Critique of the Opening of In a Free State by V.S. Naipul
Though many of poets and authors are purged by a notion to do
something about the world's dire conditions that they write about,
they don't. They complain and rave about in their texts, bringing out
the morbid atmosphere of the place, but they know that owe their
inspiration to those very conditions; without them, the stimulation to
narrate powerful texts such as the tramp at Piraeus could have never
arisen. V.S. Naipaul illustrates his journey from Piraeus to
Alexandria in a morose tone and gloomy language. Most texts written
about a journey have elaborate details about its natural surroundings,
but this extract indulges more into the 'dingy' steamer itself and its
passengers. He takes an insight into understanding his fellow
passengers, especially the tramp. Using these techniques, V.S. Naipaul
has produced an influential and forlorn text.
The text is written from the view of the first person, allowing the
reader to feel more involved with the text - "as soon as I saw the
dingy little Greek Steamer I felt I ought to have made other
arrangements". We see the whole journey from his point of view, thus
our views of the situation and characters are based solely on his
opinion. This personal approach lets the reader indulge into the
extract on a more personal level. The narrator seems to be a wealthy
person, hence being able to get tickets on the upper part of the ship,
and this allows the situation to be seen through the critical eye of
the middle/upper class; "We on the upper…on the lower deck didn't"
Naipaul creates a melancholic, moody and suffocating atmosphere, using
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...¦..the Australians".
The liability of what the tramp says is extremely questionable. He
seems to be living out his fantasies through these illustrations,
going to places that he has never been to through his imaginative
conversation to the Yugoslav. Despite his convincing words, the tramp
seems to remain unfulfilled; 'it was mechanical, without conviction,
even the vanity made no impression; those quivering wet eyes remained
distant'. The tramp seems almost lost, with no roots, and no where to
go to.
Naipaul explores the steamer through the overwhelming number of
passengers that it carries. He seems to look at the people in a
cynical way, bringing out the morbid feelings that the steamer
invokes. The most memorable character in the extract is certainly the
tramp, who Naipaul both mocks and has compassion towards.
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