This paper deals with Ngugi wa Thiong'o's portrayal of the protagonist in his short story "Minutes of Glory". Wanjiru finds herself trapped in an urban setting and is a victim of her situation and low self-esteem. The story is a poignant and touching study of this young woman who is battling with an identity problem and is seeking acceptance in a post-independence setting where women are exploited by men of the New Africa elite. She is regarded as "a wounded bird in flight: a forced landing now and then but nevertheless wobbling from place to place ..." The story affirms female self-realization rather than perpetual self-alienation, and that validates the persistence in attaining her desired goal.

KEY WORDS: Kenya, literature, psychology, short story