Devil on the Cross

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, enslavement, depression, and suicide.

“The Devil, who would lead us into the blindness of the heart and into the deafness of the mind, should be crucified, and care should be taken that his acolytes do not lift him down from the Cross to pursue the task of building Hell for the people on Earth.”

In this passage from very early in the novel, the narrator asks his subjects to crucify the Devil, thus reversing the typical theological meaning behind the crucifixion. However, if the Devil is never worshipped, the cross remains a mere instrument of death, rather than a religious symbol.

“Warĩĩnga was convinced that her appearance was the root cause of all her problems. Whenever she looked at herself in the mirror she thought herself very ugly. What she hated most was her blackness, so she would disfigure her body with skin-lightening creams like Ambi and Snowfire, forgetting the saying: That which is born black will never be white.”

In the beginning of the novel, Warĩĩnga demonstrates high amounts of insecurity about her physical appearance, linking her attractiveness to her own skin color. However, the narrative makes the argument instead that those opinions stem from internalized imperialism, rather than any objective observation, thematically supporting The Legacy of Colonialism.

“These countries are finding it difficult to stave off poverty for the simple reason that they have taken it upon themselves to learn how to run their economies from American experts. So they have been taught the principle and system of self-interest and have been told to forget the ancient songs that glorify the notion of collective good.”

The young man who saves Warĩĩnga’s life has strong opinions about the economic situation of post-colonial Kenya. These lines foreshadow the eventual reveal that this young man has much more to do with the Devil’s Feast than initially implied.