Devil on the Cross

The structure of the final chapters is noteworthy. Ngũgĩ employs a time jump, moving the story two years beyond the events of the Devil’s Feast, allowing for reflection on the consequences of the novel’s central events and their lasting impact on Kenyan society. The return of The Gĩcaandĩ Player as narrator creates a cyclical structure that echoes traditional African storytelling techniques. This reinforces the novel’s cultural authenticity and underscores the cyclical nature of oppression and resistance that the story depicts.

Warĩĩnga, over the course of the intervening two years, has transformed into nearly a new person, highlighting the extent of her character arc in previous chapters. Her transformation from a victim of exploitation to a self-assured mechanical engineer demonstrates personal growth and empowerment, even in the face of similar treatment to that she received in the past. Warĩĩnga’s choice of a traditionally male-dominated profession underscores her rejection of societal constraints and serves as a metaphor for broader social change. Similarly, Gatuĩria’s completion of his musical composition demonstrates his own character arc toward a clearer understanding of Kenya’s complex history and identity.

In this final section, The Legacy of Colonialism is further explored through the revelation that Warĩĩnga’s workplace has been sold to foreign investors. This event demonstrates the persistent nature of exploitation in post-colonial Kenya, showing how the patterns and motivations depicted in the Devil’s Feast continue to shape society. The motifs of justice and its perversion are prominently featured in the description of the trial of Mũturi, Wangarĩ, and the student leader. The dismissal of charges followed by their immediate re-arrest highlights the corrupt nature of the legal system and its use as a tool of oppression.

In earlier chapters, Warĩĩnga was given a gun by Mũturi, which he asked her to hold onto until he could retrieve it; however, due to his arrest and continued unlawful imprisonment, he becomes unable to. At the end of the narrative, the gun, which before represented the impotence of individual violence in the face of large-scale exploitation, instead becomes transformed into a symbol of liberation and a tool of retribution in the climactic scene. However, that particular shift in symbolic meaning requires the zenith of irony in the narrative: the revelation that the Rich Old Man from earlier was actually Gatuĩria’s father, and that Warĩĩnga’s daughter is actually her fiancé’s sister. This twist brings the personal and political themes of the novel into sharp collision, highlighting the interconnected nature of personal and societal exploitation; additionally, this revelation allows Warĩĩnga to fully disconnect from her exploited post-colonial past and become an agent in her own life, changing it for either better or worse, but forever dependent on her own choices.

The climax of the novel, in which Warĩĩnga shoots the Rich Old Man and wounds other exploiters, can be read as both a personal act of revenge and a symbolic strike against the system of exploitation. However, Ngũgĩ resists providing an easy resolution. The novel’s conclusion is deliberately open-ended, with Warĩĩnga walking away toward an uncertain future. This ending suggests that the struggle against oppression is ongoing, and that personal liberation and individual violence do not necessarily lead to societal change. As before, with the disruption of the Devil’s Feast, the only successful way to change society is through collective action, and not the individual behavior of a single person.