Mukami's enlightenment
When Mukami is sitting at the sacred Mugumo tree, the imagery conveys a sense of enlightenment: “The sun was rising in the east and the rich yellowish streaks of light filtered through the forest to where Mukami was sitting, leaning against the tree. And as the straying streaks of light touched her skin, she felt a tickling sensation that went right through her body.”
The rain comes down
In “And the Rain Came Down!” the image that is painted of the land changes from dry and dull to a flash flood: “The whole country looked dull. The sun seemed to have died prematurely and a dull greyness had blanketed the earth. A cold wind began to blow and carried rubbish whirling up in the air.” The personification in “The heavens wore a wrinkled face and little angry clouds were gathering” makes nature seem alive, and the onomatopoetic elements in “Then flash, flash and a deafening crash!” make the scene even more vivid. Finally, “The heavens shook and the earth trembled beneath her feet. And without further warning the rain came down.”
The killing of Wamuhu
In “A Meeting in the Dark,” John’s transformation into a madman is described in vivid imagery: “John had begun calmly but now his voice was running high. He was excited. He was becoming more desperate. Did he know what he was talking about? He spoke quickly, breathlessly, as if he was in a hurry.” The narrator also switches from past tense to present tense to create a sense of immediacy: “He is mad. He is foaming. He is quickly moving towards the girl in the dark. He has lain his hands on her shoulders and is madly imploring her in a hoarse voice.” Eventually, when he is “shaking her, shake, shake, her, her,” the word order is jumbled up like his thoughts and actions.
The ideal family
In “Wedding at the Cross,” the narrator paints an image of the ideal traditional family, with the successful husband and the obedient wife: “[W]hat a nice family; he, the successful timber merchant; and she, the obedient wife who did her duty to God, husband and family. Wariuki and his wife Miriamu were a shining example of what cooperation between man and wife united in love and devotion could achieve: he tall, correct, even a little stiff, but wealthy; she, small, quiet, unobtrusive, a diminishing shadow beside her giant of a husband.” By describing the woman as a shadow of her giant of a husband, the narrator emphasizes that she only plays a supporting role in the background.
