Abstract
The paper summarizes the content of the book and examines the random and haphazard nature in which the narration is presented. The paper discusses the main thesis of the novel and looks at how the different characters' stories are portrayed in separate sections for each one. It also mentions the humor used in the book, despite the tragic nature of the narrative.

From the Paper
""Miguel Street" is more than just a story about the poor people of Trinidad. It is a story of hope, despair, poverty, and laughter, and one that I enjoyed reading very much. It is the story of distinct individuals who live in destitution, but still have hope for the future. It celebrates the uniqueness of people, along with their daily courage and stubbornness. The narrator escapes from the neighborhood, but as the story reveals, he can never escape his background, and his love for the people of Miguel Street."

Tags:Port, of, Spain, memories, residents, despair, neighborhood

Abstract
The paper examines two stories by V. S. Naipaul that show different sides of social alienation in the West by cultural/racial minorities; one that shows isolation from within, the other that demonstrates the anger of isolation that looks outward for solutions to the situation.

From the Paper
This research explores the theme of home and homelessness in V. S. Naipaul's stories "Tell Me Who to Kill" and "One Out of Many". Particular emphasis will be placed on the depiction of persons who have been displaced by institutional and government factors so remote from them that their institution-driven experience of alienation is not felt vis a vis institutions, but rather as intensely personal and grounded social encounters that are all too human. Any experience of being..."

Tags:alienation, homelessness, culture shock, acculturation, capitalism

Abstract
This paper reviews two books of the post-colonial genre: "Half a life" by V.S. Naipaul and "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. It looks at the books' respective comments on the culture and values of the authors. The thematic commonality of culture acceptance in the books is explored, as is the phenomenon of the "push-pull contest" between cultures. The paper concludes with a list of similarities and differences between the two novels.

From the Paper
"The post colonial era in most areas provided the residents with a confusing state of existence. The old cultures were still in force, with all the traditions, beliefs and values that they held in the past, however the new cultures also had their place among the people. The post colonial era was a push and pull styled existence with the people living them caught in the middle of the apparent tug a war between cultures. The opposites of the cultures were handled in postcolonial writing by displaying the constant push-pull contest that seemed to be the norm for the time. Two popular works of fiction provide classic examples of this phenomona taking place for those who embrace the area as their home. In "Half a life" written by V.S. Naipaul and "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy, the reader is treated to a wonderful comparison of ways that these opposite situations can be displayed and enjoyed through the way it is expressed by the author."

Tags:push-pull, contest, post-colonial, belief

Abstract
The paper discusses how V. S. Naipaul's novel "Half a Life" defies the role that Willie Chandra must play within his own upbringing as a person that was raised by a Brahmin and an "untouchable." The paper explains that the social construct of the caste system in India is what defines Willie's own unconscious acceptance of the values of the upper caste system, which he comes to hate.

Tags:banville, naipaul, swift

Abstract
The paper discusses how by focusing on the cultural issues that add to the problem of Willie's social relations as a multicultural Indian, this study reveals how his confused identity creates problems for him in his travels throughout the world. The paper explains that Willie is culturally confused, as he is not affected by his father's passivity, but is also affected by the colonial mindset of the liberal English audience that reads his writings.

Tags:half, life, lit

Abstract
The author points out that David Michael Kaplan's "Doe Season" makes use of dream sequences to add dramatic intensity to its plot; V.S. Naipaul's "B. Wordsworth" makes use of dream-like qualities of narration and character to create a dream-like narrative texture to its episodic plot structure. The author points out that dreams do not afford either short story a sharply delineated plot structure; Kaplan chooses to give his story a strong plot line; whereas, Naipaul does not. The paper concludes that, in both tales, the use of dream's symbolism gives an added quality and intensity to the psychology of the developing protagonists, which the stories would lack if dreams were not included into the narrative sequence.

From the Paper
"Andy, of David Kaplan's "Doe Season," is a young woman who has killed a deer. In her dreams, she encounters the murdered deer, where she touches the heart of the animal she helped hunt and kill. Despite the fact that the action of touching the heart occurs in her mind, it is equally as potent for the young woman as the actual act of killing the deer, psychologically. Unlike Naipaul's story, however, "Doe Hunting" has a real-life external structure and narrative that has a more concrete verbal and narrative texture to it, although it is also true that some of the dramatic, real-life events of Kaplan's story have a dream-like intensity. For instance, over the course of the hunting vacation, when she is swimming in the sea, the young girl Andy, whom will kill the doe of the title, sees her mother lose her bathing suit by accident."

Tags:bildungsroman, protagonists, psychological, narrative, symbolism

Abstract
This paper analyzes and compares two novels that deal with Caribbean immigrant experience in Britain, Samuel Selvon's "The Lonely Londoners" and V. S. Naipaul's "The Mimic Men." The writer discusses how novels about Caribbean exile share the theme of longing for home, yet finding life in their original homes impossible and consequently trying to find a place in the host country which also causes a displacement. Samuel Selvon describes migrant West Indian characters in his 1956 novel, "The Lonely Londoners," and their sense of belonging and displacement. "The Mimic Men," written eleven years after "The Lonely Londoners," presents the island of Isabella, a newly independent country in the Caribbean. The main difference between these two novels is their approach to the effects of postcolonialism, Naipaul's view being markedly more pessimistic. In both novels, however, the colonized see themselves as lost in their postcolonial society which cannot offer a sense of national unity and identity.

From the Paper
"While The Lonely Londoners portrays the everyday experience of the West Indians in London, V. S. Naipaul's novel The Mimic Men is the fictional memoir of the protagonist Ralph Singh. Written in a boarding house in London, The Mimic Men is nostalgic, a first person explanation of Ralph's life, ranging over his childhood in the fictional West Indian island of Isabella, his university days in London where he meets and marries his wife, and his business and political careers back in Isabella. In The Lonely Londoners, on the other hand, there is the portrayal of West Indian 'boys' among whom the most central character is Moses. Yet with all the particular details, Ralph Singh like 'the boys' is also a typical colonial character, an intelligent and sensitive person confused by the unequal society he's raised in and for whom identity is a primary issue."

Tags:assimilation, alienation, immigration, imperialism, identity, multicultural, multiracial, placelessness, integration

Abstract
This paper analyzes the symbolism behind two distinct novels that deal with issues of exile, political strife and social turmoil - V.S. Naipaul's "A Bend in the River" and "The Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys. The paper explains how both books utilize nature in many ways as an association and correlation to the themes in their respective novels. The paper also looks at how there is a sense of duality in both books, as nature can depict a tide of change in addition to a resistance by a people to maintain tradition and a way of life that is invaded by unnatural intruders. The paper also discusses how the interpretation of literary symbols in classic novels has always been imperative to understanding the full scope of an author's message. Additionally, the paper shows that both Naipual and Rhys utilize nature to formulate strong symbolic meanings and associate them to the domination of European culture and the notion that colonization fragments Africa from its way of life.

From the Paper
"Naipaul's main character Salim in A Bend in the River takes a ritual journey through Africa which is loaded with numerous metaphors and 'coming of age' events. Salim's realization of the neurosis during colonization and the indigenous social conflict is especially realized when he travels outside of Africa. In his education, he encounters a great deal of realities that shape his perception of Westernization and he quickly begins to realize the pending abomination that is to result from Western influence in his homeland. To further indicate this importance, Naipaul utilizes water to paint a picture of stillness and change. This duality extends to the natural resources that surround the river, similar to the journey of Conrad in The Heart of Darkness. The contrast here is not the personal battle against Africa, Salim is more cognizant of his native surroundings and understands the futility and destruction that will be realized with the synthesis of two conflicting ideologies."

Tags:duality, nature, political, strife, social, turmoil, homeland, water

Abstract
The writer states that V. S. Naipaul is an accomplished fiction writer, as well as having a great deal of experience in the non-fiction field. The effect of this seeming contradiction is to draw the reader more deeply into the lives and situations of the people being discussed. The book is actually an exploration of what life is like for followers of Islam who live in the non-Arab countries. His primary focus is on Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia.

From the Paper
"Naipaul's motivation was to explore the way Islamic beliefs were affecting both the non-Islamic population and the Islamic population of these countries. All of the nations have an old and complex society, with many of the central precepts not a part of Muslim theology. Islamic and non-Islamic relations range from very good to very difficult, in part depending on the historical background in the specific nations. Although the cultures are ancient, many of the countries are relatively young in their present political situations. This represents another area to explore, since the recent insurgence of Islam could be a problem to a relatively new government."

Tags:Islam, Pakistan, Malaysia, Arab, conversion

Abstract
In their own unique way, Edwidge Danticat and V. S. Naipaul illuminate the consequences of colonialism. In so doing, they provide scenes of cruelty, violence, deceit and lies. This is a vital vehicle through which the writer is able to demonstrate the horror behind the issue of colonialism and identity. Some of the books looked at are "Breath, Eyes, Memory" and "Miguel Street".