V.S. Naipaul’s Reconciliation with Himself: The Ultimate Enigma of Arrival
In The Enigma of Arrival, a middle-aged narrator seeks to reconcile the two main aspects of his divided personality: his point of view as a man, and his point of view as a writer. Though very close to V.S. Naipaul’s own experience, this story is nevertheless presented as a fictional one.Like most po...
Salvato in:
| Pubblicato in: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ces, |
|---|---|
| Autore principale: | |
| Natura: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lingua: | Anglais |
| Pubblicazione: |
Commonwealth Essays and Studies
2024
|
| Accesso online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Riassunto: | In The Enigma of Arrival, a middle-aged narrator seeks to reconcile the two main aspects of his divided personality: his point of view as a man, and his point of view as a writer. Though very close to V.S. Naipaul’s own experience, this story is nevertheless presented as a fictional one.Like most post-colonial writers, the narrator had to leave his island to become a writer, and this initial journey caused an almost schizophrenic fracture between the man and the writer. Only in maturity can the narrator analyse the causes of such a division. Thanks to an approach to his environment which is both synchronic and diachronic approach, he gradually acquires a deeper knowledge of his surroundings and of himself. He also understands that writing is the only means to reconcile man and writer. The novel also invites the reader to share in this reconciliation, while leaving the mystery of creation – the ultimate enigma of arrival – intact. |
|---|