Alienation in Henry Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah Anonymous 12th Grade

Exposure to certain aspects of modernization results in varied effects on the culture of a people. Ole Kulet examines the concept of alienation in Blossoms of the Savannah through characters who embody specific values and traits that are alien to the traditions of the society in which the novel is set. In this essay, the concept of alienation using illustrations from Henry Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah is brought into the light.

Ole Kaelo, having lived with his family in Nakuru for thirty years, exhibits certain behaviors that are a result of his estrangement and alienation from his people in Nasila. During his time of stay in Nakuru, Ole Kaelo is represented by his brother Simiren in all the sacred rituals carried out by the people of Nasila, including initiation ceremonies (Blossoms of the Savannah, 11). Furthermore, while Ole Kaelo’s brother Simiren has four wives since the Nasilian traditions permit it, Ole Kaelo marries only one wife and as such is often compared to a single-eyed giant who stood on legs so thin like a straw: “Elders had termed reckless his decision to remain married to only one wife who only bore him two daughters. They had likened him to a mono-eyed giant who stood on legs of straw ...“ (Blossoms...