Diaspora and Discern in V.S. Naipul’s A House for Mr. Biswas

Abstract

This paper deals with V.S. Naipaul's novel A House for Mr. Biswas that deals with various themes like house, isolation, alienation, frustration, identity crisis, negation and colonialism, in a house and society that becomes brutal and heartless to Mr. Biswas. The novel reveals the story of its major protagonist, Mr. Mohun Biswas, dealing with all stages of his life, from his birth till death. The novel also deals with various kinds of clashes like culture, race, generation and human psychosis. It is partly autobiographical in the sense that it reflects Naipual's experience of alienation and spiritual crisis that resulted in his attitude of disliking the Trinidadian society where he was born and migrated to London where again he felt isolated and alienated. HMB depicts Naipaul’s notion about individuals who get affected by the deterioration and degradation of their self and their culture in an alien land. In their struggle, trials and tribulations to achieve recognition, success and identity in a postcolonial contentious society, broken individuals trapped in a multi-racial society, undergo physical and mental torture and torment as they become suspicion of losing their existence.