Identity In Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Devil On The Cross (1980) And Matigari (1987)

Résumé: The notion of identity is a very prominent theme in postcolonial studies and literature. The exploration of such postcolonial writers as Ngugi wa Thiong’o, reveals the plight of the postcolonial societies and writers. In this dissertation, we analyzed the image of Identity in Ngugi’s works, namely; Devil on the Cross (1980) and Matigari (1987) from a psychological and sociological perspectives. We attempt to explore this vast notion of identity in relation to gender, alienation and otherness. The outline of this study comprises a discussion of four important sections that includes: The Development of Wariinga’s Female Identity in Devil on the Cross (1980), the Dislocated Identity in Matigari (1987), the Representation of Alienation in Devil on the Cross and Matigari and Strangers in Their Own Land in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross and Matigari. The final conclusion that can be drawn from this study shows how identity in Ngugi’s view was lost with the coming of the colonizer and has to be restored. His aim is to give solution to this loss of identity through his works, to regain his native identity and to reconstruct a link between him and his origins.

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