On the Exile Motif in Naipaul’s Miguel Street

【Abstract】：Vidiahar Surajprasad Naipaul is the winner for the 2001 Nobel Prize for Literature. Miguel Street is his first book-length work， which won the Somerset Maugham Award in 1961. Miguel Street is a collection of 17 short stories， each of which describes the life of one character in the underclass Trinidadians.

In recent years， with the development of globalization， diaspora has become a common cultural and social phenomenon. Thus， a great number of diasporic writers have emerged with their diasporic literature. As a diasporic writer， Naipaul is in exile all through his life. Based on the diasporic theory， the thesis mainly probes into the exile motif revealed in the work and explores the possible reasons for this motif. Naipaul’s personal experience and multicultural background lead to the creation of various exiled characters in his book.

【Key words】： Miguel Street ；V. S. Naipaul ；exile motif ；characterization

Chapter One Introduction

1.1Vidiahar Surajprasad Naipaul and Miguel Street

Vidiahar Surajpasad Naipaul， one of the most famous English writers in the contemporary world， was awarded numerous honors， including the 2001 Nobel Prize for Literature， a knighthood for services to literature in 1971， the Somerset Maugham Award in 1961 and so on.

Naipaul is an Indian by extraction， a Trinidadian by birth， a British by nationality. This complicated identity brings him influence from the different cultures and makes him produce a strong sense of exile in his literary world. What’s more， his living and travelling experience further exasperate this sense. Belonging to the Indian minority in Trinidad， Naipaul felt strongly powerless and fragile before the black majority. Since his early age， he was hunted by a strong sense of being an outsider even on his native land. To escape from such an exile status， Naipaul left Trinidad when he was 17， and then went to study literature in Oxford University on a government scholarship. It is very significant for Naipaul to escape from Trinidad. As for this matter， he once said， “I was traveling from the periphery， the margin， to what to me was the center.” （Naipaul， 1991） Nevertheless， as a colonial in the United Kingdom， Naipaul was never accepted or assimilated by the British society and always felt as an outsider. Later， he travelled around other countries， such as America， India， Egypt， and so on， in order to search his root but always in vain. As a result， his life experience makes him a citizen of the world as well as a writer without roots.

Miguel Street （1959）， Naipaul’s first book-length work， launched his literary career. It is not only a collection of short stories about underclass Trinidadians， but also a typical one revealing Naipaul’s deep concern for the people in exile in the world. More importantly， Miguel Street represents Naipaul’s attempt to reveal his exile motif in the characters and their stories.

Miguel Street contains 17 short stories， each describing one main character. Among the characters， there is B. Wordsworth， who names himself after the great romanticist and dreams of becoming a famous poet； there is Bogart， who always boasts himself as an excellent tailor， but makes nothing in real； there is George， who abuses his wife and children all the day and wants to escape from Trinidad； there is Laura who sells herself in order to have access to food and raise her children. All of the characters are ordinary underclass people. They live as wanders in the Miguel Street， leading a life with an uncertain future.

1.2 Literature Review of Miguel Street

Marked as the beginning of Naipaul’s writing career， Miguel Street is one of the works that no Naipaul researcher should avoid. However， among the numerous critical studies on Naipaul’s works， only a small part of them pay exclusive attention to Miguel Street. This book has long been neglected by the critical circle. Although recently studies on this book have increased， they are still not comprehensive or impressive enough.

So far， studies on the book both at home and abroad are carried out mostly from the following aspects： analysis of its male characters and female characters， discussions on its narrative strategy as well as the relationship between the author and his work.

Veronica Crichlow discusses the male characters in her thesis， holding that the colorful characters of Miguel Street are used to depict maleness as an outside event， where manhood must be proved， by way of being the trickster or by physical strength （Crichlow， 2005）.

Except the subject of masculinity， female characters have also been touched upon. Cynthia S. Pittmann has found under the virility the strength of the female community in Miguel Street.

Besides， some scholars also focus on the narrative strategy of Miguel Street. Timothy F. Weiss in Carnival argues that Miguel Street adopts a double narrative strategy， which responds to a split between the author’s Trinidad and English cultural selves and attempts to resolve that split. （Weiss， 1992）

What’s more， some domestic scholars have analyzed the relationship between V. S. Naipaul and his work. Mei Xiaoyun in her essay “V. S. Naipaul： A Feeling That Never arrived” （2003） argues that Naipaul， due to his individual experience and multicultural background， is a rootless author， which makes his life and spirit in exile. Besides， Luo Xiaoyun also reviews that Miguel Street vividly shows the process of Naipaul’s searching for his root.

1.3 Structure of the Thesis

In recent years， with the development of globalization， diaspora has become a common cultural and social phenomenon. Many diasporic writers have enriched the world literature with their diasporic works， which have drawn the attention from the critic cycle as well as a large number of readers.

As a British immigrant author born in Trinidad， Naipaul spent a lot of time traveling from one place to another； nevertheless， he couldn’t find any feeling of belongingness to these places. Naipaul’s diasporic identity is fully revealed in his creation of his Miguel Street.

During his life， Naipaul constantly suffers a feeling of rootlessness and he is always in exile outside his homeland. Based on diasporic theory， this thesis intends to explore the “exile” motif reflected in Miguel Street. The thesis will be divided into five chapters. Chapter One introduces Vidiahar Surajprasad Naipaul and his masterpiece Miguel Street. Chapter Two mainly presents a brief introduction to diasporic theory. Chapter Three analyzes the exile motif displayed through the characterization in Miguel Street. Chapter Four discusses the reasons for Naipaul’s adoption of the exile motif in the book. The last chapter is the conclusion. Naipaul’s personal experience and multicultural background lead to the creation of various exiled characters in his book. It is hoped that this thesis can provide a new perspective for readers to appreciate this classic literary work.

Chapter Two Diasporic Theory

2.1 Diasporic Theory

The Word “diaspora”， originating from a Hebrew word “Galut”， refers to the scattering of the Jews on foreign lands after the Babylonian Captivity or the gathering of Jewish communities in Palestine or other places outside Israel （Zhang Deming， 2002）. The word thus is first confined to Jewish history， which is recorded in Exodus in the Old Testament. The Jews were forced to leave the land promised to them by God. For two thousand years， the Jews are scattered or dispersed all over the world. But their hearts are still closely related to their native land and traditional culture. Later， the concept of the word has extended to refer to other ethnic groups who are forced to leave their homeland.

In recent years， with the trend of globalization and integration， the racist connotation of the word has disappeared and it has become a cultural phenomenon. The immigrant intellectuals and writers， based on their multicultural identities and experiences， create prosperous literary works， which have roused the interest from both the academic cycle and the readers in the world. Along with the conceptual evolvement of the word “diaspora”， diasporic literature and diasporic theories have also undergone rapid development.

As part of the post-colonial studies， diasporic theories first appeared in the 1990s. Many critics argue that the flourish of diasporic theories is set in the background of the global integration. Many immigrant intellectuals， for various reasons， leave their native lands for a foreign country， especially developed western countries. On a foreign land， they experience a kind of liberation and freedom， which they have never experienced before. But the cutting down of the bonds with their native lands， family members and their own cultures also bring them great loneliness， anxieties and isolation. The immigrations blur the border between different regions， races， languages and cultures. The immigrants are assimilated into the local culture， but still influenced by their original cultures. This cross-bred diversified culture has brought a broad vision and new experience for diasporic literature and has also caused spiritual split and emotional alienation for diasporic writers （ibid， 2002）.

2.2 Exile Motif

One of the representatives of Post-colonial studies， Edward W. Said， a Palestinian Arab， has a deep understanding of the feeling as an exile. He described this feeling in his book Representations of the Intellectual， “The exile exists in a median state， neither completely at one with the new setting nor fully disencumbered of the old， beset with half-involvement and half-detachments.” （Said， 1993： 49）

In the long history of human civilization and literary world， exile has been one of the classic motifs. In exile novels， the leading characters are usually compelled， because of various reasons， such as humble births， existence dilemmas， to leave their homelands for other countries or they migrate from one place to another for spiritual needs because they could find none in their local lands （Sun Xuejiao， 2010）.

With the development of literature and human society， generally speaking， exile can be divided into two types： external exile and internal exile.

External exile refers to a travelling experience from one place to another. It is usually a journey with a clear purpose， shown in the separation from a person’s homeland. Internal exile means that an individual state of mind and sense of identity are involved in aimless wandering. In essence， it is a deviation from one’s own religion and spirit. One who experiences an internal exile suffers the sense of loss， alienation and absurdity and often feels perplexed in finding a way out and keeps doubtful and confused to find the significance of his current situation.

Exile is a normal phenomenon for human beings. V. S. Naipaul and his characters in Miguel Street are all in exile externally or internally. This thesis tends to explore the exile motif through the analysis of the various characters in the book.

Chapter Three Exile Motif in Miguel Street

Exile discourse is a kind of life experience， discourse form and discourse type in which the geographical locations that individuals or groups live in separate from their spiritual existence （Liu Xiaofeng， 1993）. Exile takes the forms of both external and internal exile. External exile means a physical movement from one place to another. However， internal exile usually means that the individuals or groups who cannot be assimilated to the local culture have difficulty seeking their own identity and living purpose， but refuse to leave for other places. Their spirits are aimlessly drifting and they often feel lonely， isolated and alienated. In Miguel Street， Naipaul creates many characters in exile internally or externally.

3.1 Exile Motif in “The Thing without a Name”

Popo is the leading character in the story “The Thing without a Name” in Miguel Street. Popo thought himself as a great carpenter. He was always engaged in designing and manufacturing； however， he never completed any projects. When neighbors asked him what he was doing， Popo always replied proudly， “I’m making the thing without a name.” （Naipaul， 2002： 17） Afterwards， he set up a sign for his workshop in order to become more popular just like Bogart. Nevertheless， when customers came to inquire， Popo was seized with panic and said， “He don’t live here again” （ibid： 18）. For a long time， Popo didn’t make any money， so his wife had to cook for a rich family to maintain their family. Finally， his wife couldn’t stand Popo anymore； she left with a richer man. Popo was then trapped into a sense of loneliness and depression.

As the title of the story indicates， Popo was constantly constructing “the thing without a name”. Popo， a self-described carpenter， didn’t know what he was really making， which clearly shows that Popo had a rather vague understanding of his own identity. Like many other immigrants， Popo left his homeland for a completely strange cultural location. In this new environment， Popo had great difficulty with identifying himself with mainstream Trinidadian society. He was confused of who he was and what he should do. In terms of his career， he first wanted to be an architect. Then he changed his mind and wanted to be a cabinet-maker， later a carpenter and finally a builder. Besides， Popo once yearned to be respected by other residents in the street， but after he got others’ friendship， he didn’t take it seriously. Gradually， he lost interest in any things in the street.

As one of the pathetic poor in Trinidad， Popo was unpopular. He was caught in a state of spiritual wandering. Trinidad couldn’t give him the sense of belonging and security， especially after he had experienced his wife’s elopement with another man. Most poor Trinidadians like Popo were confused of their survival in the harsh reality， and their spirits were getting farther and farther away from Trinidad. Since they had no idea as to where they were from， who they were and where they were going， they revealed both a physical and spiritual departure from Trinidad despite the fact that they were living there.

3.2 Exile Motif in “B. Wordsworth”

B. Wordsworth is the protagonist in the sixth story “B. Wordsworth”. He dreamed of being a well-known poet as the famous British Romantic poet Blake Wadsworth. Therefore， he even named himself after him. However， no one in Miguel Street showed any interest in his poems because most Trinidadians were not willing to waste their money for such unnecessary stuff. Without others’ recognition， B. Wordsworth still focused himself on writing a piece of poetry for several years. He imagined one day， he could complete this great poetry， shocking the whole world. By then， he could be the richest man in the world. Nevertheless， the fact proved that all was unrealistic. His current life was in low water， and he had to make a living by singing calypsos in the calypso period. Afterwards， he gradually became old with wrinkled face， and he didn’t boast any more that he could write a remarkable poem. Maybe due to a sense of guilt， before he passed away， he might tell the narrator that “All this talk about poetry and the greatest poem in the world， that wasn’t true.” （Naipaul， 2002： 65）

B. Wordsworth is a representative of the mimic men， which is an important group of figures created by Naipaul. In order to pursue their identities， the mimic men begin to imitate the British and American way of living and behaving， and take it as a pride to leave their inhabited land for the Empire. Wordsworth’s crazy imitation of the British Romantic poet reflects his lost of personality and cultural roots， leading to his tragic fate.

Wordsworth’s imitation is a kind of blind imitation according to Homi Bhabha’s doctrine. The mimicry behavior of the colonized people reveals their longing for an identity and their wishes to be assimilated into the mainstream society of the suzerain culture. Living on their homeland， they no longer belong to this place. Their aspiration for an identity and their idolization of the colonial country make them live in another type of exile.

3.3 Exile Motif in Other Stories

In addition to the mimicry behaviors of the colonized people like B. Wordsworth， some other characters in Miguel Street directly pursue their identity in the suzerain culture. But gradually， they find themselves unable to integrate into that culture and eventually fall into the position of “outsiders”.

Bogart is the hero in the first story of this collection “Bogart”. He was a tailor in the street， like his neighbor Popo. Bogart was chasing his tail every day， but people didn’t see him finish any clothes. So Trinidadians disliked him very much. Then， Bogart decided to leave Trinidad for the outside world. In the whole story， he left Trinidad for four times. First and foremost， he left for Georgetown and operated the biggest whorehouse in that city. He hired some beautiful Brazilian girls so that his business was booming. But soon he was arrested by the local police. After Bogart was released from prison， he returned to the Miguel Street. At the second time， Bogart left for America because he intended to acquire a pure American accent and blend into American culture. However， it turned out that he failed and came back to Trinidad again. At the third time， Bogart left for a place which few people had known， and then went back quickly. The last time， when he reached Georgetown， he got arrested again due to the charge of bigamy. At last， all his four attempts to get the identity of the Empire Center turned out to be in vain.

Elias is the protagonist in the story “His Chosen Calling”. To accomplish his dreams of fleeing from Trinidad and becoming a physician， he worked very hard. His headmaster Titus Hoyt even thought that Elias would surely pass the exam and obtain the Cambridge Senior School Certificate. However， overwhelmed by the loss of his mother， Elias didn’t pass the exam. The next year， he took the exam again and got a third grade. Although his neighbors were celebrating for what he had accomplished， Elias was not content with the outcome and made up his mind to take the exam for the third time. Unfortunately， the failure to get a second grade terminated his physician dream. However， the main reason for Elias’ failure is not that he didn’t work hard enough， but that the British took charge of the exams. The colonists would never permit Trinidadians like Elias to achieve his goal.

Edward is the leading character in the story “Until the Soldiers Came”. He was one of the most unpopular guys in the Miguel Street. He was crazy about the white master’s culture. Later， when Trinidad was controlled by American Army， Edward became a frequent visitor in the U.S. military camp. He made his efforts to entertain those soldiers， such as wearing American clothes， speaking American English， playing American tennis and so on. What’s more， he even married an American woman， making it much easier for him to integrate into the circle of Americans. However， his wife wasn’t honest with him and claimed that she couldn’t have a baby. At last she ran away with an American soldier who was one of Edward’s best friends， and had a baby with him. Immersed into deep sorrow， Edward left Trinidad in despair. He knew the cruel reality that people like him were in no position on the colonized land.

It is difficult for those figures in Miguel Street to mix their original culture with the colonizers’ culture. Influenced by the master culture， they can hardly maintain their own culture. But the door to the mainstream culture is always shut in front of the poor and powerless colonized people. Constantly， they are in dilemma and at a loss； their spirits are drifting and they are culturally rootless. Maybe the only choice for Trinidadians is to escape from Trinidad. However， even if they leave their homeland， like the narrator “I” and other figures do， they are always forced into an exiled situation， no matter physically or spiritually.

Chapter Four Reasons for Naipaul’s Exile Motif in

Miguel Street

In his first important work Miguel Street， Naipaul creates various characters in exiled situation. Though they all live in the Miguel Street， they never belong to this place. They feel rootless and adrift. The characterization， to a great extent， results from Naipaul’s own life experience and his multicultural background. Because of his displaced life experiences and complicated identity， Naipaul’s whole life is in exile， be it externally or internally.

4.1 A Foreigner in Trinidad

Naipaul is a descendent of a large Hindu Family in Trinidad， an island sitting on the continental shelf of South America. Naipaul had a grandfather who was a bound-by-contract labor from India， working on sugar cane plantation in Trinidad. It was a time when indentured Indian labors could enjoy few rights. They just worked as replacement of the freed black slaves. Those poor and homeless Indians in Trinidad who could only spoke Hindi were always longing for coming back to their motherland and feeling alienated in this island country. They regarded themselves as exiles and therefore， naturally， the little Naipaul had developed a sense of exile since his childhood.

In the first half of the 20th century， Trinidad was a plantation colony of the British Empire. The inhabitants were mostly descendents of the former black slaves from Africa. Later， after Britain lost its control on this island， the black people， as the majority of the population， took the power in nearly every aspect. However， the Indians in Trinidad remain outside of the mainstream society. They lack the sense of belonging to the country they are living in and furthermore， they gradually lose their original cultural identities. With the conflict with the black majority and oppression from the blacks， the Indian immigrants constantly feel powerless and insecure. Losing their cultural and historical bonds， the Indians really become exiled people in the world.

In consequence， Naipaul thought that it would be an excellent chance for him to study abroad to escape from his exiled status in Trinidad and to accomplish his dream of becoming a writer in England. All through his early life， he desperately longed to escape from Trinidad and if possible， never to come back. In 1950， when he was 18 years old， Naipaul left Trinidad excitedly and decisively. Just as he wrote in Miguel Street， “I left them all and walked briskly towards the aeroplane， not looking back， looking only at my shadow before me， a dancing dwarf on the tarmac.” （Naipaul， 2002： 17）

4.2 An Outsider in England

Naipaul expected to change his destiny by escaping from Trinidad and studying literature in Oxford University. Nevertheless， his identity would only isolate him on another island； he never blended into the circle of British society. At Oxford， Naipaul was rather lonely and felt entirely exiled by the outside world. Though trying hard to imitate the English gentlemen， Naipaul never succeeded. His classmates mocked at him and said ruthless words to him， which made him more and more self-abased. He wrote long letters to his father， telling about his life in Oxford and his sorrow and disappointment， his powerlessness and puzzlement.

After graduation， Naipaul settled in London and started his writing career. However， feeling excluded from the mainstream society， he thought it impossible to write about England. Hence， he turned his attention back to his own Trinidadian background. Examining his early life as a Trinidadian Indian， he published his first book Miguel Street.

After years of struggle and a great deal of hardships， Naipaul finally established himself as a gifted writer and won many awards and prizes for his literary works. However， he always thought himself as an exile. When interviewed after he won the Nobel Prize， he said that he would never forget his background and he， like his clan and the Trinidadians in his situation， was not protected and had no voice at all （Naipaul， 1983）. Naipaul’s self-imposed exile to England from his native Trinidad represents a cultural shift and split， which can hardly be resolved.

4.3 A Nomad in the World

Since his graduation， Naipaul has been living in Britain， but he has travelled a lot. In addition to his early trip to Spain， Naipaul has visited many countries， including India， Iran， Pakistan， Malaysia and some African and South American countries. The extensive traveling not only broadens Naipaul’s horizon but also deepens his understanding about the contemporary society.

During his journey， Naipaul usually observes and records carefully so that he can create some of his great writings. In 1961， he spent five months in the Caribbean， and wrote his first travel book The Middle Passage： Impressions of Five Societies – British， French and Dutch in the West Indies and South America. In 1962， Naipaul paid a year-long visit to India. As the result of his first visit to the land of his ancestors， Naipaul wrote An Area of Darkness， which is more about his understanding of India than the reference to the real India. For the first time in his life， he felt he was rootless and faceless. He was no longer identified， he felt， as part of a special ethnic group as he had been in Trinidad and England； it made him anxious. （French， 2008： 215）

In his travel books， Naipaul touched upon the dilemmas of the post-colonial experience： the agony of exile， the fear of being thrown into a void of loneliness， the failure of the colonized people to remake their society and the evasive reaction of improvised people to suffering and miseries.

Naipaul’s family background， multicultural identity， experience of studying and living in Britain as well as his extensive travelling experience not only supply the materials for his unique literary creation but also have a deep impact on his writing style. Being a foreigner in Trinidad， an outsider to the British society， and a nomad in the world， Naipaul can never find his homeland both physically and spiritually. All his life， he is searching for a place where his heart belongs， but always in vain. Being an exile has exerted great influence on his characterization in the book Miguel Street.

Chapter Five Conclusion

V.S. Naipaul is one of the most outstanding post-colonial writers. His life， as it were， is drifting all the time. He was born in Trinidad as a Hindu descent and later studied literature in Oxford University. Though settling down in London after his graduation， he travelled extensively all over the world. Hence， his works are always filled with the sense of exile just like his displaced experiences.

Miguel Street is his first book-length work， which is a collection of linked short stories. This collection is the beginning of Naipaul’s writing career and truly reflects underclass Trinidadians’ situation in the wartime. Due to his vivid description， Naipaul has earned the reputation as a great portrayer of street life. What’s more， the writing style in Miguel Street is humorous and scherzando so that the book becomes more and more popular among modern readers.

Due to his personal experience and multicultural background， Naipaul is a typical diasporic writer. With the trend of globalization and integration， diaspora has become a common cultural and social phenomenon. On the foreign land， the immigrant intellectuals enjoy a kind of liberation and freedom， which they have never experienced before. But the cutting down of the bonds with their native lands， family members and their own cultures also bring them great loneliness， anxieties and isolation. Their diasporic experience has brought them a broad vision and insightful materials for their literary creation and also caused their spiritual split and emotional alienation， which are fully revealed in their diasporic literature.

In the long history of human civilization and literary world， exile has been one of the classic motifs. Exile discourse is a kind of life experience， discourse form and discourse type in which the geographical locations that individuals or groups live in separate from their spiritual existence（Liu Xiaofeng， 1993）. Exile takes the forms of both external and internal exile. In Miguel Street， Naipaul creates various characters in exiled situation. Though they all live in the Miguel Street， they never belong to this place. They feel rootless and adrift. The characterization， to a great extent， results from Naipaul’s own life experience and his multicultural background. Being a foreigner in Trinidad， an outsider to the British society， and a nomad in the world， Naipaul can never find his homeland both physically and spiritually. All his life， he is searching for a place to which his heart belongs， but always in vain. It is hoped that this study can provide a new perspective to understand the author and the text.

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