Christianity, Culture, and Conflict in The River Between Anonymous College

The River Between The novel by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, The River Between, tells the story of two tribes that hold very different beliefs central to themselves. However, though they agree on very little, there are still people that believe in peace and unity. The clash between the two villages is over the traditional Gikuyu belief system and the Christianity brought by colonial white settlers. The search for Ngugi’s opinion on Christian missions and Christianity can be seen through whom his protagonist and antagonists are and what they stand for.

Joshua is the character that epitomizes Christian beliefs as he is unwavering and uncompromisable about his faith. In an outspoken fashion he speaks against the ways of the tribe, which can give us insight into the negative feelings the Ngugi has towards Christianity being brought to the villages. In contrast we see the Chege, coming from Kameno, represents the Gikuyu tradition and is portrayed in a more positive light “Makuyu was now home of the Christians while Kameno remained the home of all that was beautiful in the tribe.” (54) Chege is portrayed to be calm even when facing difficult times, where Joshua represents hatred and extremism. Chug is passionate about the Gikuyu beliefs, but...