Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Matigari follows the eponymous hero in his search for truth and justice for his oppressed parents, from the moment he lays down his arms until moment when another freedom fighter takes them back. . The narrative is almost cyclical, and this is reflected in the appearance of a riderless horse at the beginning and end of the novel. Other animals also appear everywhere, representing different aspects and obstacles to the freedom movement. These animals were chosen because the book symbolizes a greater fight for freedom and therefore the action can take place at any time and any place. Although the setting is obviously African, the animals depicted by Ngugi wa Thiong'o can be found all over the world. So, as symbols of freedom, they can convey this idea of ​​a global struggle for emancipation. Wildlife is as present in this novel as the quest for freedom, and the two are intrinsically linked; those who live in nature know freedom best and can therefore comment on it most effectively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Dogs have a divided representation; they can reflect either camaraderie or aggression. This double meaning is manifested through police dogs: rather than being guarantors of security, they are rather tools of barbarism. Dogs come to represent a society that endangers its inhabitants rather than protecting them as it should; they represent an order that takes everything and gives nothing. The two policemen who hold this dog harass Guthera and only stop when they suspect that Matigari, who stands up to them, is secretly rich and powerful - just like the dogs themselves, the policemen obey authority. Yet the threat posed by the dogs is somehow remote, for “the dog would leap toward her; but every time his cannon got closer… the policeman who held the head held him back”[1]. This flickering danger shows that the government's threat goes unrecognized, as it does not directly attack its people, but instead intimidates them into submission. Furthermore, it leaves no room for true autonomous action; “Every time she got up to go back, the dog jumped on her”[2]. In the third part of the novel, when Matigari and his disciples wander in the wild, they see houses with "enough water for their lawns, their shrubs, and their swimming pools"[3] despite the drought. They are the rich, and at every door there is “an Alsatian dog and a sign: ‘Mbwa Kali’ [dangerous dogs]”[4]. The upper classes are thus protected by the regime, because they benefit from the direct protection of a dog. It is thanks to this imbalance of power that they can have a surplus of water while others have a deficit. At the end of the book, the police sent their dogs on Matigari and Guthera with the intention of drawing blood. As they attempted to escape, the dogs “hesitated on the banks of the river”[5] – suggesting that the freedom fighters won, as before the dogs jumped into retreat. However, even though a few have broken free from government control, dogs still exercise some form of authority. “As if to announce to the world: sisi mbwa kali [we are dangerous dogs]”[6], they watch Matigari and Guthera as they are carried along the river, showing that their dominance over the others remains and that the government will always be a dangerous institution. Birds are emblems of peace, but this ideal is perverted in the novel. The first birds mentioned are theVultures and hawks, which are scavengers and hunters – certainly not peaceful. A sense of menace still hovers over the earth, just as “hawks soared dangerously in the sky”[7]. In the scrapyard, “some vultures perched on the barbed wire, while others sat on the branches of nearby trees”[8], their placement demonstrating that the threat is omnipresent; in both urban and rural areas, there is no escape from the oppressive order. Besides physical threats, birds also pose an intellectual threat in the way the government attempts to change the thoughts of its people. This is the doctrine of “parrotology,” which teaches citizens to mindlessly follow the government’s teachings. This indoctrination manifests itself in all areas; some have a “doctorate in parrotology”, some write for the “Daily Parrotry” and still others study “Songs of a Parrot”[9]. This shows control over knowledge, the press and even morality. Regardless, Matigari still perceives the bird as a true, pure emblem of peace. In his hat he wears an ostrich feather; it is the symbol of the Egyptian goddess Maat, who represents truth and justice, which is what Matigari fights for. This gives strength to his cause, because he indirectly benefits from divine support; However, to a Western reader, the ostrich symbolizes denial, and so his cause might be doomed from the start. However, Matigari surrounds himself with birds and continues to believe that freedom is possible thanks to them. During his travels, he searches for truth and justice "in birds' nests",[10] showing that he believes that peace is the only way to achieve these things. At the beginning of the novel, he remembers a song they sang; “if only it were dawn, so I could share the cold waters with the early risers”[11]. Dawn is a new beginning, and water is necessary for life; these can only be enjoyed together with peace. However, others exaggerate Matigari's ability to make peace, spreading a false rumor that "when the stones reached him, they turned into doves".[12] Overall, the birds in this novel are distant; they are wanted and they look down, but we never interact with them. This demonstrates that, in this society, peace is an illusion. Horses are the first animal to appear in the novel, and the most interesting. As Matigari lays down his arms at the beginning of the novel, “a riderless horse galloped past him”[13]. Capable of moving without a rider to control it, the horse is thus presented as a symbol of freedom. This reminds Matigari of the horses that "Settler Williams and his friends often rode", showing that with freedom comes prosperity. Muriuki expresses a similar opinion; “oh, how I would love to fly over this tea plantation in a Mercedes-Benz or, better yet, on a winged horse”[15]. Although his original dream is to achieve wealth, it evolves into thoughts of freedom and peace – the winged aspect reminiscent of a combination of horse and bird. Matigari, in pursuit of freedom, also literally “followed in the footsteps of the horses”[16]. However, “they could not see them very clearly”[17], because freedom is such a tenuous ideal for these people and they are mistaken about its possible immensity; “it turned out that what appeared to be a group was in fact two horses”[18]. Deceived by the way the horses' trail becomes "golden by the rays of the setting sun"[19], they fail to recognize the horses that are only kicking up dust, reflecting the superficial facade of freedom. Horses in Matigari do not.175.