A House For Mr. Biswas

Presenter: Hira Mukhtar

by V.S. Naipaul

StorylineThemesStyle

 V.S.Naipaul Trinidad-born British writer known for

comic early novels set in Trinidadbleaker later novels of thewider world

autobiographical chronicles of life and travels

A House for Mr. Biswas•one of his early Trinidad novels•published in 1961•his first work renowned internationally•a postcolonial perspective

Storyline

Storyline•Mohun Biswas is born in rural Trinidad to parents of Indian origin•His birth is considered ill-fated by a pandit as he is born "in the wrong way" and with an extra finger•His father drowned and his family is scattered

Storyline contd.•He was drawn into marriage with Shama and was forced to live in Tulsi household•His professional life travels from being an trainee with a pandit to a bartender to a sign-writer to a journalist•He was fed up of his overpowering in-laws and wanted to build a house that he could call his own•his own house as a symbol of his independence

Themes

Family•A prominent theme in the novel•Three types of families:

Mr. Biswas’ broken up family due to circumstancesShama’s very large family and the reason of conflict between themBiswas’ children and his dual relationship with them (sometimes

alienated, sometimes connected )

Writing•Plays an important role in the novel•It enabled him to:

write signs and brought him to Tulsi storewrite a note that was the cause of his marriagebecome a journalistwrite a letter to dr.Rameshwar to express his feelingsstay connected with Anand via letters

Food•It is an important theme in the novel•It prevails from start to end:

Punishment involving bananas caused a life-long problemConflict between Shama and Mr. Biswas on foodMr. Biswas does not like the quality of food at the Tulsi houseIt is also a cause for feasting, and the Tulsis’ food improves greatly for

special occasions

Style

Point of view•written in third person point of view•perspective of Mr. Biswas•Mr. Biswas’ reaction moves the story forward•His point of view provides pity as well as humor

Setting•time period of early to mid-twentieth century•set in various parts of Trinidad•diverse population having different races, ethnicities and religions•it is shown in language switch between English and Hindi•religious practices are seen

Language and meaning•language varies•narrative is rich with imagery and descriptive details•dialogue conveys the non-standard dialect of the people of Trinidad•sarcasm and irony, especially in the character of Mr. Biswas giving a comic effect

Structure•written in two distinct parts with a prologue and an epilogue•Prologue – the death of Mr. Biswas•Part I – Mr. Biswas’s life from birth till he leaves his family•Part II – his life from finding employment and different stages of family life•narrative shows what’s coming ahead

References•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._S._Naipaul#Novels_and_Travel_Writing•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_House_for_Mr_Biswas•http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-a-house-for-mr-biswas/themes.html#gsc.tab=0

References contd.•http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-a-house-for-mr-biswas/#gsc.tab=0•http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-a-house-for-mr-biswas/styles.html#gsc.tab=0

Thank you