grandmother Nyakinyua Her childhood is marked by exploitation as Kimeria betrays and impregnates her Their early lives show class difference Munira inherits comfort Wanja inherits struggle Yet it is Wanja who learns from pain and grows stronger Attitude toward Society Munira always avoids social or political issues The narrator says Any talk of colonialism made him uneasy He fears conflict and responsibility Even when others fight for justice he stays silent Wanja in contrast faces the cruel world directly She works hard and survives every hardship When the villagers go to the city for help she joins them bravely Munira hides behind religion but Wanja believes in action Her courage makes her a voice for the oppressed women of Kenya Relationship and Gender View Munira sees women as property He starts an affair with Wanja but cannot respect her choices Later his jealousy leads him to destroy her life His attitude shows male ego and hypocrisy Wanja however represents womanhood that refuses to be silent She uses her body as a means of survival in a world ruled by men Her tragic life shows how women face double exploitation both economic and sexual The writer honors Wanja for her endurance and condemns Munira s false morality Symbolism and Character Contrast Ngugi uses both characters symbolically Munira stands for moral weakness and religious blindness His faith becomes madness He says We went on a journey to the city to save Ilmorog from the drought We brought back spiritual drought from the city This line shows his self-deception He blames others instead of himself Wanja in contrast becomes a symbol of Kenya itself Like her the nation has been used and betrayed Yet she gives birth again and says I think I am with child This symbolizes hope and renewal End and Moral Vision In the end Munira s jealousy drives him to commit a terrible crime He burns Wanja s brothel killing others and ruining himself His religious madness shows the danger of false faith Wanja though wounded survives and finds new life in her pregnancy The difference is clear Munira destroys Wanja creates Her motherhood stands for the birth of a new Kenya Munira s punishment represents the fall of the selfish elite In Petals of Blood Ng g wa Thiong o contrasts Munira and Wanja to portray the two faces of postcolonial Kenya Munira s weakness and hypocrisy expose the decay of the new rulers Wanja s pain and endurance glorify the strength of the poor and the betrayed Through their conflict Ngugi expresses his belief that renewal must come from those who suffer yet still hope