Stylistic

The story is laced with symbolism and the story line greatly resembles the story of Jesus' crucifixion. The lore of the region as told by Chege is that there will be a savior and that sets the stage for a series of similarities between this story and the story of Jesus Christ. When Waiyaki, who some believed to be the savior, finds himself weary of the ongoing strife and dreading the battle he knows is imminent, he goes alone to a quiet place to seek guidance, and there comes to some conclusions. Then he returns to face an angry crowd. Kinuthia plays the role of Peter, Jesus' disciple, in this story, having vowed to stand by his friend and then fearing that if Waiyaki doesn't return to face the charges, he'll be attacked. When it's evident that Waiyaki isn't going to escape the punishment, Kinuthia slips into the crowd to avoid recognition as Waiyaki's friend. Finally, there are the people who are given the opportunity to set Waiyaki free but who turn his fate over to an elite group of elders who do not have the best interests of the people at heart.

The overall tone is one of hopelessness because the end - that Waiyaki will ultimately fail - seems obvious from the beginning. There are few words that will be unfamiliar to most readers.