In A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul, there are only four female characters, who Salim interacts with throughout his story. He considers these relationships outside of his own family as "special and limited" (170). We are told very little of the other women in his life, such as his mother and sisters, making it seem they didn't really matter in his upbringing and views on women. Salim views Zabeth, Yvette, Shoba, and Kareisha in different ways and they surprise him as they change his mind and his expectations of them.
Salim "treats" Zabeth as a "good customer," until Metty tells him she is a sorceress, and then he finds her charming (10). She doesn't threaten him with her feminine ways, only sticking to their business deals. He views their relationship as simple and uncomplicated, knowing it is "useless" for him to try to entice Zabeth with his new stock (6). When she sends her son Ferdinand to be mentored by him, so that he will have a decent future, it irritates Salim by complicating his life (36). He feels this makes their friendship more than just hassle free.
Shoba brings both friendship and sorrow to Salim. After Shoba comforts him after his breakup with Yvette, he says, "I was amazed by her sympathy and wisdom," seeing a change in her "menace" (226). Before the incident with the peroxide, Salim thought of Shoba as "beautiful" (39). When Shoba reveals her "disfigurement" to Salim, Salim sees as someone who "had begun to rot," determined not to end up like her, as he considers Shoba a cautionary tale of vanity (228).
When Salim meets Yvette, he is strongly affected by her physical features (127). When she seduces him, he tries not "lose" himself in his "new" romantic experiences with her, determined to "win" her over (175). He views Yvette as someone he can play emotional and physical games with, a new adventure (183). Yvette tells Raymond, "Women are stupid. But if women weren't stupid the world wouldn't go round," making it seem like she is more clever than she lets on, which seems like this is the turning point in their relationship (186). To Salim, Yvette was an unattainable and emotional unavailable to Salim and he enjoyed the chase, but now that she has revealed herself to him, he starts to drift away from her.
Salim sees Yvette as a possession. During their breakup, Salim feels Yvette is another person "lost" to him, like she is an object he is parting with (219). Salim blames his violent outburst during his break up with Yvette, telling Metty, "she made me spit on her, " leading us to wonder if he is a misogynist or a sociopath (221).
At first, Salim thinks of Yvette as a mother figure, with Raymond as his father. Salim thinks of Yvette and Raymond as his new "family" and believes he needs to make life good for "three of [them]," as to not complicate his life further (215). When Salim returns from England and hears Yvette and Raymond have left, he briefly mentions it, like he has no remorse or sorrow for their departure, like they didn't matter to him in the first place (259).
Salim sees Kareisha as an example of the ideal woman. She is "new" kind of woman to Salim, because she is affectionate and emotionally available (231). At first he doesn't want to marry her and tries to run away from his promise, but she turns out to be his most valuable relationship, even though they haven't "even kissed" (245). He thinks of his relationship with her as "soothing," causing him act "out my man's role a little," not feeling good enough for her (231). It is her talking about Indar's new life that "touches" him, making him finally realize Africa is his home, impacting his future decision to leave England and go back to Africa (244).
Even though he spends most of his story talking about the war in Africa to his identity crisis, it is Zabeth, Yvette, Shoba, and Kareisha who have a strongest impact on Salim. He views them all as unstable and complicated, not having enough strength to keep up with them. Salim sees the women, he has as friends and lovers, as being comforters or bringers of turmoil.
Works Cited
Naipaul, V.S. A Bend in the River. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York: 1979. Print
No comments:
Post a Comment