Hopeless Searching For Identity

This thesis is intended for discovering Naipaul's view on the identity searching of Trinidadian Indians by an interpretation of his novels House for Mr Biswas.The main body of this thesis can be divided into two parts: the background knowledge of the novel which is discussed in details in Chapter One; the textual reading and analysis which consist of Chapter Two and Three. In the first part the thesis focuses on the suspended dilemma confronted by the Trinidadian Indians in the first two decades in the twentieth century, and on Naipaul's early life in Trinidad, especially his father's influence on his life and his novel as well. A brief introduction of his early works and an exploration into A House for Mr Biswas are also included in this part in order to construct a firm foundation of further textual analysis.The second part is a study on various ways adopted by Trinidadian Indians in the novel for dispelling rootlessness and seeking their identity. In Chapter Two the writer of the thesis probes into their attempts based on the Indian tradition featured by Hinduism. Indians of the first two generations in Trinidad are inclined to acquire conciliations from fatalism but find the question of identity more complex and puzzling. For the Indians of high caste, being a pundit was ever a good choice to obtain status and respect in their mother India but it does not work any longer in the Indian community of Trinidad through the analysis of what the Brahmins in the novel have gone through. Religious reform is another way that some Trinidadian Indians try. Although it seems promising to them, it is finally proved to be hopeless. In Chapter Three the writer of the thesis gives an interpretation of their attempts to seek identity by way of westernization. Religion conversion is many people's option to be like a westerner but their understanding of religion is shallow and their conversion is attached with too much practical utility. As they are mimicking the western life style, they mix their...