Genre
Coming-of-age, drama, postcolonialism
Setting and Context
1930s-1980s, Trinidad
Narrator and Point of View
Omniscient narrator. Multiple POVs, but primarily focused on Mr. Mohun Biswas
Tone and Mood
Darkly comic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Mr. Mohun Biswas is the protagonist. His circumstances, mostly, are the antagonist forces, though he projects the antagonistic nature of those circumstances onto many of the people around him.
Major Conflict
The major conflict arises out of Mohun's need to have his own house.
Climax
The book reaches maximum tension when Mr. Biswas is found to have collapsed at work.
Foreshadowing
N/A.
Understatement
Mr. Biswas often understates the misery surrounding him—for instance, when he confronts the builder of the house they live in.
Allusions
There are multiple allusions to Hindi scriptures, particularly Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Imagery
See the separate "Imagery" section of this ClassicNote.
Paradox
N/A.
Parallelism
The stories of Mr. Biswas and V.S. Naipaul's father share many similarities; in fact, the author's father was the main inspiration for the protagonist.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A.
Personification
N/A.
