From Falling To Freedom

V.S.Naipaul,the 2001 Nobel laureate for literature,is considered as one of the greatest immigrant writers in the contemporary world.His first work to achieve global acclaim,A House for Mr.Biswas(1961),is recognized as "A West Indian Epic".This lengthy novel details Mr.Biswas’ struggle for freedom,revealing that every experience confirms his journey towards truth.While there is significant academic interest in the post-colonial,cultural identity,existential themes present in the novel,there remains ample space to examine the philosophical underpinnings of Naipaul’s work.Drawing on Martin Heidegger’s theory of truth,including "the falling","the authentical being","the freedom being",this thesis analyzes Mr.Biswas’ individual transforming from falling to freedom being,disclosing his journey to truth from the concealment to the unconcealment.This thesis consists of five parts.The introduction provides a general overview of Naipaul’s life and works,and a brief introduction of A House for Mr.Biswas.It summarizes current research both domestically and internationally,and outlines the significance of this study.The theoretical framework of Heidegger’s theory of truth is also briefly introduced.The main body is divided into three chapters.In the first chapter,using Heidegger’s concept of "falling",the thesis analyzes the causes of Mr.Biswas’ falling prey.The marginality of the Indian Diaspora and deviations of the Indian order plunge him into the inauthentical life that deprives himself of individuality,leading to his sense of falling.The second chapter analyzes Mr.Biswas’predicament on his journey to authentical existence by referring to Heidegger’s idea of "concealment as errancy".Through his aspirations for a higher status and his ideal of being a writer,Mr.Biswas falls into a state of errancy.However,after experiencing the death,he achieves the authentical-self.The third chapter examines Mr.Biswas’attainment of freedom through Heidegger’s concept of "let it being".By having an open and self-ware attitude and actively participating into the unconcealment of the world,he attains freedom.Mr.Biswas’ journey from falling prey to freedom upon arrival at the Port of Spain is analogous to the journey from concealment to the unconcealment.Nevertheless,truth can not be wholly revealed once hidden,but is a never-ending process of revealing the concealed for the world.Mr.Biswas’ quest for truth is not a linear journey to a destination,but a spiraling one in which truth needs to be constantly robbed from concealment.The truth as a whole is always waiting to be unconcealed,revealing the inexhaustible tension between truth and existence.The conclusion briefly summarizes the whole thesis,asserting that the novel reveals the miserable existence of East Indians in Trinidad in an increasingly diverse and fragmented post-colonial world through Mr.Biwas’ journey to truth from falling to freedom.It also reflects the possibility of seeking individual freedom even when trapped in a preordained future and stagnant society by consistently self-improving and taking decisive action.Mr.Biswas’ life echoes Naipaul’s ultimate concern for the fate of human beings,which implies his philosophical thinking on the truth of the good.