Sorry!I shall marry when I want.Nobody will force me into it!
-- Gathoni (Act One)

Importance: Gathoni invokes the title of the play to tell her mother that she plans to achieve independence and escape the poverty of her family’s home. However, her statement of independence is ironic in that it inevitably requires her to marry an elite, John Muhuuni, who will undoubtedly exercise an outsize level of influence over her. This emphasizes the fact that Gathoni’s options for independence exist within a narrow range; she can only pursue a limited form of independence that may not allow her any more autonomy than she currently possesses.

I ran away from coldland only to find myself in frostland!
-- Kiguunda (Act One)

Importance: Kiguunda employs this metaphor to underline the reality that his fortunes have not reversed since Kenya became independent. This quote reflects the reality that he struggled to break free of one unpleasant reality, colonial...