International Journal of
English and Literature

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. English Lit.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2626
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJEL
  • Start Year: 2010
  • Published Articles: 281

Review

Representation of postcolonial identity in Naipaul's works

Bijender Singh
V.P.O. Jagsi, Tehsil Gohana, District Sonepat, Haryana, India. 
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 29 July 2013
  •  Published: 31 December 2013

Abstract

This paper attempts to explore representation of postcolonial identity in V. S. Naipaul’s three works A House for Mr. Biswas, A Bend in the River and An Enigma of Arrival. This paper attempts  to relate  how these three works are replete with the theme of identity as the chief protagonists of all these three novels hanker after to find a place for them in the world to assert their identities. Their minds vacillate between two contradictory cultures existing in that time. Researcher attempts to analyze the different strands of identity to make the work more comprehensive and to radicalize its global demand. The origin of the word ‘identity’ and its literary importance has been projected through this paper along with the different meanings of identity having a slight difference in their meaning. Postcolonial Diasporic authors and their works have been mentioned in the paper to carry out further research on the theme of postcolonial identity. V. S. Naipaul’s earned vacuity of female authors by challenging them and their rabble-rousing strengthened his identity in the world, has been assessed and analyzed. It has been studied how in these three novels, main protagonists try to claim their place in the world that is full of challenges in their real life and consequently, the environment of these novels poses a cultural-clash to make their journey of life more complicated and hard to live in antagonistic surroundings.

Key words: V. S. Naipaul, post-colony, identity, diaspora, home, place, Hinduism.

Abbreviation

HFMS, A House for Mr. Biswas; AD, An Area of Darkness; BR, A Bend in the River.