CHARACTERIZATION
NJANGO
She is the central character of the play.
She is a protagonist.
She is the mother of WANJIRO.
She is a widow since her husband was killed in
the forest during the MAU MAU movement.
She engages herself in petty (small business)
Eg. She is selling soup
Her house is made of cardboards and she shares
the floor with the daughter as a bed.
She is tribalism for example she is against
inter tribe marriages.
She is abandoned by her daughter Wanjiro who
decides to elope with Asinjo.
She warns or advice Wanjiro to be careful with
city boys.
WANJIRO.
She is the daughter of Njango.
She is naturally beautiful but not smart due
to poverty.
She has not been sent to school due to her
brother.
She loves ASINJO and wants to marry him but
she faces protest from her mother.
She helps her mother in domestic activities
like fetching water sweeping, selling soup.
She is unhappy with the poor life of living in
the slums and wants to go with ASINJO.
She admires wearing like white people and
walks like European lady.
She finally goes to marry Asinjo.
STRANGER
He is an activist who does not live in the
slums.
He conscientious people about their rights and
makes people/slum dwellers aware of humiliation, exploitation and demolition of
slums.
He is aware that in order to succeed, there
should be strong determination, organised struggles and unity.
He is courageous since he remained alone when
others ran away until is arrested by the police officer. For making people to
be involved in violence and civil disobedience.
SHOE MAKER
He is one of the slum dwellers.
He is illiterate and never knows about his
age.
He is married to one wife with five children.
He was among the freedom fighters in the
forest.
He earns living through repairing of shoes.
He protests against the new government's
discussions to demolish the slums.
1st CUSTOMER
He is among the slum dwellers.
He buys soups at Njango's place.
He suggests that they should hold the meeting
with strangers
He believes in magic power and Thinks that the
stranger can perform his magic. He is a coward.
He tells the people at the meeting that the police
are coming and cautions them that they have batons (guns).
2nd CUSTOMER
He is another person who buys soup at Njango's
place.
He also protest/complains about the price of
soup to Njango.
He believes that stranger has magic to save
them.
He is a coward, E.g he tells others to run and
he runs away.
3rd CUSTOMER
He is also a slum dweller and buys soup at
Njango's place.
He also protests against slum demolition.
He supports the stranger.
He encourages people to accept what the stranger
is says and stands firm.
He is also courageous like the stranger.
INSPECTOR KIONGO
He works with the city council Health
department.
He reminds people in UHURU market to move away
since the slums are going to be demolished in order to implement the the clean
city campaign.
He is not among the slum dwellers.
He is among the few people who enjoy the
National cake, living a good life.
He helps in forcing the people to move from
slums.
He drives Njango out of her hut.
ASINJO
He is a young man from another tribe.
He loves Wanjiro and wants to marry her.
He was chased away and insulted and chased
away by Njango because she does not want him to marry her duaghter.
He tells Wanjiro tha he is a Tax driver.
He convinces Wanjiro to go away with him and
ignore her mother claiming she is old and ignorant.
TINSMITH
He is also a slim dweller who lives in poor
life.
He is illiterate.
He is not sure of his age EG. He came to the
city but does not remember when exactly.
He tells the journalist that he has done many
jobs including cooking, washing and sweeping.
He cooked the for white people during the war
and after the war.
He has a terrible experience in his life that
involved sleeping in shop-verandas, trenches and in public latrines.
JOURNALIST:
He reports different events in the society.
EG. Government's decisions to demolish the slums, people's reaction against
demolition of slums.
He is not among the slum dwellers.
POLICE OFFICER:
He is among the people in the civil services.
He arrests the stranger for making people to
involve in violence and civil disobedience.
THEMES
A theme is the main idea or subject in the
work of art.
In “In This Time Tomorrow” by Ngugi wa
Thion'go several themes can be analyzed and discussed. These themes includes
protest, tribalism, poverty, betrayal, conflict, colonial legacy, building the
future, illusion, disillusionment, social differences (stratification),
awareness, environment sanitation, ignorances e.t.c.
