"In A Free State"

Book Review # 105052

English > Analysis
Literature

"In A Free State"

An analysis of the elements of Caribbean life in "In A Free State" by V.S. Naipaul.

3,099 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper examines Naipaul's stories in "In A Free State" and discusses how, although the author uses the setting of neo-colonial Africa, one can discern subtle elements of Caribbean culture. The paper focuses on the nature and effects of colonialism in Africa and the Caribbean.

Outline:
Africa and Colonialism
Colonialism and the Caribbean
Naipaul on Colonialism
Discussion and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Although this book is advertised as a novel, it is truly a series of three short stories tied together by a prologue and an epilogue. What this book does deliver is a dark look at African life. Looking deeper at the subject matter, however, some suggestion exists of the influence that Caribbean life has had on the author. That he has chosen to focus on the Indian experience and that of neocolonial Africa make this story grouping interesting. Instead of setting them in the Caribbean of his childhood, Naipaul has taken some of the influences that he experienced there and used them in another setting."

Sample of Sources Used:

Henke, Holger and Fred Reno. Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean. Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, 2003.
Latin America Solidarity Coalition. "Globalization/Debt Strategy Paper: Statements of Understanding of the Historical Context of Debt." <http://www.lasolidarity.org/papers/globalization.htm>.
Michener, Charles. "The Dark Visions of V.S. Naipaul." Conversations with V.S. Naipaul, Feroza Jussawalla (ed.). Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1997.
Naipaul, V.S. In A Free State. New York: Random House-Vintage, 2002.
Workers World. "Black Editor in Detroit on 'The Rise of Colonialism in Africa.'" 18 Feb 2007. <http://www.workers.org/2007/world/colonialism-0222/>.