53 pages • 1 hour read
V. S. NaipaulA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
A key theme in A House for Mr. Biswas is the protagonist's search for independence. Mr. Biswas craves independence, but he is a poor man, meaning that his struggles to establish his independence are often curbed by his lack of money. Being poor, he cannot afford to spend his time as he pleases, and he constantly worries about his next paycheck. He cannot afford his own house, for example, so he relies on the hated Tulsi family to provide him with accommodation. In doing so, he sacrifices a small piece of his independence and makes himself and his family reliant on the Tulsis. He cannot be independent because he needs his wife's family to provide his wife and children with the financial security that he cannot provide himself. This lack of independence hurts Mr. Biswas, to the extent that he feels a palpable though undiagnosed depression throughout the novel. Furthermore, he is often materially reliant on the Tulsis. Until he secures a job at the newspaper, he must work at their businesses and grow their wealth while failing to grow his own. Working for Tulsi businesses and living in Tulsi
Aging
View Collection
Birth & Rebirth
View Collection
Books & Literature
View Collection
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Childhood & Youth
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
Colonialism Unit
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Daughters & Sons
View Collection
Equality
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Fate
View Collection
Fathers
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Grief
View Collection
Guilt
View Collection
Hate & Anger
View Collection
Historical Fiction
View Collection
Indian Literature
View Collection
Loyalty & Betrayal
View Collection
Marriage
View Collection
Mortality & Death
View Collection
National Suicide Prevention Month
View Collection
Nobel Laureates in Literature
View Collection
Poverty & Homelessness
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Pride & Shame
View Collection
Revenge
View Collection
School Book List Titles
View Collection
Sexual Harassment & Violence
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection
The Past
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection