Maurice Lee

V.S. Naipaul: A Diasporic Vision

Author(s): Kavita Nandan
Source: Journal of Caribbean Literatures, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Spring 2008), pp. 75-88
Published by: Maurice Lee
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V.S. Naipaul: A Diasporic Vision

Kavita Nandan

Thisessayrefutes someofthedominant negativecritiques ofNaipaul'swriting,

in particular byWestIndianwriters and criticssuchas GeorgeLamming,Derek
Walcott, SelwynCudjoe, Glyneand Griffith, byoffering an alternativereadingofA
Housefor Mr. Biswas from thediasporicangle. The novelcontains themes thatrun
throughout hiswriting butitmarksa distinctive periodin thedevelopment ofhis
writing and art.It a
displays unique affection for the homeland ofhis birth. It deals
withthehistorical period of colonialism and indenture and the of
experiences migration
anddisplacement withrespectto Trinidad.The rawnessofemotionpresentinthe
novelis missing inNaipaul'slatertextswhichhavebecomeincreasingly sophisticated
in theirtreatment of homeand identity. NaipaultoldRachelDonadío in theNew
YorkTimesBookReviewthat"thenovel'stimewas over"andthatwhen"youwrite
a novel. . . youweavea littlenarrative. AnditsO.K., butit's ofno account"(8).
a
However, rereading of A House for Mr. Biswas suggeststhatitis an extraordinary
narrativewhich evokes the memoryof indentureand the post-indentured
unaccommodated manwithpsychological acutenessandemotional truth.
Eventhosecriticswhogenerally dislikeNaipaul'swriting admitthaiA House
forMr.Biswasis a finework.Still,however, theydo notseeitinterms ofcontributing
to significant kindsof postcolonialdiscussion.For example,Cudjoe claimsthat
Naipaul'swriting is lockedina colonialtimewarp, fixedonthefigureofthemimic
manwhohasno subversive orredemptive characteristics.1
Buthisandtheapproach
ofothersdo notsufficiently critiquethe kind of diasporicpostcolonial politicsthat
Naipaul's writing engages with.A House for Mr. Biswas contains the idea that
postcolonial agencyis mutedinthereconceptualizing orreimagining ofpostcolonial
subjectivity from a diasporicperspective.
Thisessaysetsoutto foreground someoftheseconcernsthrough thetropeof
arrival.
Arrivalis a keyexperience inthediasporaforitconstitutes oneaspectofthe
actofmigration. Thatis, migration in literalterms - acrossnationalfrontiers and
fromruraltocity;andbeyondtheliteral - migration ofideasintoimagesandfrom
old selvesintonewones(Rushdie,Imaginary Homelands278-9).Havingmigrated
to a new landor beingconnectedto historiesof migration, thediasporicsubject
facestheenigmaof arrival.In thecase ofA HouseforMr.Biswas,thediasporic
condition is narrated as beingambivalent: "farawayenoughtoexperience thesense
ofexile andloss,close enoughto understand theenigmaofan always-postponed
'arrival'"(Hall 490). In otherwords,thediasporicpastalwayshauntsthediasporic
present.
InA HouseforMr.Biswas,theexperienceofarrivalis exploredinthecontext
ofthearrivaloftheIndianindentured laborersinTrinidad. As wayofbackground,
thefirstmajorwave ofthediasporicmovement is theresultofclassiccapitalism.
Indiansweretransported fromtheirhomelandsacrosstheseas to workintheNew
Worldon the sugarcaneand rubberplantations in Trinidad,Mauritius,and Fiji

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76 Journalof CaribbeanLiteratures

from1845-1917undera "new systemof slavery"(Tinker)called theindenture.

VijayMishrarefersto thisdiasporaas the"old diaspora"("DiasporicImaginary"
14). Naipaulsees theirarrivalintermsofshipwreck orexile.Onlyina laterbook,
TheEnigmaofArrival,is thisarrivalseenin morepositiveways.In A Housefor
Mr.Biswas,theIndianindentured laborersandtheirdescendents cannotfullyarrive
inTrinidad becauseofsublimated linkstotheirvanishingpasts.Arrivalalso refers
to thebirthofthemaincharacter, Biswas,whois a symbolofthepost-indenture
generation thathas to cope withTrinidad'sdiverseand destabilizedworldand
Trinidad'sentryintotheindependent phaseofitshistory.
Thethemeofarriving is mainlyderivedfromtheperspective ofthenovel'smain
characterwhoattempts toarriveatan identitywhichis authenticandwhole.Butthe
novelshowsthepostcolonial andhybrid orfractured ofitsprotagonist
subjectivities
who is unableto arriveat a stableunifiedself.His inability to findequilibrium
originatesinhisirreconcilable histories:
personalas wellas political.

II
Ithasbeensuggested thatNaipaulcharacterizes thefailuresofmanypostcolonial
societieswithout givingduecognizancetothedeepeffects ofcolonialismonthese
societiesthemselves. Forinstance, EdwardSaid hasgoneso faras toaccuseNaipaul
ofsellingouthispeopleinordertogaina positionofpowerintheWest."Themost
. . . immoral move. . . hasbeenNaipaul's,whohasallowedhimself quiteconsciously
tobe turnedintoa witnessfortheWestern prosecution" ("Intellectuals"53). This
perception that he is a "colonial renegade, a native informant for the Other"
("IntellectualExile" 41) is the veryreasonwhyNaipaul is oftenneglectedby
postcolonialstudies.2On the contrary, so muchof Naipaul's writingis about
understanding ata fundamental level how colonization resulted inthedispossession
ofthetraditions, cultures, languages,land,andhistory ofthecolonized.Naipaul's
writing explores how colonialism is responsible forthe void of history thatthe
diasporicsubjectexperiences, whereupon therelations of thecolonized with history
andidentity becameproblematic, uneasy,andanxiety-ridden.
The problemthatWestIndiancriticsoftenhavewithNaipaul'srepresentation
oftheWestIndiesandWestIndiansubjectivity hingesonhisemphasison loss and
lackrather thanonideasofagencyandempowerment. Themetaphor ofthe"wound"
whichsignifiesloss is prevalentin his writing. The factthatNaipaul's attitude
towardstheWestIndiesand,inparticular, Trinidad, changesinhislaterwriting3 is
an indication thatNaipaul, to an extent,had been in a
trapped cynical mindset. It
mustbe saidthough thatNaipaul'snegativity doesbringhomethedevastating impact
ofthelossofculture, and
language, dignity on thecolonized subjectand inparticular
thediasporicsubject.Accordingto KennethRamchand,Naipaulhas a verykeen
senseofhistory. RamchandarguesthatNaipaul'sA HouseforMr.Biswasgiveslife
tothisvisionof"thebrokenindividual intheWestIndies"(5), whocomesfrom"an
areaofdeprivation, longing and rootlessness" (6).
InNaipaul'swriting thereis a longing forcertain wholestatesofbeing;however,
thisdesireis coupledwiththeknowledgethatsuchauthenticity hasbeenruptured

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 V.S. Naipaul:A DiasporicVision 77

bythehistory ofcolonialismandthatitis impossibletoreturn toanypurecultural

andhistorical originand/or wholeness.However,whilethejourneyofbeingableto
return toone's"origin"is illusory, therealityofculturalboundaries is not.Thus,the
Indiandiaspora,according toNaipaul,cannotreallyfeelathomeonthealienisland
of Trinidad.DennisPorterclaimsthat:"Naipaulis bothanti-Foucault and anti-
Barthes, ananti-genealogist andan anti-poststructuralist,
whoassertshispreference
forcontinuity overdiscontinuity, identitythroughtimeoverdispersal, linearityover
a brokenperiodicity" (332). Ironically,though,becausethelossofthesecertainties
is so strongly felt,Naipaul'stextsemphasizethediscontinuous, thedispersedand
thebroken.Naipaul'santi-hybrid stanceis partofhisanti-colonial critique.It also
pointstotheresistance ofthediasporiccolonizedsubjecttohisfragmented reality.
Naipaul's reluctanceto see hisand hiscommunity's condition of hybridity ina
positiveway stems from the uniquehistory thathe belongs to. He is not able to
celebratethedevelopingcreolecultureof theCaribbeanlikeAfrican-Caribbean
writerssuchas Lammingand EdwardKamau Brathwaite. The indentured East
Indiancommunity oftheWestIndieswas largelya homogenous group isolated from
other cultures.Theydidnotgenerally intermarrywithAfro-Caribbeans. Furthermore,
becausetheIndianscame to theCaribbeanmuchlaterthantheAfricans,it was
harder fortheIndianstoshakeoffasenseoftransience andhomelessness (Birbalsingh
xvi).TheAfricanWestIndianssettledin theWestIndiesin a waythattheIndian
WestIndianswerenotable to.The latterwerefarmoredislocatedandambivalent
andremained homeless.As VictorRamrajclaims:"whiletheAfro-Caribbeans are,
to use Edward Kamau Brathwaite'stermarrivants,howeverdislocatedand
ambivalent, theIndo-Carribean assimilationists
are perpetualarrivers,who find
themselves attheharbour the
contemplating enigmaoftheirarrival"(84). Moreover,
although Afro-Caribbeans emigrated totheUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates
inconsiderable numbers, theyalso hadtheopportunity tointegrate intheCaribbean
toa greater extent.UnliketheIndianswhowereoftenpolitically marginalized, many
Afro-Caribbeans becamepartof a nationalmovement of liberation fromslavery
andcolonialism.
Itis possiblethatthecriticalattitudetoNaipaulbyWestIndiancriticshastodo
withthefactthatNaipaulis writing aboutthemarginalised historyof theWest
Indiesbyprimarily focusing onthedescendants oftheindentured Indians.Formany
WestIndians,themainhistory oftheWestIndiesis abouttheAfricanslavesand
theirdescendants. Whenwe talkaboutWestIndian"difference" and"selfhood"we
reallyshouldbe focusingontheirexperience. Thisis becausetheyaretheonesthat
suffered thebruntofcolonialism whereasthedescendents oftheindentured labourers
hadotherrespitesandrecourses. As MichaelNeillargues:

Naipaul'sfamily
historygavehim,as thegrandson ofanindentured
labourer
fromUttarPradesh, a degreeofdetachmentfromthebrutal
mainstream ofWestIndianhistorywhichFanon,as thedescendent
ofAfricanslaves,couldnotenjoy;andanother kindofdetachment

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78 Journalof CaribbeanLiteratures

wasfostered inhimbytheparticular ideologyofwhich

imperialist
he was a product.(23)

Neill'scontention makesthenecessarydistinction betweenslaveryandindenture;

afterall, slaverywas farmorebarbaricthanindenture in somewaysand yetby
their
centralizing experience in his narratives Naipaul draws attention tothebrutal
reality of the indenture system which Hugh Tinker actually refers to as a "new
system ofslavery."
Naipaul'scommentaboutthe"historylessness" of theWestIndieshas been
takenbymanycritics, particulary West Indian critics,toindicatehisdisregard and
unfair criticism oftheWestIndies.TheMiddlePassage is cynicalabouttheability
of theWestIndiesto understand itsown history and to createanything new and
worthwhile. According to this text of Naipaul's, the West Indies is onlycapableof
mimicking theWest.Similarly, TheMimicMenis despairing of Trinidad's exclusion
from anything important orsignificant occurring elsewhere intheworld.WestIndian
scholarGlyneGriffith claimsthatwriterssuchas Naipaul "ultimately limitthe
possibility ofWestIndianselfhoodandpresence the in West Indian novel ... [by
obscuring] thepoliticsofWestIndiandifference withinthebinaristparadigmof
vs
history historylessness" {Deconstruction 81). Accordingto Griffith, Naipaul
characterizes theWestIndiesin thesenarrowtermsbecauseforhim,history, and
therefore power,is inthesolepossessionoftheEuropeancolonizer{Deconstruction
77). In otherwords, theWestIndianas represented inNaipaul'snarratives isincapable
ofmakinghis/her ownhistory, he/sheis onlysubject to other people's histories.
ForGriffith, Naipaul's denying of a sense of tradition and history to hisWest
Indiancharacters is counter-productive to theirown self-awareness. He believes
thatNaipaulhasobscuredtheexperiences ofslavery, indenture, andcolonialismin
hiswriting ontheWestIndies.Griffith statesthatanycriticalapproachtoliterature
and culture,in orderto be empowering, musttakeintoaccountthesehistories
{Deconstruction xv). Griffith believes that thehumanist approachto literature in
whichtheindividual is givengreater emphasisandthepoliticsofsocietyis viewed
as
simply background is limited inthe case ofWestIndianliterature {Deconstruction
xix).
Naipaulhas beenaccusedofinvesting theWestIndieswithhistory's vacuum
butitis thevoidofhistory suffered bythediasporathathasbeenNaipaul'ssubject.
Contrary to Griffith'srepresentation ofNaipaul,muchofNaipaul'swriting about
theWestIndiesdeals obsessivelywiththe notion that the West Indies is suffering
froma crisisof identity because its own historyhas been obliterated by these
of and
experiences subjugation conquest. While Naipaul's non-fictional work, The
MiddlePassage, deals with the predicament of the West Indies in general, Ain
HouseforMr.Biswas,Naipaulwritesprincipally fromtheperspective oftheIndian-
Trinidadian colonialdiasporicsubject.A HouseforMk Biswas is abouthis/her
ahistoricity which is bothuniqueand symptomatic ofa generalahistoricity ofthe
WestIndiesthatNaipaulis interested in.According toDennisPorter, Naipaul"brings
a highly politicized consciousness tobear on the human problem of growing up as a

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 V.S. Naipaul:A DiasporicVision 79

colonialsubjectin a minority culturethatwas cut offfromits rootsin another

continent"(326). PorterarguesthatNaipaul's writingis verysensitiveto the
discoursesof power:"itspassagefromone setof rulersto another, itsabuse,its
spectacular failuresand itslacks" (307). Naipaul takes a philosophical lookat the
impermanency ofpower.
However,inhislaterwriting, Naipaulhas branchedoutfromnarratives ofthe
rootlessIndianTrinidadian subject to other rootless
colonized The
subjects. unique
experience oftheIndiansocietyinTrinidad becomesmorewidelyapplicable:"itis
a storythathasmovedoutward froma corethatis integral andbecomesan attempt
tounderstand a condition thatis shared"(Jung10). Naipaul'smainfocusis on the
Indiancolonialdiasporicsubjectbuthis awarenessof othercolonizeddiasporic
subjectsaddstohiscomplexcritiqueofcolonialism.Moreover, whileA Housefor
Mr.Biswasfocusesitsnarrative on thediasporicindividualwhois "irradiated by
history" (Rushdie,Imaginary100) and politics,thenovelgoes beyondits main
protagonist to a moregeneralvisionof theparticular postcolonialsocietiesit is
writing about.
GriffithmissesNaipaul'sincisiveandrichrendering ofthediasporicexperience
in whichthefragmentation oftradition and historyis central.In A HouseforMr.
Biswas,thenarrative focusesonthemainprotagonist's struggle forself-awareness
in a contextin whichhe has inherited thedebilitations and strengths ofa colonial
historyand traditionand findshimself in a present which is gaininggreater economic
and
prosperity moving towards independence.
WestIndianselfhoodis constituted ambivalently inA HouseforMr.Biswas.As
a resultofhistory's intervention,theWestIndiansubjectis positioned insucha way
thathisidentity cannotbe completely separate from the colonizer's but neithercan
itbe thesame.Thisis thepostcolonialpredicament ofdifference thatA Housefor
Mr.Biswastraces.Thefollowing assessment ofGriffith's: "Naipaul'ssatireis neither
nor its
redemptive didactic; purpose is not toelicit
detestation ofviceandwrongdoing,
butmerely toexistas itsowncontent" (Deconstruction 77),missesthepoint.Naipaul
exhibitsa certaindepthofunderstanding aboutthecolonialdiasporicsubjectinA
HouseforMr.Biswasby suggesting thatthereareno easypathsofredemption or
resolution fortheambivalent predicament inwhichthissubjectis placed.
Naipaul'swriting is concerned withthecolonialsubjectwhois exploitedbythe
projectofcolonialmodernity. Naipaul'sgrappling withthishiddensubaltern must
be takenintoaccountin orderto avoid vacatinghis narratives fromhistory. The
subaltern figure, whoseculturehas beendisrupted andwhoseculturalidentity has
beenfractured, hasa deeperneedforwholenessofselfanduniverse.Thisfigureis
represented byBiswas andthecharacter RalphSinghin TheMimicMen.
Bhabha,referring totheforgotten subaltern,seeshis/her subversivepotentialin
thehaunting ofcolonialculturebythecolonisedsubject'spast.Bhabhaargues:

the spectacleof colonial fantasysets itselfup as an uncanny

"double."Itsterrifying
figures- savages,grotesques,mimicmen-
revealthingsso profoundlyfamiliartotheWestthatitcannotbear

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80 Journalof CaribbeanLiteratures

toremember them.Itis inthatsense,andforthatveryreason,that

"The horror!
thehorror!"said in theheartofdarknessitself,and
the"Ou-boum"oftheempty Marabarcaveswillcontinue toterrify
andconfound for
us, they addressthat"other
scene"within ourselves
thatcontinually
dividesus againstourselvesandothers.(1 19-120)

Bhabhais sayingthatthrough mimicry thecolonizedundermines thecolonizer's

powerbecause,although thecolonizedis similartothecolonizer, heis stilldifferent.
TheOtherhascometohauntthecolonizeras hisgrotesque creation. Naipaulmakes
us uneasybecause we do notwantto be remindedof thissuppressedfigureof
colonizedman.As Porterclaims:"Naipaulathisbestis,therefore, oneofourmost
alertchroniclers ofdifference" (332). Foritis Naipaul'slackofacceptance ofhimself
thatmakeshiswriting so fraught withanxietyanda fascinating study ofthe Other.
As a resultofcolonization, reality forthecolonizedwasfragmented (theycould
notgo back to thesourcesof theirrealities),thus,theywerecontinually in the
of
process searching for a sense of their own of
self, coming to some sense of
completion ofthemselves. Butarriving is a processwhichcannotcometo an end.
Moreover, thehomesthatBiswasbuildsaredestroyed, whichsuggests thediasporic
of
predicament temporariness, of not permanently In
arriving. sense,Biswas's
a
goal to builda solidhousegives him theimpetusto carryon despiteheavyodds.
Whenhe has achievedhisgoal,he dies. In theshortstory, "Arriving," written by
another diasporic writerfrom the old diaspora, K.S. Maniam, thecharacter Khrishnan
saysinresponse toMatwhohasinsultingly referred tohimas Pendatang orimmigrant
(9): "Yes,I'm alwaysarriving, arriving. I'll neverreach.Reachingis dying"(20).
Biswas'smigration fromthecountry tothecitywherehe imaginesthathe will
a
gain greater sense ofhimself and significance intheworldresults ina disappointing
experience ofarrival.Theideathateverychangewouldleadtothatutopiaofbelonging
is revealedas illusoryforthediaspora.We shapeouridentities through escaping
ourselvesandprojecting ourdesiresintothefuture. Thiskindofidentity is fragile
andillusory. Naipaul'scontention is thata realidentity onlyemergeswitha deeper
senseofselfwhichcanbe achievedthrough independence andcreativity. In a sense,
wherever one is or wherever one escapes to one is thesumof whatone creates
oneself.Thatis whytheprocessofbuildingandowninga houseforBiswas is so
significant. Itis a creativeactanda movetowardsindependence.
The diasporicexperienceis largelyreflected through themaleprotagonists in
thenovel.Furthermore, history is connected to the male figure.At one point in the
narrative, Biswas makesa tellingstatement: "The loinsofmyfather, theloinsof
history" (17). Inheritance is thusshowntobe patriarchal as Biswas's struggles are
passed down to the son as his were passed down by thefather.Biswas inherits from
his indentured father,RaghuBiswas,thecongenitaltraumaof theexperienceof
displacement fromtheoriginary center,thegeographical and illusoryhomeland,
India, which contributes to his sense of displacement in the presenthome.4Thus,
Trinidad,whereBiswas is born,is a space in whichhe feelsa senseofunease,a
senseofnotbelongingat homeorinthenovel'swordsa "familiar temporariness"

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 V.S. Naipaul:A DiasporicVision 8 1

(194).5Similarly, Biswas transfers a kindof neurosisof thepast,his insecurity,

madnessandout-of-placeness to his son,Anand.As a result, Anandfindshimself
marginalized in the extended Hindu family, in creole society,and inLondon.The
colonialindenture experience of the grandparents a significant
has effecton the
son'sandthegrandson's lives.
Fromthemoment ofhisarrivalintothisworld,Biswascarriestheburdenofa
misshapenidentity. The diasporicnarrativeof unbelonging is conveyedin the
"unlucky"circumstances thatsurround his birth:"'Born in the wrongway.At
midnight' ... the inauspicious hour" (16). WilliamGass viewsone's birthintothis
worldas "an exile,first intolife"(122). Thisgeneralidea ofGass aboutexiletakes
onanaddeddimension inthecase ofBiswas.Inthecontext inwhichBiswasis born,
heis subjecttonumerous traditional Indianprejudices thatalienatehimevenfurther.
He is "[s]ix-fingered, andborninthewrongway"(15) andthemidwifeproclaims
that"[w]hateveryou do, thisboy will eat up his own motherand father"(16).
SaleemSinai,themainprotagonist inMidnight's Children is also bornatmidnight.
InA HouseforMr.BiswasandMidnight's Children, the stroke ofmidnight signifies
thatliminalmoment whentheold is dyingandthenewis struggling tobe born.It
producespostcolonial "freaks"likeBiswasandSaleem.Biswas'soutsiderstatusis
createdbytheIndian-Trinidadian community's superstitions andcasteprejudices
(ironically, castehadbeendisrupted bythefateful voyagefromIndiatoTrinidad)
and itis sanctified by theHindupundit.Biswas's fingerdropsoffat a laterstage
andSaleemaccidently has hisfinger cutoff.Thislosingofa finger inbothnovels
recallsGass's description oftheconditionof exile in termsof "an amputation, a
mutiliation oftheself (123).
Biswasas an adultstruggles fora newlifethatis devoidoftheprejudicesand
castementality oftheIndiancommunity whichattempts toreplicate an oldworldin
a newlandscape.Biswas'sattempts tomakesomething ofhimself is challengedby
an underlying feelingofhisabsurdity, hisunreality as a colonizedsubjectwhohas
beenmadetofeelinauthentic: "He didn'tfeellikea smallman,buttheclotheswhich
hungso despairingly fromtherailon themudwall weredefinitely theclothesofa
smallman,comic,make-believe clothes"(Mr.Biswas 157).
The novel'smainnarrative is aboutBiswas beinghauntedby theindenture.
"[U]nnecessary andunaccommodated" ("Prologue"13-14)refers notonlytoBiswas's
present circumstances but to the memory of the dislocation of his parentsand
grandparents from theiroriginal home. Biswas's story, although uniqueandfictional,
represents thepost-indenture diasporicsubject'sefforts to protecthimselfagainst
destitution. Thispredicament is reinforced bythefactthathehastostruggle against
a historyofhomelessness whichwas a legacyofhisparents. InA WayintheWorld,
Naipaulrepresents thehomelessness ofTrinidadian Indianspost-indenture: "These
peoplewerewithout money, job, without anything likea family, without theEnglish
language;withoutanykindof representation. Theywereutterly destitute"(19).
Similarly,Naipaul has written in the
Finding Centre:"ManyIndians,aftertheyhad
servedouttheir indenture,hadfoundthemselves destituteandhomeless.Suchpeople,
even withinmymemory, at
slept night in the Port of Spain squares"(53). The

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82 Journalof CaribbeanLiteratures

connection between thepostcolonial

subject'shomelessness (Biswashadhomeslike
homeless)andthatoftheindentured
theTulsi'sbutstillfeltessentially Indiansis
suggested inBiswas'smoment ofrealization:"As soonas he saw thebarracks Mr.
Biswasdecidedthatthetimehadcomeforhimtobuildhisownhouse,bywhatever
means"(206).
Biswas untilmuchlaterin his life,likehis father,"neverceased to feelthat
destitutionwas verynearlyuponhim"(21). Thatpotentialtragicrealitycauses
Biswastokeepgoingbacktothesecurity oftheTulsis(hiswife'sdominating family).
TheTulsifamily canbe readas bothparallelingas wellas opposingBiswas.On the
onehand,theTulsifamily andBiswashavea similar relationtotheEnglishcolonials,
thatis, theyare middlemen or mimicmen.On theotherhand,theTulsi family
attempts tocolonizeBiswas.Inthissense,iftheTulsifamily thestultifying
replicates
old orderorcolonialregime,thenBiswas's oscillationbetween"paddlinghisown
canoe"(105) andrunning backtothe"security ofcolonialism" (3) (White)suggests
thetremendous ofBiswastoachievehisindependence
struggle andhisownidentity.
According toBruceKing,Naipaul

examined thedifficulties AsianIndiansinfinding

oftheTrinidadian
theeconomicmeanstobecomeindependent individuals.Yetwithout
suchindependence,symbolized byBiswas's need fora homeorhis
ownplaceinsociety,theycouldnotreallybe partoftheNewWorld
andwouldremainhomeless,angryexilesdependent ona decaying
past.(212)

WhenBiswasfinally possesseshisownhouse,ironically itis heavilymortgaged, he

is dying,he is estranged fromhissonbutitis stilla deeptriumph. His ownership of
a portionoflandis significant becausehispartialindependence breaksthecolonial
patternin which his ancestors were dispossessed.Owning a house is important
becauseitsmaterial reality givesBiswas presence in the world. Also, increasein
the
Biswas'smaterial prosperity suggests thenovel'sconcern withtheissueofthecolonial
subject'sindependence. Biswas does not achieve
fully independence, hestillremains
economically dependent, unable to completely shed hishumble origins.
Inthecourseofnarrating thecollectivehistory ofindentured laborers, thenovel
addressesaspectssuchas theiranonymity andtheirdisappearance fromhistory and
A
memory. significant component of Biswas's limitation in his
developing identity is
thevoid of his past: "Mr Biswas could never afterwards say exactly where his
father'shuthad stood The worldcarriedno witnessto Mr Biswas's birthand
earlyyears"(41). Thisis presented inthenovelnotsimplyas a uniqueexperience
particularto Biswas 's family. novel statesthatfortheindentured
The migrant
Indianswho lived "in theirhutsof mudand grass. . . timeand distancewere
obliterated" (174). Naipaulin hispersonalnarrative in FindingtheCentrewrites
about"undatedtime,historical darkness"whichrelatestoan ignorance ofhisown
family,as a resultof,as he says, "the migration of our ancestors from India" (51).
A HouseforMr.Biswasis a veryhumorous novelbutunderlying itshumoris that

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 V.S. Naipaul:A DiasporicVision 83

oftheillegitimized
poignantnarrative andunrecognized indentured
laborer.This
canbe seeninthefollowingexchangebetweenBipti,Biswas'smother,
andLai, the
teacherattheCanadianschool:

BiptiechoedtheEnglishwords."I don't
"Buthsuttificate?"
haveany."
"Don't haveany,eh' Lai saidthenextday."You peopledon't
evenknowhowtoborn,itlooklike"(42).

The indentured labourersled precariousand fragileexistenceswhichare

symbolized bytheplaceofdwelling,thehome:"His grandparents' househadalso
disappeared, andwhen hutsofmud and are
grass pulled down they leave no trace"
(41). This makes
history Biswasdeterminedtobuilda solidhouseinorderto achieve
permanence andescapethatpervasivesenseofextinction:

In noneof theseplaces he was beingmissedbecausein noneof

theseplaceshad he everbeen morethana visitor.. . . Was Bipti
thinkingofhimin thebacktrace?But sheherselfwas a derelict.
And even more remote,thathouse of mud and grass in the
swamplands: probablypulleddownandploughedup.Beyondthat,
a void.Therewas nothingto speakofhim.(132)

In KeithGarebian'sreadingofA HouseforMr.Biswas,thedisorder, beatingsand

madnessintheTulsihousehold areattributed
toanexistential
crisiswhichis emptied
of its colonial implications.For Garebian,Biswas's "paranoidseclusionand
nightmares" (489) manifestthegrotesquewhichis a mixture oftwoelements. The
grotesqueis a Westernculturalgenrewhichis madeup of the"playfuland the
sinister"(489). He claimsthat:"A HouseforMr Biswas is thefirst
fantastically
trueCaribbeangrotesqueofthesatirickind"(488). Garebiandoes notlook at the
sourceofBiswas'sabsurdity. Forexample,he states:"[t]hesavageryandviolence
of someof his actions... are consequencesof his intemperate passions"(492).
Furthermore, he drawsattention to a keyfeatureofBiswas's experience,hysteria,
onlyagaintointerpret itintermsofgrotesquesatire(493). Biswas's"restlessquest
forthedreamhouse"(494) is also interpreted inexistentialist
terms.
Thecolonialneurosiswhichis manifested inthebeatingsandpunishments that
takeplace intheTulsihouseis connectedtotheexperienceofindenture. In a later
book,Naipaulsuggestshowitwas impossibletodisassociatethepresent landscape
fromitshistorical antecedent:

Therewas an ancient,ornot-so-ancient,
crueltyinthelanguageof
thestreets
. . . ofpunishments
anddegradation thattookyouback
toplantationtimes... thecruelty
oftheIndiancountrysideandthe
Africantown.The simplestthingsaroundus held memoriesof
(A Wayin theWorld18)
cruelty.

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84 Journalof CaribbeanLiteratures

Beatingsofwivesbyhusbandsandchildren bytheirparentsina ritual-like fashion

haveechoesinthebeatingsbytheoverseersofthelaborerswho would thenreturn
tothebarracks andbeattheirwives.Whilethenovelpresents theseroutine beatings
comically, the
underlying comedy thereis a hintof madnesswhich is symptomatic
ofa kindofcolonialneurosis.NaipaulhadsaidinA WayintheWorldthatforhim,
"comedy"was on "theothersideofhysteria" (95).
The sceneattherumshop describedbythenarrator suggestsa similarneurosis
presentin thegeneralIndiancommunity where men were "drink[ing] themselves
Atanytimeofthedaytherewerepeoplewhohadcollapsedonthe
intoinsensibility.
wetfloor,menwholookedolderthantheywere,womentoo;uselesspeoplecrying
incorners,theiranguishlostinthedinandpress"(59). Theywereusingalcoholto
blankouttheirpresent andtheirindentured Seth,whois oneof
past.The character
theheadsoftheTulsihouseholdandthemanagerofthefamilybusiness,"dressed
morelike a plantation overseerthana storemanager"(82). Seth's "benevolent
despotism" is anotherreminderoftheindenture system(Bhabha117).
Biswas is locateduneasilyin thegrotesquegenre.Thereis thatsenseof not
beingathomeinthegenreitself.VijayMishraclaims:

thesubjectexcludedfrom"reason"(and
[T]he subjectin transit,
theEnlightenment) reclaimsan aestheticCentreand breaksthe
utopienarrativesofEmpire.Butitis noteasytoarticulatethepain,
tofinda genre... inwhichtheeponymous hero,Biswas,couldbe
unproblematically situated.
("BorderingNaipaul"220)

Bhabhastates:
Similarly,

of 'Biswas' andthediscourseof 'character'satisfy

The narrative
thoseideologicalandformaldemandsofrealistnarratives- But
thedrivingdesireof 'Biswas' concealsa muchgraversubject:the
subjectofmadness,illnessandloss. (117)

ThenarrativeofBiswasdoesnotfinditsnicheintherealistgenre.Thisunhomeliness
drawsattentiontoBiswas'sdifference suggesting howthecolonialsubjectis always
inexcessofwhatheis trying tomimic.Incontrast toGarebian'sanalysis,Bhabha's
andMishra'sapproachespositionthetextin a specifichistorical andpostcolonial
politicalframework.
Biswas's fightforindependence, indicatedin his standnotto beathisfamily
andtonotallowtheTulsifamily tobeathischildren,suggeststheattempttoextricate
himselffrom thisdestructive
power-dominated environment. Furthermore,Biswas's
refusaltoworkontheestate(24) unlikehisbrothers who"werealready broken into
estatework"(40) is partlyanother rejectionofthecolonialsystem.However,as a
resultofhisdesperatecircumstances he does becometheestatedriverfora short
time.Thus,thenovelsuggests a tensionbetween Biswas'sattempt himself
todistance

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 V.S. Naipaul:A DiasporicVision 85

fromthatlifeandthatworldand yetbeingdrawnintoitas a resultofhis limited

economicmeans.
Theneurosisoftheindentured Indiansfeedsintothenextgeneration.
Biswas's
acknowledgement that"he no longerexpectedto wake up one morningand find
wholeagain"(273) is an expression
himself ofthe
ofthisneurosisandexplanation
emptinessthattheIndian As
diasporaexperiences. Mishra argues:

Naipaulneverusestheword"diaspora,"butitis clearthatdiasporic
-
experience the of
experience displacement and migrancy ... is
behindtherawnessofnerves,theneurosisthatgiveshisprosethe
specialqualityofpanic.("Bordering
Naipaul"225)

The out-of-placeness thatBiswas andtheoldergeneration experienceinTrinidad

canbe readintermsofthe"unhomely." Theunhomely is a critiqueofthelocational
argument which, in Anindyo Roy's words, "defamiliarizes thespace of homeas
location"(108). Bhabhasuggeststhatitis necessaryto problematize thespace of
homeas locationas migrants do notexperience a continuous andrational relation to
thehome.This is becausethememory of dislocationdisrupts thecontinuity that
homenormally offersinWestern paradigms. Thememory ofdislocationorthepast
is renewed through theactofcultural translation"as a contingent 'in-between' space,
thatinnovatesand interrupts theperformance of thepresent.The 'past-present'
becomes partof the necessity,not the nostalgia,of living"(Bhabha 7). The
discontinuous subjectdoes notexperiencetimeina linearway.The repressed past
intervenes inthespaceofthepresent. Home,whichis normally seenas providing
boththemythof stablebeingand thequestforwholeness,is disrupted by this
discontinuousness ofbeing(Roy 104).
Thediasporicsubjectcrossesterritorial andcultural boundaries bylivinginone
homeyetimagining another homeas he is hauntedbyrepressed histories
(Bhabha
9). TheTulsifamily's recreatingofIndiainthespaceoftheirhomeinTrinidad is an
exampleof thisunhomeliness. A Housefor Mr.Biswas is principally aboutthe
"unaccommodated" manwhichis thecondition oftheunhomely - nothomelessbut
notathomeeither. Theunhomely, accordingtoBhabha,is aboutmorethanfinding
one's niche.It is abouttheforegrounding of theunnameableor theunheimliche
the
through subject who is unable to settle
comfortably. Theunheimliche is a source
ofempowerment becauseitexposeswhatis covert.
WalcottinhiscritiqueofNaipaul'sTheEngimaofArrivalsays"tothoseofus
forwhom[Naipaul's]direction hasalwaysbeenclear,thisarrival is neither
enigmatic
norironicbutpredictable" (122). Walcott that
suggests Naipaul's"homecoming" is
hisarrivalin thecenter, hisadoptingoftheidentity ofan "Englishsquire"(122).
Jeremy Poynting, whilereinforcing thisnarrative thatWalcottinsistsupon,does
attribute
a significantlevelofself-awareness tothewriter: "Naipaulwritesmovingly
aboutthedamagehe inflicted on himselfbyimagining he hadleftbehindhis 'old'
Trinidadian Hinduselfandlivedonlywitha new'sophisticated' Westernized 'writing
self" (34). Suchcomments suggest thatinorder to overcome hissenseofalienation,

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86 Journalof CaribbeanLiteratures

anddefensiveness,
insecurity Naipaulneededtoreclaimthehomelandthrough his
individual ofitwhichrendered
imagining a senseofroots,ofbelonging
toa past.

Ill
The successofNaipaulas a novelist,including thesuccessofA HouseforMr.
Biswasin particular,is significantin thesensethatitmarkstheachievement ofa
grandson of indenture.Tarun J. Tejpal argues that ironicallyNaipaul's pasthas
drivenhim"to lay a verylargeclaim on EnglishLiterature; makinghimvery
necessary, very accommodated [within the]literarycanon" (84). Walcottremains
cynical: "The of
myth Naipaul as a as a
phenomenon, singular contradictorygenius
whosurvived thecanefieldsandthebushatgreatcost,haslongbeena farce"(128).
Nevertheless,thisessay contendsthatA HouseforMr.Biswas remains"the
WestIndiannovelofrootlessnesspar excellence"(Ramchand192).InA Housefor
Mr.Biswas,thePrologueendswiththethreatening thought of "[b]utbiggerthan
themall wasthehouse,hishouse.How terrible itwouldhavebeen... tobe without
it... tohavelivedanddiedas onehadbeenborn,unnecessary andunaccommodated"
(13-14).History hadbrought Biswas'sparents toanislandwheretheydidnotbelong
butBiswashadtriedtomakea homebybuildinga house.Attheage ofthirty-one,
Biswasowneda houseandthiswas symbolicofhis liberation fromthelegacyof
colonialindenture.Biswas'ssuccessinbuilding hisownhomesuggested thebreaking
ofthatcolonialpattern ofdomination. Yet,thehouseis notcompletely ownedby
Biswasandthissituation doesnotchange.Thuswhenhedies,theprecarious nature
ofbothhisachievement andhispostcolonial selfhood is suggested.Thesignificance
ofthenovellies in itsabilityto showthestruggle ofan emerging and vulnerable
postcolonial as
subjectivity mainly embodied inthe character Biswas,as a resultof
thediasporichistory ofindenture andmigration.

1
Cudjoe's politicalreadingof Naipaul's The MimicMen, pages 100-1,places it in a
postcolonialframework, but it is a negativeanalysisof thetexts'spostcoloniality. He
argues thatthemain protagonist's understandingof whatit means to be a colonialsubject
in a postcolonialsocietyis limited,and thatthechoices he makesand the actionshe
takesin relationto his identityare meaningless.Cudjoe has suggestedthatNaipauldoes
notgivehispostcolonialsubjectsorsocietiesa senseofagencyortheabilitytotransform
sociallyandpolitically, becauseNaipauladherestoa colonialideologyfirst andforemost.
2 textswithout
Naipaul'stravelbookson Indiaareoftenreadas orientalist anyredeeming
features.Forinstance, AnArea ofDarknessis readbyGlyneA. Griffith in thisway.See
Griffith,TravelNarrativeas CulturalCritique89.
3 In The
Enigmaof Arrival,writtentwentyyearsafterA House for Mr. Biswas, the
narratorgoes through a healingof sortswhichleads himto represent Trinidadin terms
ofcreativityand mobility; thepreviousdominant associationofTrinidadwithshipwreck
fades.
4 "so accurately tome- without
transmitted
Naipaulwritesthathisfather sayinganything
aboutit- hishysteria fromthetimewhenI didn'tknowhim:his fearofextinction." See
Finding the Centre 72.

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 V.S. Naipaul:A DiasporicVision 87

5A
greatersenseof beingrootedin Trinidadcan be perceivedin Naipaul's laternovels,
as theprotagonists
ironically, (oftenpartiallyautobiographicalselves) migrateto other
countries.

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