ‘s depiction of John’s mother is an antithesis on feminism; John’s mother cannot socialize with her son through storytelling because her husband does not approve; therefore, Stanley...