世纪文学OneOutofMany专题培训

OneOutofMany

byV.S.Naipaul

PresentedbyIce,Vivian&JulieV.S.NaipaulBorninTrinidad,onAugust17,1932.ThefamilymovedtoPortofSpain,whereNaipaulattendedQueen’sRoyalCollege.In1948,hewasawardedaTrinidadgovernmentscholarship,thenstudiedliteratureatUniversityCollege,Oxford.Naipaulworkedasafree-lancewriterwiththeBBC,hostingtheprogram"CarribbeanVoices,"andwiththeliteraryjournal,TheNewStatesman.Sincethen,hehasresidedinLondon,travellingextensivelyandwritingmanycriticallyacclaimednovels,shortstories,andessays.In1990,Naipaulwas

knightedbytheRoyalfamily.In2023hewonNobelPrizeinLiterature.V.S.Naipaultellsstorieswhichshowusourselvesandtherealitywelivein.Hisuseoflanguageissimple,ofstrongwords,andexpressesthehumanityofallofus.Charactersa.Santosh’semployerb.Santoshc.Priyad.ahubshimaidSantosh’semployerHewassecondedbyhisfirmtoGovernmentserviceandwaspostedtoWashington.Santoshdecidedtogowithhim.Santoshalwayscalledhim“Sahib,”whichmeansmaster.

Santosh＊Experiencingstrugglesinlifep.2735＊Americandream:HeisamanfullofAmericandream.HewantstobecomesomebodyinAmerica,butfrustratedbythereality.

＊Dissatisfied:Hewantstopromotehisownposition,sohecanbebetterthantheotherIndiansinWashington.＊Self-isolated:Pp.2726,2729,2743,2744;Livewithsecrets:Pp.2732,2738＊Servilenature:p.2739Priya＊Arestaurantowner;asmallmanaboutfiftyyearsold;looksworriedmostofthetime＊Modest(p.2735)&fussy(p.2738)

＊Likestotalkphilosophy(actuallysomethingmeaningless):Pp.2738-39

TherelationshipbetweenSantoshandPriyaTherelationshipbetweenSantoshandPriyaissomewhatlikethatbetweenGogoandDidiinWaitingforGodot—bothofthemstaytogetherduetotheirmutualneed,andtheyrelyoneachother.SantoshfeelssafebecauseofPriya’ssolidity(p.2737-38).Next,inthisstory,Santoshismorerational;heknowswhathewantsandwhathisgoalis,butPriyaisbeatbyreality;therefore,Priyaisnotsomucheagertoachievehisgoal.Restaurantishisworld.PriyasuggestsSantoshthathekeepasimplelife,withouttoomuchambition,getmarried,andbearchildren.ThiswouldleadSantoshtobecomeacitizen,afreemaninthefastestway.

Atthebeginning,Santoshrefused,butfinally,heacceptsPriya’ssuggestion,getsmarriedwiththehubshiwoman,getsthegreencard,andbecomesalegalcitizen.ahubshimaidSheworkedatthesupermarketandshewasacashier.Finally,Santoshmarriedher,gotthegreencardandbecamealegalcitizen."Habshi"isaderogatorywordincurrentArabicjustlike"negro/negress"inEnglish.

SummarySantoshwasahappycookinBombay.Oneday,Santosh’semployerwastransferredtoWashington,andSantoshwenttherewithhim.Thenthelife-styleinWashingtonwasdifferentfromthatinBombay.Santoshmetthehubshiwoman,whoworkedonhisfloorinthesameapartment,andhehadsexwithher.Afteralongwalk,SantoshmetPriya.Santoshfeltlivingwithhisoldemployerwasinpain,sohedecidedtoworkforPriyaasacook.BecauseofSantosh’sillegalidentity,helivedwithanxietyeveryday.

Later,PriyasuggestedthatSantoshmarrywiththehubshiwoman.Inthisway,hecouldbelawfultogainthegreencardandthelegalidentity.WhenSantoshheardthosewords,hethoughtofthisactionasthedisgrace,buthestillproposedtothehubshiwoman.Sheagreed.FinallySantoshbecamealegalcitizen.Symbols

＊Fountain:

a.Hope—“Andevenwhilethesethoughtswereinmyhead……withtreesandafountainwhere–anditwaslike……tothegreencircle.“(2728,par3fromthetop)

b.AmericanDream—“Itbecamemyambitiontowalktothatgreencirclewiththefountainwhere,onmy…onedayIgotthere.“(2741,par2fromthebottom)“IunderstoodIwasaprisoner.Iacceptedthisandadjusted.Ilearnedtolivewithintheapartment,andIwasevencalm.”(2729,par5fromthebottom)

“Ifeltaholeinmystomach.Icouldn’t…thenIhadtogouptomyroomagain,…Ihadn’tescaped;Ihadneverbeenfree.Ihad…Icouldn’tturnback.”(2742,par6fromthetop)

Cupboard,apartmentandroom—Prison＊Cupboard,apartmentandroom—Prison

Mirror—Mentalstatus

“ButIwasfalling.Wasit…tostudymyfaceinthemirror.Icannoteasilybelieveitmyselfnow,but…couldpasswithoutmylookinginthemirror;thenit…thatservedasidentificationalone.”(2731,par2fromthetop)

“Andeverydaythemirrortolditsowntale.Withoutexercise,withthesickeningofmyheartandmymind,Iwaslosingmylooks.Myfacehadbecome…tolosethem.”(2739,par2fromthetop)Cupboard,apartmentandroom—Prison

Hubshiwoman—Destruction/Death

“AfewdayslaterIhadmyadventure.Thehubshiwomancamein,movingamongmyemployer’s…Isawthemoment,helplessly,asoneofdishonor.”(2733,par6fromthetop)

“IsaidtoherinEnglish,‘Willyoumarryme?’”(2744,par6fromthebottom)CulturalDifferencesBothofSantoshandhismasterareawarethattheymayliveanotherlifestyleinWashington(2723,par6,7,8)Moderncityandelectriccity(showingatotallydifferentviewfromBombay)(2725,par7),(2726,par2,L3)SantoshdisapprovesthedressstyleofAmerican(showingthedifferentlifestylebetweentherichandthepoor)(2728,par2,L3)

Cleanliness(Santoshlearns“thereallife”oftheAmericanfromTV)(2730,par2,L7)Religion(Indianstakeitasaholything,buttheAmericansdonottaketheancienttempleofIndiaasabigdeal)(2732,par2fromthebottom)RacialDiscrimination---

American/Indian/Hubshitheairlinegirlshowsherdislikeofhim(e.g.2724,themiddlepar,L5;lastpar,L5)ThegirlintherestaurantseesSantoshasabarbarian(e.g.2728,thefirstnewpar,L3)Hubshi(DerogatoryIndiantermforAfricanblacks),andSantoshcallsthem“wildrace”(e.g.2726,par2,L9)

Cleaning(Santoshthinkstheblackswon’tdocleaninginreallife(e.g.2730,par4)Discrimination/dishonour(havingsex,Santoshtakestheblacksasdebasementjustlikeanimals)—(e.g.2731,thefirstnewpar,L8)Theme－Innerstrugglewiththesecrets－“Ifeltburdenedbymysecrets.OnceIhadnone;nowIhadsomany….Mymindfastenedontothesecauses,andtheeffectofthiswasthatmysadnessbecamelikeasicknessofthesoul…nowtheresponsibilitywasmineandminealone….IrememberedthatintheearlydaysofmyescapeIhadthoughtIwasinchargeofmyself.”(2738,par4-5)Topretendheisstrong,heseizestheoccasionalchancetoraisehisvalueup－“Isaid,“Sahib,Icouldn’tstayonforlessthanahundredandtwenty-five.”(2741,L8)－Thetemporaryvictorybringstheextendedfrustration－

“Nowherewasavictory.ItwasonlyafterithappenedthatIrealizedhowbadlyIhadneededsuchavictory,howfar,gainingmyfreedom,…mysensesrevived.Butinthiscitywhatwastheretofeedmysenses?Therewerenowalkstobetaken,noidleconversationswithunderstandingfriends…”(2741,par7,beg.with“Now”)－

Thedisappointment－“IsawthenthatvictoryIhadhadwasnotsomethingIhadworkedfor,butluck;andthatluckwasonlyfate’scheating,givinganillusionofpower.”(2741,par3fromthebottom)－Trytofindawayoutoftheplight(alienation/isolation),andsetupanambitiontorelieve－“Butthatillusionlingered…Ibegantogooutwalkingintheafternoons….withthefountain.”(2741,par2fromthebottom)－Then,herealizedhehadneverescaped,neverbeenfree－“Iwasalone.Ihadn’tescape.Ihadneverbeenfree.Ihadbeenabandoned.Iwaslikenothing;Ihadmademyselfnothing.AndIcouldn’tturnback.”(2742,par5fromthebottom)Eventually,hegaveup.

(acceptthecruelfate)“IhaveclosedmymindandhearttotheEnglishlanguage,…Idonotwanttounderstandorlearnanymore.”(2744,thelastparagraph)

“Iamasimplemanwhodecidedtoactandseeforhimself,anditisasthoughIhavehadseverallives.Idonotwishtoaddtothese.SomeafternoonsIwalktothecirclewiththefountain…AllthatmyfreedomhasbroughtmeistheknowledgethatIhaveafaceandhaveabody,thatImustfeedthisbodyandclothethisbodyforacertainnumber