What are the motifs in The Martyr by Ngugi wa Thiong'o?

Public opinion is a recurring idea in the story. The events of Ngugi's story are in part narrated through gossip, hearsay, and the news media, which collectively constitute the public opinions of the white European colonialist settlers. The alleged murder of Mr. and Mrs. Garstone by their "houseboy" is the news event with which the story begins, and which sets off the subsequent action of the story. The story begins by reporting a reputedly factual event in the language of newspaper journalism: "When Mr. and Mrs. Garstone were murdered in their home by unknown gangsters. . ." However, within the same sentence, the narrator states that "there was a lot of talk about it," implying that the "facts" of the incident, as reported, take on a life of their own within the realm of public opinion and gossip.