An Analytical Study of Alienation, Placelessness and Peacelessness in V. S. Naipaul’s Half a Life

Abstract

Dislocation and the possible difficulties of the immigrants are now the themes of 21st Century novels and writings. Correspondingly the main theme of diasporic writing is displacement of an individual and the consequent alienation. Generally the sense of estrangement moves an individual towards a state of placelessness and peacelessness which is usually the subject matter of Naipaul. Mostly Naipaul’s novels are full of autobiographical elements. His characters to a large extent suffer from lack of geographical orientation. During an interview with Ronald Bryden Naipaul says that all his works are really one collection. He is really writing one big book. He has come to the conclusion that, considering the nature of the society he came from, considering the nature of the world he has stepped into and the world he has to look at, he could not be a professional novelist in the old sense. Thus the renowned novelist genuinely speaks through his characters and finds solace. His emotional and experiential aspects of life from place to place and time to time have been revived in the form of his characters. Thus, it results in his major theme of homelessness and unhomeliness. In line with this the alienating effects of colonial past on postcolonial people are highly transparent in Naipaul’s Half a Life. The present study probes deep to analyse the identity crisis and its subsequent effects on the characters in the novel.