Petals of Blood Essay Questions

What is the narrative significance of the novel’s title?

The title of the novel is a reference to a line from the poem “The Swamp” written by poet and playwright Derek Walcott. The poem speaks of nature’s power and how it must be approached with caution despite humanity’s attempt to peacefully co-exist with it. The phrase is repeated throughout the novel, though the implications and meanings ascribed to it vary greatly. The phrase is used initially by a student in Munira’s lecture to describe a flower but he corrects the lad stating: “…there is no color called blood…” The phrase is also used to connote fire, virginity, menstruation, sacrifice, violence, and birth.

How is the educational system of Kenya portrayed in the novel?

The novel has a mostly pessimistic outlook upon education. Rather than being a tool for liberating minds and elevating the masses, it is depicted as a deeply flawed, problem-riddled system that produces educators who are not just inept or indifferent but also possess some highly questionable morals. Case in point: Munira. Munira, although a teacher, takes a very passive stance in the formation of his students' moral development but teaches them to shun politics, take a Western approach to learning instead of looking at Africa's own past, and avoid asking big questions about colonialism, God, and the meaning of life.

How does Ngugi portray Christianity in the novel?

Christianity was a tool of the colonizers from the very beginning: 19th-century missionaries, though perhaps unwittingly in some cases, were the vanguard of imperialists. Though Kenya is now independent, Christianity's foothold in the nation did not loosen. The Christian characters in the text are largely problematic, such as the unctuous Reverend Jerrod and the stern betrayer of his own people, Ezekieli. Gbemisola Adeoti wrties, "In the hands of the missionary arm of the colonialists and the ruling elite after independence, it is a weapon to blunt the people’s consciousness of their condition of being. Its advocacy of meekness in the face of adversity on earth for the sake of abundance in the hereafter is explored by the privileged class to persuade the oppressed to bear the burden of oppression with equanimity. Not only are the suffering poor expected to bear their condition as divinely given, they should do so without protesting."

Is Wanja complicit in neocolonialism, and should she feel guilty about that? Why or why not?

Wanja feels immense guilt about becoming a whore and running a whorehouse that caters to tourists and the wealthy African elite, knowing that she is complicit in neocolonialism. However, things are not so black-and-white. She sees the world as an "eat or be eaten" place, and she is trying to survive. She derives no joy from what she does, and it was a last resort that she also decides to eventually abandon. She tries to provide opportunities for the young women who have no other option in this society but to prostitute themselves. As Felicia Annin writes, "Wanja thus is a good materialist since she furthers the cause of women to support themselves in the only way independently possible in postcolonial Kenya, with care and consideration, and not for her own selfish ends as the local businessmen do."

Why does Munira burn down the whorehouse?

By the time Munira gets to the point where he burns down the whorehouse, he is a religious fanatic with an obsession over a woman whom he covets but who does not return the sentiment. He is extremely bitter over Wanja's treatment of him, especially as she favors Karega, a man whom Munira comes to see as responsible for some of the tragedies of his earlier life. He feels unmoored by Wanja's rejection, the things he learned about his past, the situation in Ilmorog, the constant desire to be respected and recognized that is rarely satisfied, and his inability to control anything in his life. Only conversion to evangelical Christianity and a concomitant goal to "save" Karega from his relationship with the "Jezebel" Wanja offer him any sense of purpose. It is the confluence of all these things that leads him to believe he is committing a purifying act that will please God and punish wrongdoers.