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Mugo
Livingstone is a white Christian missionary and the only named white character in the story. Livingstone believes he is “enlightened” compared to the earlier missionaries, because he does not try to force the Gikuyu people to abandon their tribal rituals—that is, other than female circumcision. Circumcision represents the core of Gikuyu identity, which Livingstone sees as opposed to Christian identity. Thus, Livingstone embodies the subtle methods of the colonialists throughout the story, as they quietly move in, steal land, and impose their own government on the Gikuyu tribespeople.
Reverend Livingstone Quotes in The River Between
The The River Between quotes below are all either spoken by Reverend Livingstone or refer to Reverend Livingstone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 11
Quotes
Circumcision had to be rooted out if there was to be any hope of salvation for these people.
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Chapter 14
Quotes
Circumcision was an important ritual to the tribe. It kept people together, bound the tribe. It was at the core of the social structure, and a something that gave meaning to a man’s life. End the custom and the spiritual basis of the tribe’s cohesion and integration would be no more.
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Chapter 24
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No! It could never be a religion of love. Never, never. The religion of love was in the heart. The other was Joshua’s own religion, which ran counter to her spirit and violated love. If the faith of Joshua and Livingstone came to separate, why, it was not good. […] She wanted the other. The other that held together, the other that united.
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Reverend Livingstone Quotes in The River Between
The The River Between quotes below are all either spoken by Reverend Livingstone or refer to Reverend Livingstone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 11
Quotes
Circumcision had to be rooted out if there was to be any hope of salvation for these people.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14
Quotes
Circumcision was an important ritual to the tribe. It kept people together, bound the tribe. It was at the core of the social structure, and a something that gave meaning to a man’s life. End the custom and the spiritual basis of the tribe’s cohesion and integration would be no more.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24
Quotes
No! It could never be a religion of love. Never, never. The religion of love was in the heart. The other was Joshua’s own religion, which ran counter to her spirit and violated love. If the faith of Joshua and Livingstone came to separate, why, it was not good. […] She wanted the other. The other that held together, the other that united.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
