A House for Mr. Biswas

“And now at the end he found himself in his own house, on his own half-lot of land, his own portion of the earth.”

Mr. Biswas's search for a home of his own is a metaphorical search for identity for a man living in a colonial structure. He is of Indian ancestry and lives in Trinidad, both countries which were part of the British Empire. Mr. Biswas never feels truly at home anywhere because—to him—every place he goes feels as though it is owned or controlled by someone else, whether that is Mrs. Tulsi or the British Empire. His search for a home of his own is a fight against the identity imposed on him by the structures of colonization.

“[T]hey were past such frivolities, and had already begun to work, joyfully cooperating with the estates in breaking the law about the employment of children.”

The young Trinidadian-Indian boys are too young to understand how they are being exploited. To them, the work is a game. The joy comes from the defiance, of operating beyond the laws and rules which govern their lives. But even this act of defiance becomes an illustration of their subservience, as they are forced to work to survive even though they are still only children. Their exploitation is hidden within the game of defiance.

“Mr Biswas was astonished at his own smallness.”

Mr. Biswas is never a striking or imposing figure. His physical stature reflects his role in society, a precursor of his own irrelevance.