Matigari, a novel by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, alludes to the effects of postcolonialism in an African society. In the novel, the main character, Matigari, in search of truth and justice, comes across several examples of these effects. In many ways, postcolonialism has left people trapped in humiliating and sinful lifestyles. This left the natives depleted of their resources, forcing them to steal, fight, or sell their bodies to survive. Thiong'o uses the dynamic minor characters Muriuki and Guthera to illustrate the oppressive effects of postcolonialism on the culture of the people, imprisoning them in a degrading way of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe character of Muriuki highlights the violent behavior that postcolonialism has forced people to commit in order to survive. Matigari first comes across the boy, Muriuki, in a garbage dump, when he is “held by the throat and strangled while fighting over a bundle of shoelaces” (Ngugi 10). Some children “stuffed their mouths with rotten tomatoes, while others were busy cleaning the bones with their teeth, hoping to find a piece of meat still stuck to them” (Ngugi 10). Muriuki, a little boy, clings to the seemingly worthless piece of string as he is almost killed by another boy who also wants it. It was obvious that these children had very little as they voraciously stuffed their mouths with rotten food and fought violently over the scraps. Desperate for basic resources, they were forced to resort to violence to obtain these small things. Likewise, European colonizers left society as a whole oppressed, with a depletion of wealth and resources. Like most children, Muriuiki's clothes "had stains everywhere, and you could see his toes sticking out of the holes in his shoes" (Ngugi 11), illustrating Muriuki's inability to scavenge enough resources to clothe himself. The colonizers had come, taken the communities' resources, and then left, leaving them in chaos. Due to this lack of resources, people felt they had to fight to survive. When Matigari first walks through the junkyard, the children “throw stones” at him (Ngugi 12). The children, repeatedly stolen by adults, felt it was essential to use force to remove them. The colonizers deprived the Kenyan people of resources, forcing them to protect their property even if it meant resorting to violence. Furthermore, the scrapyard was “a huge hole surrounded by barbed wire” (Ngugi 9). Barbed wire fences, usually intended for animals, are intended to keep them enclosed inside. In this case, the children are surrounded by the fence while in the junkyard, further illustrating how the children have been trapped in this humiliating lifestyle. The children had unknowingly been trapped in a lifestyle in which they had to commit violence in order to maintain the basic necessities of survival. Additionally, Muriuki showed a change in societal structure through his imprisonment in a life of violence. As Matigari plans to revolt against the government, Muriuki begs to accompany him, “already imagining himself carrying a gun” (Ngugi 12). Muriuki, tired of the oppressive nature of colonialism, anxiously seeks to fight against the government, a government established by the colonizers. A young boy would normally have a feeling of innocence, however, he acts completelythe opposite, displaying violent and aggressive behavior. This is not something you typically see in a society. Children don't often imagine themselves with deadly weapons, ready to fight the government, but, due to brutal oppression, they more than willingly sought to fight their oppressors. This meant a change in societal structure, a change that involved violent fighting between children. Kenyan culture generally implied a non-violent and peaceful way of life; however, it was clear that this cultural norm had been lost. Later in the novel, after Matigari disappears into the river and is presumed dead, Muriuki retrieves Matigari's weapons from under the mugumo tree. Muriuki “put the cartridge belt on his chest. He passed the sword strap over his right shoulder and across his chest so that the sword rested on his left side...and finally he picked up the AK47” (Ngugi 148). Muriuki realizes that the only way to fight oppression is through violence, so he picks up Matigari's deadly weapons and prepares to fight. Normally, an adult would fulfill this role of soldier. However, colonialism changed the social structure within the African community. Children, like Muriuki, were forced into these violent positions in society because no one else would. Children were the only ones who could see the possibility of a better life and the only way to achieve it was through violence. For this reason, they felt that they had to step up their efforts and fulfill the roles of adults who brought change within society. Thiong'o further condemns post-colonialism through Guthera's imprisonment in a humiliating lifestyle, forced by capitalism. Guthera, initially, “did not aim to do any harm” (Ngugi 28). This meant that Guthera strove never to commit a sin, but from a young age she was given a harsh ultimatum: sleep with a police officer or watch her father die. Anxious to preserve her innocence, she refuses and her father is killed. After that, in many torments, she decided to “walk the streets” (Ngugi 28). Although she had broken her commandment of immorality, this was the first time “she was able to feed and clothe her children” (Ngugi 36). Aware of this satisfaction, Guthera decided to become a “man-hunter” (Ngugi 31). With the establishment of a capitalist economic system by the Europeans, people relied on and became dependent on a new form of money, which led them to do terrible things for it. Guthera sold her body to men for money, a highly sinful and disrespectful act. She didn't like this lifestyle, but it was her last and only resort because she had no other way to earn money. She and her family could not survive if she did not earn money, so she resorted to prostitution. Guthera was not physically imprisoned in a cell, but metaphorically trapped in a lifestyle of sexual exploitation. Later in the novel, when discussing her problems with Matigari, Guthera states that "her problems have led her away from the path of righteousness" (Ngugi 30). Guthera, a once very religious girl, is well aware of the sins she commits. She once swore never to break her heavenly commandments; however, she is forced to break them anyway to survive and escape the postcolonial regime. She realizes that the life she leads “is not that of a human being. It’s more like that of an animal” (Ngugi 118). She compares her life to that of an animal, illustrating the demeaning nature of.