A House for Mr Biswas

Published in 1961, this novel tells the life story of Mohun Biswas, a Trinidadian of East Indian descent. Biswas is born into poverty and faces a tumultuous and unstable upbringing. He loves books and reads vociferously, but his search for knowledge is not appreciated by the people around him. He is directly involved in an incident that results in the death of his father. The narrative depicts Trinidad as a melting pot of cultures, and the remnants of colonialism are still prevalent. It is based on the author’s father.

Topics include the search for identity, independence, and a sense of belonging. Mr. Biswas sets out to better his station in life. One way he attempts to achieve this goal is in the quality of the houses he occupies at various stages of his life (hence, the title). He has a strong desire to gain stability, security, and self-determination, which is particularly difficult for those at the lower levels of the social hierarchy.

Naipaul’s prose is richly detailed and evocative, describing the cultural, social, and economic conditions in Trinidad at the time. It probes into the clashes between traditional and modern ways. Mr. Biswas must respond to the expectations of his relations based on his heritage, while also meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving society. I particularly enjoyed the author’s depiction of the multicultural milieu, and it was refreshing to read a book set in Trinidad. It is not for anyone looking for plot or action.

The characters are vividly drawn and easy to picture, especially Biswas’s relationships with his family, in-laws, and community, representing the array of social connections and familial expectations that shape an individual's life. I imagine most people can relate to these factors, each of which presents its own stresses. I always seem to enjoy these types of books – character-driven, subtle, and insightful.

In his prologue to the story, V. S. Naipaul writes of Mr. Biswas that he was born unnecessary and unaccommodated. This book is a narrative of a life lived from such a start that applies to far too many people in the world.

Mohan Biswas is not an appealing character. He marries a woman that has never had a conversation with him, based on her physical appearance seen from afar and does so, like everything he does, on impulse. She bears him child after child in which he takes little interest when they are small wanting their respect regardless. His wife is dutiful but sarcastic in a way that viewers of the old TV show The Honeymooners would recognize. To his credit, Biswas doesn't beat her as is common practice in the east Indian community in Trindad within which the story takes place.

There's little relief in the host of other characters, unhappily stuck in a society from which there is little desire to escape. Life is a sentence, see it out. Ignorance, superstition, petty jealousies abound within the extended family of Biswas' wife that he must endure for most of the story, making it understandable that he wants a house of his own.

This is a story of poverty, though the wife's mother has enough money and property that the entire family can be maintained together. This materfamilias lords it over her children and their spouses yet all remain in orbit around her into the third generation. Her brother-in-law, Seth, manages her properties and repeatedly tries to help Biswas with employment. Seth is the only character that appears to be a responsible adult.

This tale of woe, hardly to be recommended on the facts of the case, is made more than readable by Naipaul's excellent writing that draws one in to a very real presentation of a kind of life otherwise unknown to your reviewer.

I divide the book in two. In the first part we get to know Biswas intimately, feeling his helplessness and desperation as he tries various means of escape from the in-laws though always returning for the economic security his marriage tie has brought him. The second half of the book begins when Seth, the responsible overseer, leaves the property and the family moves to a dilapidated former French estate in the countryside.

In this second half, Naipaul's sense of humor is fully employed, greatly relieving for the reader, but not the characters, the desperate situation created in the first half. Because of the ignorance of all the characters, the attempts to make a go of life on the old estate in the absence of their former overseer, Seth, result in episodes that had me laughing out loud. Naipaul's character studies are remarkable. He shows foolishness in a hundred ways but without destroying sympathy. One wants to see success come even as it seems impossible.

This is a long book about hapless people that the reader comes to care about. Told by a master storyteller with a delightful sense of humor it is a pleasure to read.

Knowing virtually nothing about this book before I opened it, it took me some time to adjust to it. You see, this is not a drama or an adventure, it is the story of one man’s life. Once I became used to the idea that this book would not have a traditional plot, that it was a darkly humourous take on the life of the “little man”, I was immediately engrossed. Mr. Biswas is an unlikeable chap. He repeatedly embarrasses himself, he is weak, he is temperamental, he strikes out irrationally at those closest to him, and he loses with great consistency. He’s an unremarkable man, a nobody who is desperate to throw off the bonds of dependence, to strike out on his own, and, yes, to have a house. And yet, Mr. Biswas is a remarkable man. He is witty, intelligent, and strangely charming. Despite his great efforts to “paddle his own canoe,” everything happens to him rather than happening because of him.

The characters are rich, the humour is sharp, and the story is touching. If someone had attempted to describe the plot of this book to me I don’t think I would have read it. Fortunately, no one did me that favour and I was able to get lost in this remarkably written tale.

Having read V S Naipaul’s A Million Mutinies Now (a epic travelogue for its sheer scope and detailing) and An Area of Darkness (an unforgiving, somewhat crude description of post-Independence India), one surmises that whether one chooses to agree or not with his highly provocative, opinionated views, there’s never a dull moment around his writings – a major asset for any author. Also, Naipaul very successfully manages to articulate his thoughts in simple, lucid language, and yet dazzles you with the richness, complexity and sheer emotional expanse of the text.

For a long time now, one has been hearing about A House for Mr Biswas being undoubtedly his best work. Also, since I had only read his non-fictional works, there was a certain curiosity to see his fictional writing. Of course, A House For Mr Biswas is not wholly fiction and in fact, borrows a lot from Naipaul’s own childhood.

The central character of Mr Biswas is based on the life of his father and the novel tracks his life from birth to death. Right since he is born, he is considered a bad omen for the family. By a quirk of fate, the prediction indeed comes true with Biswas’ father getting drowned while trying to save him. The family goes through very trying times, even as his mother Bipti appears totally detached and whining at all times. Biswas is often sent to his wealthy aunt’s place, where he does odd jobs for the family. Biswas loves the ambience of the place and dreams of being able to afford the same lifestyle someday. But in every scheme that his mother finds to get him 'settled' – one of them has him as an apprentice to a mean-minded Pundit (this whole episode is hilarious as much as it is ironic) – ends up frustrating Mr Biswas even further.

That's when Biswas' life takes another dramatic turn. A harmless bit of flirting with his employer's daughter plunges him straight into marriage. Biswas is not prepared, but his in-laws, the affectionate yet firm Mrs Tulsi and her commanding son-in-law, insist on the match. This, even though Biswas is penniless.

He moves in with the Tulsis – a queer, noisy extended family where the Tulsi daughters are welcomed to stay with their husbands and children. Since most of the son-in-laws are not very well-to-do, they are employed either in one of the family’s shops or fields.

Mr Biswas is enraged seeing that he has to follow the rules set by his wife’s family. He abhors the tasteless food they serve, helplessly cribbing that it ruins his stomach and in general leaves no opportunity to deride them or pick up fights with the elders. The family is more often than not patient with him, trying to buy peace by giving him a fresh opportunity. Many a times, Mr Biswas gets so outraged by the family that he moves out, only to face hardships outside and return back defeated. He finds scant support from his wife who is practical about their financial condition and stays put at her mothers’ place with her kids.

The only time Mr Biswas’ life looks up is when he lands a job as a journo at the Sentinel. Tired of the Tulsis, he attempts to build a house of his own at least on two occasions. But always short of cash and saddled with a million troubles always, he ends up making a mish-mash of it each time and lands right back with the Tulsis.

However, Mr Biswas does manage a house of his own towards the end and nothing gives him more happiness than to live in a place where he doesn’t have to be indebted to the Tulsis. Strangely, Biswas finds more peace and cheer in the last few years of his life (with his son Anand and Savi) than he ever gets in his lifetime.

The novel is a marvel in character creation and Naipaul’s ability to penetrate through human psyche and proclivity with such searing candor makes A House For Mr Biswas an immensely rich work. The description of the Tusli family with its varied and colourful characters is especially ingenious.

Also, the novel can be read on a number of levels. Even without any special emphasis on its historical context, it still holds true as a novel about frustration and tragic vulnerability that lies at the core of all human existence.

The subtext is never overt, but it’s possible to read the Tulsi House as a symbol of colonialism. Trinidad was under British rule and Naipaul could possibly be driving home the point about how restrictive and controlled such living could be. Mr Biswas’ constant failure with every new endeavour hints towards the ill-preparedness of the Trinidadian populace when left on their own. Without adequate training or experience, Biswas is always clueless.

Yet, reading A House For Mr Biswas can be exhausting, for the tedium it brings at several points. The novel is too long, too repetitive. The same things keep happening to Mr Biswas all through the novel. In addition to that, the overly discriptive style of the book tends to tire you out.
But then again, there's another way of looking at the novel. The book moves at snail's pace , but so does Mr Biswas' own life that refuses to take off. Somewhere in the tedium felt by the reader lies Mr Biswas' own frustration at seeing his life languishing.
Naipaul's subject matter is grim but the author's trademark dark humour and ironic wit ensures that A House for Mr Biswas remains as entertaining, as it is enriching.

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When I came across “A house for Mr Biswas”, it was described as a comedy. It turned out to be the most depressive book I have ever read. One long pointless life full of petty deeds and dispairs among equally unlikable and petty characters. Is it a life worth-living? I don’t know. Can it be changed by the systematic changes in the society, development, education and growing economy? Probably to some extend. Is it a good book? Yes. Would I recommend to read this book? Absolutely not.

All that Mr. Biswas wants is respect, not money, not love, not recognition just respect.

Born in Trinidad in a poor home he is tricked into marrying Shama Tulsi daughter of the well known, very rich Tulsi House, all because he had had the temerity to write ‘I love you’ on a scrap of paper and hand it over to her.
Although warned by many he persists in marrying her. Everyone knows that the Tulsis are on the lookout for drones for their daughters, once married the husbands become their property.
They live with the Tulsis, eat what food is doled out to them, and work on the Tulsi farms and holdings, scraping out an existence as the Tulsi ‘sons-in-law’.

Strangely Shama Tulsi never protests, never feels that her husband and children could be treated better, on the contrary she is of the firm belief that she and Mr. Biswas should be eternally grateful to Mai and her brothers. ‘Remember’ she says, ‘You came with just the clothes on your back’

How Mr. Biswas longs to get rid of these shackles of charity and gratitude.
He throws tantrums, he flings his food out of the window, he insults Shama and her family, he stops having sex with her, feels terribly lonely, ends up having four children.

He builds a small, cheap house but at the first heavy shower the roof is blown away. Mr. Biswas suffers a nervous breakdown and is promptly yanked by Shama to the Tulsi House to recover with cups of Ovaltine.
He builds a decent career as a journalist, but is relegated to the post of a lowly reporter once the Editor goes away.
The little grocery shop they had opened goes bust as Mr. Biswas is unable to collect the credit he had so generously given his customers.

All through these abysmal failures the Tulsis treat Mr. Biswas as one would a recalcitrant child, nothing more, laughing indulgently at his tantrums.
And all the time Mr. Biswas realises that he has not even made a little dent on the Tulsi composure.
In desperation, Mr. Biswas does acquire a little, badly constructed house and he lives for the first time, away from the Tulsis, although Shama can never sever the umbilical cord.

Strangely, although Mr. Biswas’ life seems one of constant failures and misery, it just does not appear to be so.
Reading through Mr. Biswas’ life, one gets the feeling that there are echoes of your life too, ‘I do think I have done that’ ‘Or maybe I should have done that?’ Mr Biswas’s failures echo the failures of our life too.

But the overwhelming feeling is that charity enslaves you, charity chokes you.
The Donor will always want you to be grateful, and grateful, and grateful... never for a moment will he let go of you until he has extracted every ounce of gratitude and never ever will you be respected for having taken that charity in the first place.

I did not review this back when I read it many many years ago, but a telling of its impact on me is the many images and passages that have lingered in my mental landscape all these years. Very human, sometimes comical, often tragic, and very moving.

When a young Mr. Biswas, fatherless and essentially homeless, marries into the many-membered Tulsi family, they house and feed him for free, and generally let him go about his business. Nevertheless, he makes a show of his resentment towards them every chance he gets. And for a long time, this seems absolutely nutballs. Yes, they caught him trying to talk to one of their daughters and persuaded him into marrying her, and he doesn’t like their food, but hey – free wife and free meals!

Biswas is a flawed character. He lacks the courage to go back on his decisions, virtually never shows gratitude, and projects his own failure onto others (he’s one of the “weak people who feel their own weakness and resent it”). Unresolved childhood trauma turns him into a bad husband, a bad father, and a bad son-in-law.

But eventually we learn that the Tulsis really are a terrible family. A common theme is beating their own children whenever Biswas has something they don’t (what a strange way to guilt people!) If the Tulsi family are a microcosm of Trinidadian society, most of the Tulsi children do not fare well. The two sons are given everything, including the best food, rooms, education, etc, while the many daughters are married to just about anyone off the street. Children of the less important family members are made to live under the house. As usual in power hierarchies, the weak must compete with one another for the favor of the strong. The abuse of Biswas’ son is met by all other Tulsis with the “the righteousness of the unpersecuted.”

V. S. Naipaul is especially good at describing relationship dynamics and their reversals: everyone's luck turns many times, everyone's flaws and virtues alter with place and circumstance. Reading him, I found myself becoming more observant in life, especially to how we change according to situation. However, the novel was way TOO LONG. We could easily have lost a house or two of the long string of houses Biswas occupies throughout his life. And the reversals of character dynamics would have had a stronger impact if their series hadn't been nearly infinite. I closed the book with a deep feeling of gratitude for having escaped Soviet communal apartments.