language and humor in v t naipaul s the mystic

Book

V. S i9000. Naipaul’s 1st published story, The Marvel Masseur, can easily correctly end up being described as satirical given the extensive manner in which it utilizes language as irony, affectation, caricature and also other techniques to inform the picaresque story of Ganesh Ramsumair, which the frame narrator tells us is the account of Trinidad of that time. While it is true, as Gillian Dooley (20) argues, that much of the joy in the new derives coming from Naipaul’s masterly use of language, other portions of the book also add towards making humor inside the novel. Portions of the story, narration and characterization operate hand in hand with all the language ways to convey the storyplot in a humorous way, in addition to so carrying out ridicule and critique the Trinidadian world. In this essay, I will claim, with fiel evidence from the novel and with further evidence via critiques and analyses of the text, that Naipaul’s masterly application of these types of different elements of the new form, specifically language, assists him place not only a history full of humor but also one that delivers important styles regarding the Trinidadiansociety that Ganesh is a part of.

In the onset, it is necessary to note which the core with the story itself”the absurd story and the picaresque genre”is essentially comic and that language will serve totell this story with a light contact. The Marvel Masseur may be the story from the life of Ganesh Ramsumair, the child of an Of india man in rural Trinidad, who goes from being a struggling college student in one of the prestigious schools inside the capital to being a article writer to a mystic masseur to a politician. The various career changes and their motivations are funny in themselves. The evolution of Ganesh is definitely told with a boy narrator who was when a “patient” of Ganesh, the mystic masseur, and who also grew interested in learning him fantastic books. He tells this from a great omniscient point of view and therefore features access to Ganesh’s story, his books. As some points, this individual boy also makes infrequent commentaries in the story. Offered the issues that Ganesh finds himself in countryside Trinidad following your death of his daddy and the lack of his instructing job in the city, this individual has to work with trickery to increase to the top rated and has to struggle with the likes of Ramlogan, his money-centered father in law, and political competitors such as Indarsingh and Narayan. The linear and episodic plot chronicling the adventures and tricks of Ganesh within a colonial and semi-literate world bent on mimicry and weak intended for trusting people who have western education and spiritual understanding is bound to be hilarious. Even though the novel, arguably, concentrates more around the characters compared to the plot, the tales of the trickster heroes adorned together with the satirical design adds laughter to the publication but likewise leaves your readers thinking critically about crucial flaws inside the characters plus the society from the novel.

One of the main terminology techniques that Naipaul uses, and the one which is rather obvious to any audience of The Marvel Masseur, is definitely the application of a localized form of English. This kind of Trinidadian The english language, which is quite broken and often funny, is used by the primary characters who also are part of a society coming from Uk colonialism. In a way, it chemicals a family portrait of a semi-literate society trying to mimic, unsuccessfully, their colonizers. Right from first, the small boy who narrates the storyline is involved in a discussion with her mother that doctor to travel. His mother says, “I know the form of doctor that have in Trinidad¦they think nothing of killing two three persons before breakfast (Naipaul 1). Like the son’s mother, the majority of the illiterate characters in the novel such as Leela, Suruj Mooma and Beharry use this kind of broken English language. In fact , the partnership between Even victorian English as well as the broken English language in talk is problematized in a sceneGanesh decides that he will start speaking simply “good English” but this individual finds zero audience in Leela and will manage an analysis on the climate with Beharry. The narrator, however , tells us that Ganesh could compose correct The english language like most Trinidadians but was uncomfortable to speak that (Naipaul 65). In addition , the broken English helps to enhance the theme of trickery like a literate person like Ramlogan says some thing as ridiculous as “All day the woman sitting down and talking about these puncturation represents (Naipaul 33). ” While this broken English adds to the humor, that certainly introduces the designs of imperialism and mimicry in colonial time Trinidad.

Naipaul’s comprehensive use of irony in the novel also takes on a huge portion in resulting in the humor in the novel. The irony takes on diverse shapes, the primary ones being verbal paradox, situational irony and dramatic irony. Verbal irony identifies the use of terms to imply what something different from what the speaker basically says (A. T. Watt). The novel is full instances of instances wherever characters make use of verbal paradox. For instance, when ever Ganesh and his father happen to be travelling to the Queen’s Hoheitsvoll College, Mrs. Cooper laughters when she sees these people and says, “The youngster look like a real smart gentleman, man. inch Certainly Mrs. Cooper is definitely not giving the comment as a compliment, especially because the laughter betrays her. To the contrary, she is ridiculing the look of Ganesh’s traditional dressing in an urban setting. The master of verbal paradox in the new is Ramlogan whose phrases to Ganesh as he tries to get him to get married to his girl, Leela, teems with verbal irony. As an example, Ramlogan says, “I doing my far better to make a modern place”as you see”but is not easy man, sahib, ‘ yet his efforts with his guaranteed dirty store do not appear to be a genuine hard work to modernize the area but an attempt nevertheless all methods to make more money. This kind of verbal irony and whining characterizes Ramlogan and other characters in the new.

Situational irony and dramatic irony are also within the novel. Situational paradox is the moment there is a disparity between what is expected to happen and what actually occurs while remarkable irony identifies a situation where audience is aware of something that the character in the account are not aware of (Watt). A great sort of situational paradox is the way the school that Ganesh educates in at the beginning of his job is carried out. While a school is typically meant to educate its students inside the best way feasible, this one based on the head instructor is meant to “form not really inform. inches (Naipaul 14) Ganesh will not have the training to be a teacher and the “pep talk” by head teacher can only make things even worse. The different teachers inside the school usually do not seem to be any better either. Great example is the also at the beginning of the new where Mrs. Cooper tells Ganesh that he can quickly test this license to test other drivers and provide them permits as long as they have money despite the fact that he cannot drive himself. This form of irony provides social criticism of a world whose corporations are more or perhaps less in shambles, where money and guile is the winner over brilliance and personal honesty.

On the other hand, dramatic paradox in the story serves to intensify the picaresque elements of the novel, and so adds to the laughter. A great example of dramatic paradox is just how Ramlogan pretends to be illiterate and asks Ganesh, having oblivious of his capability to read, to learn newspapers for him. Nevertheless , the frame narrator shows the reader of Ramlogan’s illiteracy pretense thus setting up a control between the twotricksters. Ganesh will not know of Ramlogan’s literacy until much later in the novel when the latter says the title of his first book tips Questions and Answers for the Hindu Faith. After praising Ganesh around the book which is rather low, Ramlogan is usually annoyed at the fact not necessarily dedicated to him highlighting his penchant pertaining to self-absorption.

In addition to the different forms of paradox, Naipaul’s masterly application of affectation and embellishment in the story boosts the comedian value of the novel. Character types in the book from the headmaster in the college to Ramlogan to Ganesh himself overstate what they mean and decorate things which experts claim not are worthy of much praise. In my opinion, Ramlogan is most hyperbolic character and he uses this as part of his trickery arsenal. As an example, during the burial of Ganesh’s father, he could be extremely psychological, even more than Ganesh and one would anticipate him to be a caring and moral person. Ironically, he is a con artist just second to Ganesh wonderful exaggerated emotions and good remarks for Ganesh as the educated, contemporary man happen to be means to achieving his individual selfish ends to marry off his daughter to the educated gentleman and gain the most cash without losing any kind of. Ganesh is also a great exaggerator and embellisher. From the name of his book towards the many headings that he gives himself and makes salient”B. A., M. L. C., M. W. E., to Esquire”Ganesh represents a hierarchical society through which status is revered. For one to gain respect, or perhaps seem to be displaying respect, however disingenuous, they should use adorned titles or perhaps descriptions. Actually Ganesh telephone calls Ramlogan Shri in his advertisements and Ramlogan is always phoning him sahib, not for value but rather in an ingratiating approach. In another amusing episode of Ganesh’s exaggeration, he dedicates his “spiritual thriller and metaphysical whodunit” (8) of an autobiography to “Lord Stewart, Friend and Counselor of Many Years” (Naipaul 31) even though he only spent a few sessions with Mr. Stewart before this individual disappeared. This kind of language technique augments the humor with the Mystic Masseur.

Naipaul also intensely applies prêt in the book. Saillie is defined by Dictionary. com since picture or perhaps description ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things. By Beharry, the shopkeeper, with his nibbling to Indarsingh’s penchant for issues English for the Great Belcher’s belching, Naipaul draws laughter out of his characters’ peculiarities. Even though the emphasis of those quarks might cause the reader to laugh, additionally they push them to think vitally about why they are highlighted. For instance, Indarsingh’s English habits are a simulation of the ways Western-educated elites returning to locations like Trinidad tend to appearance down upon their own tradition and choose the American cultures which will leave them alienated from their personal people that they often times think they need to save. Alternatively, Beharry’s nibbling could be a reference to his conniving ways in this he is often pushing Ganesh to do items like become a article writer or a marvel masseur that eventually advantage him when he can sell what to people browsing Fuente Groove. As such, the caricature draws attention to the characters in a light-hearted method.

Moreover to employing language to frame laughter, Naipaul also makes use of various other elements and themes these kinds of cultural dissimilarities, absurd situations and funny characters. Characters such as Suruj Mooma and Beharry (alias Suruj Mooma) are proven to possess comic characteristics plus they always act like sycophants to Ganesh. A character like “the blackest M. L. C. is said to acquire worn a 3 piece green suit, yellows and a monocle (Naipaul 194). The fact that this character is so irrelevant that they are not really specifically known as yet they will wear the most formal clothes in mimicry to the Western culture is fairly interesting. As well, some of the storyline lines that Naipaul uses are quite ridiculous and make the book actually funnier. For example, the competition among Ganesh’s League and Narayan’s Association to open new office buildings is quite preposterous, to say the least:

“On Tuesday ” the Sentinel isn’t published on Monday ” Narayan said that the Hindu Association had twenty five branches. Upon Wednesday the League stated it had bending its regular membership and had forty branches. About Thursday the Association got doubled the membership and had sixty. The League was silent upon Friday. On Saturday the Association said eighty twigs. Nobody said anything upon Sunday. ” (Naipaul 176)

These absurd happenings around the political and social scenes provide the new with undertones of sociable criticism and provide it even more life. Therefore, it is clear the humor in The Mystic Masseur derives by many options, but primarily from numerous language tactics. V. S i9000. Naipaul utilizes different varieties of irony, caricature, localized The english language, absurd plot lines and also the wits of tricksters to create a satirical and picaresque history which criticizes the Trinidadian society in the early to mid-20th century.

Works Mentioned

Dooley, Gillian. VERSUS Naipaul, man and article writer. University of South Carolina Press, 2006.

Dictionary. com. Definition of Prêt. Available online: http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/caricature

Naipaul, V. S. The Mystic Masseur (Vintage International). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Release.

Ibrahim Khoja, Hiyam. Community and Customs in V. T. Naipaul’s The Mystic Masseur. 2007

Watt, A. Big t. The 3 Types of Irony. Types of Irony. 2008. Available online: http://typesofirony. com/