The Situation of Colonial 'Other' in V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas

Oct 15, 2026

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The study traces Homi K. Bhabha’s notion of identity in V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas (1961) as a postcolonial text. It argues that colonial encounter shapes identity through mutual influence, producing fragmentation, alienation, and ambivalent belonging. Naipaul’s novel presents homeless, rootless immigrants whose lack of security complicates their quest for home. The analysis links shifting identities, places, and socio-cultural complexities to the conditions of unhomeliness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

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Pages8

Reading Time12 min

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Introduction

Homi k. Bhabha and Postcolonialism

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 Vol. 7 No. 1; February 2016 Australian International Academic Centre, Australia | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | Flourishing Creativity & Literacy | | | The Situation of Colonial 'Other' in V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas Tahereh Siamardi (Corresponding author) Department of English Literature, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran PO Box 31485-313, Karaj, Iran [E-mail: Tahereh.Siamardi@gmali.com](E-mail: Tahereh.Siamardi@gmali.com) Reza Deedari Department of English Literature, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran PO Box: 31485-313, Karaj, Iran [Email: R_deedari@yahoo.com](Email: R_deedari@yahoo.com) Doi:10 .7575/aiac.alls.v.7n. 1p.122 URL: [http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.1p.122](http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.7n.1p.122) Received: 15/09/2015 Accepted: 11/11/2015 Abstract The focus of the present study is to demonstrate traces of Homi k. Bhabha’s notion of identity in V. S. Naipaul ’s A House for Mr. Biswas (1961) . As a prominent postcolonial figure, Bhabha has contemplated over the formation of identity in the colonizing circumstances. He discusses on what happens to the colonizer and the colonized while interacting each other, arguing that both the colonizer and the colonized influence one another during which their identity is formed, fragmented and alienated. In considering Naipaul ’s A House for Mr. Biswas as postcolonial text, by the help of postcolonial theories of Homi Bhabha, it is argued that, mentioned novel sums up Naipaul’s approach to how individuals relate to places. This novel shows that individuals’ quest for home and a place of belonging is complicated first, by the reality of homelessness, and second, by the socio-cultural complexities peculiar to every place. In other words, the reality of homelessness makes the desire for home, elusive. A House for Mr. Biswas describes the story of homeless and rootless immigrants who lack identity and security in the colonial world. In this novel Naipaul deals with shifting identities, roots, homes and changing realities of migrants. Keywords: Identity, Ambivalence, Other, Creolization, Mimicry, Clash of cultures, Unhomeliness 1. Introduction This paper is the study of V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas through the application of Bhabha’s postcolonial notions. Homi K. Bhabha , is one of the famous conemporary voices in postcolonial studies,who was born in 1949 in Bombay, India. He received his bachelor ’s degree from Elphinstone College, University of Bombay, and his doctorate from Christ Church, Oxford. After teaching at Sussex University (1978-94) and the University of Chicago (1994-2000), Bhabha moved to Harvard University, where he is Ann F.Rothenberg Professor of English and American Literature, and chair of the program in History and Literature (Hale, p. 716, 2006) . Bhabha’s analysis of colonial experiences is grounded in the work of Frantz Fanon, especially his theories of racial difference and mimicry, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Jacques Lacan (Castle, p. 202, 2007) . As an important postcolonial theorist, Bhabha argues that in the encounter of the colonizer and the colonized both cultures are affected, and neither culture is pure. In the writings of Bhabha, depicted best in The Location of Culture (1994), he forms a series of concepts that work to‘undermine’and challenge self and other. In the novel, A House for Mr. Biswas, Naipaul depicts the situation of the colonial ‘other’ to reach some sort of personal identity. The postcolonial precepts such as Identity Formation and Cultural Diversity/ Multiculturalism, are the features that in this study the researcher attempts to trace in V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas through Homi Bhabha’ s theories. Naipaul ’s A House for Mr. Biswas is a tragicomic novel set in Trinidad in 1950s, and was published in 1961.In this book Naipaul deals

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study?

The study demonstrates traces of Homi K. Bhabha’s notion of identity in Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas (1961). It examines how identity is formed, fragmented, and alienated in colonizing circumstances.

How does Bhabha explain identity formation in colonial encounters?

Bhabha argues that both colonizer and colonized influence each other during interaction, so neither culture remains pure. Identity is shaped through these encounters, leading to ambivalence and alienation.

How does the novel portray homelessness and unhomeliness?

A House for Mr. Biswas depicts homeless and rootless immigrants who lack identity and security in the colonial world. The reality of homelessness makes the desire for home elusive, producing unhomeliness.

Oct 15, 2026

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