After a while, he is bailed out by Ferdinand, the young man he used to mentor, who's now a government official in charge of the town. Through the eyes of a native African of foreign descent, Naipaul portrays how newfound freedom and independence in some African nations soon gave way to greed and corruption - thus taking those nations right back to where they were only a few years prior. However, Metty gives him up to the authorities, and Salim goes to jail. and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. Here in detail is the eastern end by the Tower and St.Katharine – here credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. Ferdinand warns Salim that the country is no longer safe for him, and he must leave immediately. *Naipaul, V.S. Did you know… We have over 200 college Naipaul concentrates on major themes related to the problems of the colonized people. Like Ferdinand, the country itself struggles to establish a tangible identity separate from its colonial ties. Most of the conflict is internal. Salim decides to get away and travels to England to visit Nazruddin, who is now a landlord in London. EXTRA BEND FOUND IN THE RIVER THAMES Here is a mystery yet to be solved. How about getting full access immediately? I don’t want to give you false advertising though – the pace is very slow and not a lot of physical action occurs, and if it does, the action happens offstage. But they cut loose an attached barge full of Africans, who then drift down the river to their doom. Naipaul's A Bend In The River discusses the problems of postcolonial Africa, where internal strife threatens the very freedom and independence they fought so hard for. Overnight, the steamship is attacked by bandits, who fail to take the ship. Since the European colonizers were driven out, people have been struggling and scattered and there are clashes over recently re-established tribal divisions. Naipaul's A Bend In The River shows us the failures of society in postcolonial Africa. Anyone can earn Eventually, however, he becomes disillusioned and savagely beats Yvette, ending their affair. As we begin V.S. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Like all countries who have freshly unburdened themselves, Salim watches as his country inexorably sheds itself of colonial origins and tries to re-assume an Africa identity. ( Log Out /  Wendy has a Ph.D. in Adult Education and a Master's Degree in Business Management. Although commentators disagree, many critics condemn the novel as justifying colonialism and some even accuse it of outright racism. Once he gets there, however, he sees that the small town, by a bend in the river, is in ruins from the destruction of the revolution. Raymond is not happy to be there, however, and hopes that his constant academic praise of the Big Man, the name the local people have given the president, will take him back to the capital. It will also include a list of the main characters, as well as an analysis of the themes and motifs of the book. Salim takes the last steamship out. Naipaul's 'A Bend In The River.' The story opens with our main character, Salim, opening up shop in an interior African country, where an African leader has just taken control. How Long Does IT Take To Get a PhD in Philosophy? lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Despite this, Salim stays and works in his shop selling whatever small items, such as pots and pencils, that he can. “In this incandescent novel V.S. The area he stays in is full of Arabs and other foreigners searching for somewhere better than their countries of origin, all of them trying to make money, and often scamming their fellow compatriots to do so. Additionally, many observers have noted that, although the country in which the novel is set is never actually named, it is quite apparently Zaire under the rule President Mobutu. (But be ready for depression). Naipaul's 'A Bend In The River.' Naipaul created a picture of Africa I have never seen before. Salim returns to Africa to tie up loose ends and prepares to start again in London. However, when he refuses to help Metty financially, Metty reports the illegal ivory to the police and Salim is arrested. A microcosm of comfortable Thames river life, it is lined with elegant 18th and 19thcentury waterfront homes, venerable pubs such as the Blue Anchor (1722), and several rowing clubs. It may have been something to do with the setting, the style of writing, or the very compelling narrator, but I was hooked from the very start. The character Salim, himself, is cleverly portrayed as a Muslim, whose family has spent generations in Africa. 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The town finally recovers some of its former prosperity, though it remains largely dilapidated and rubbish-strewn. One of them, the Furnivall Sculling Club, was founded in 1896 by Frederick James Furnivall, a staunch advocate of women’s rights, and was the world’s first female rowing club. However, Naipaul's portrayal is somewhat more grim, because it shows no hope for a bright African future. Unlike the last few books I’ve read, though, the book is written in a linear fashion and comprehension comes easily. Ferdinand says that Salim must leave the next day, before he is arrested again, because the whole society is desperate and unstable. He finds, upon his return, that the Big Man has nationalized everything and has given Salim's store away. So he buys a shop deeper inside the continent, from a man called Nazruddin. Salim is the narrator of the novel and after he moves deeper into the continent he opens a shop, selling small items. Nevertheless, he attends a party there when invited by a childhood friend who has started lecturing at the new university. As Salim carries on with the shop, Metty, one of his family's servants, joins him. Later, when Father Huisman is killed and decapitated on a visit out to the bush, an African-American comes and takes his collection of masks and carvings to put on display in a gallery he is opening in America. In the novel "Bend in the river", what does the new government that is emerging look Iike and what power struggles does it go through? Africa. When Salim is joined by Metty, his family slave, Metty explains that Zabeth is a magician and the smell is the result of unpleasant, mystical perfumes designed to protect her as she travels to and from her remote home. He is unable to pay his fine and is sent to jail. Study.com has thousands of articles about every A winding curve or bend. A Bend in the River. Create your account. During Salim’s visit, an informal betrothal between him and Kareisha is formalized and the two become engaged. {{courseNav.course.topics.length}} chapters | But to his horror, he finds that while he was gone, the Big Man nationalized everything, and his shop has been given to a lazy local. Salim is a unassuming witness to the slowly changing nature of the country and its citizens. The story opens with our main character, Salim, opening up shop in an interior African country, where an African leader has just taken control. Create an account to start this course today. imaginable degree, area of She has 10 years experience working in higher education. Meanwhile, a local rebellion breaks out, giving the government an excuse to establish a presence in the town. just create an account. Naipaul, tells the tale of a young Afro-Arab man of Indian decent struggling through life … . Naipaul is a British novelist and travel writer who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2001. {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}} lessons Naipaul gives us the most convincing and disturbing vision yet of what happens in a place caught between the dangerously alluring modern world and its own tenacious past and traditions.“*. A Bend in the River, like all masterpieces, deals with a variety of themes. V.S. ( Log Out /  The jail is brutal and horrifying but Salim is released at the request of the Commissioner, who turns out to be Ferdinand. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Bliss by Katherine Mansfield: Summary, Themes & Analysis, The Woman in White: Summary, Themes & Analysis, Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence: Summary & Analysis, Manto's Toba Tek Singh & Post-Colonialism, Introduction to Ben Jonson: Poems, Plays and Shakespeare, The Wreck of the Deutschland: Summary & Analysis, Through the Looking Glass: Summary, Characters & Author, Man and Superman by Shaw: Summary, Characters & Analysis, T.S. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Salim struggles with his own identity as a Muslim, non-African, and a former slave-owner (who appears to be owned more by his slave, than the other way around).