A House for Mr. Biswas

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1961

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1, Chapters 1-2

Part 1, Chapters 3-4

Part 1, Chapters 5-6

Part 2, Chapters 1-3

Part 2, Chapter 4-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 2, Chapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2, Chapter 1 Summary: "'Amazing Scenes'"

Mr. Biswas decides to leave Hanuman House, but he does not know where to go. He recalls the invitation from Ramchand to visit Port of Spain and, wondering whether it is “genuine" (197), decides to go to the capital city. On visiting his sister and her family, Mr. Biswas finds the speed and liveliness of life in the city to be very impressive. Ramchand insists that Mr. Biswas can "stay here and rest" (198) for as long as he needs. Ramchand now works in a mental health facility, and he talks glowingly about the pay. When he can, he takes Mr. Biswas on a tour of Port of Spain, playing the role of the "knowledgeable townsman" (199). Eventually, however, Mr. Biswas's money begins to run out and, even after leaving Hanuman House, Mr. Biswas cannot fully escape his depression and his "spasms of fear" (200). Worried about his mental health, he seeks out a doctor. A specialist is recommended to him but, while he waits for his appointment, he has a sudden urge to leave, assuring himself that he is "not a sick man at all" (202). He decides that he simply needs a job which makes him proud, so he leaves the doctor's waiting room to search for a job.

Mr. Biswas speaks to people about their jobs. He begins to reflect on which skills he possesses that might make him marketable or unique. Hoping to leverage his talents as a sign writer, he goes to the offices of the Trinidad Sentinel. As he enters the offices, he imagines himself as the subject of newspaper headlines. The newspaper is known for the salacious and often untrue gossip it regularly prints. Mr. Biswas wants to work for the newspaper and his initial drive and energy impress the editor. Rather than hiring Mr. Biswas as a journalist, however, he hires him as a sign writer. One of the signs advertises the lack of jobs available at the newspaper, saying "No Hands Wanted" (206). However, Mr. Biswas’s impressive work done on the signs is enough to convince the editor to hire Mr. Biswas on a month-long trial without pay. During this unpaid internship, Mr. Biswas charms the people at the newspaper office. They like his approach to writing and his humorous style, while the editor gives him feedback about how to exaggerate and refine his often-invented stories. At the end of the month, he is hired as the shipping reporter on a salary of $15 every two weeks, "taking the place of a man who had been killed on the docks" (208).

Mr. Biswas has a byline in the newspaper. He appears in the so-called Scarlet Pimpernel contest, in which his photograph is published in the hope that a reader might spot him on the island. If they approach him and say, "you are the Scarlet Pimpernel and I claim the Sentinel prize" (210), they win a dollar. Mr. Biswas's photograph and a list of his itinerary for the day are published in the newspaper. He is so pleased with the articles published under his name and his photograph on the Scarlet Pimpernel page that he takes evidence of his success to Hanuman House to show his family. Shama and his children are happy to see him. He is not criticized for abandoning his family because everyone is impressed by his success. This success even impresses Mrs. Tulsi, who invites the family to "move his family to Port of Spain and live with her son and herself" (212). She shares the home with Owad, her son. Mr. Biswas accepts the offer.

After moving to Port of Spain, Mr. Biswas becomes increasingly strict with his children. He establishes a regimen of "tyrannies" (215) which infuriate Anand and Savi, but he insists that he is educating them. During this time, Mr. Biswas makes a faltering attempt to write short stories. At this time, Owad is sent "abroad to study, to become a doctor" (223). One day, Mr. Biswas, Anand, Owad, and Shekhar take a trip to the harbor. Anand learns to swim in the sea but, while practicing, he nearly drowns. Owad and other family members must save him. Mr. Biswas is annoyed at his son's carelessness. The next day at school, Anand writes a short story about the incident. The story wins high marks from the teacher but, when Anand seems embarrassed, Mr. Biswas's pride turns to anger. He "savagely" (228) beats Anand. Shama is so horrified by the intensity of the beating that she intervenes. In the aftermath of the violent outburst, the family decides that Anand needs to focus more on his education. They want him to win a prestigious scholarship and enthusiastically encourage him by scheduling "private lessons after school" (229), though these are costly. The family gathers to bid farewell to Owad. Mr. Biswas is "unaccountably moved" (231) by the departure.

Part 2, Chapter 2 Summary: "The New Regime"

Owad leaves for England and Mrs. Tulsi decides to return to Hanuman House, leaving Mr. Biswas and his family in the house in Port of Spain. At this time, Mrs. Tulsi is beginning to become increasing fragile. She is old and her ability to influence and control her family is waning. With her aging, the dynamic in the Tulsi family is changing. Seth is becoming increasingly "resented as an outsider" (232) among the family and his separate business interests are morally dubious. The other family members are uncertain about Seth's business practices. Similarly, Mr. Biswas and his family spend less time at Hanuman House. During one visit at Christmas, they do not feel welcome. Like Seth, they are becoming more separated from the Tulsi family.

Similar changes take place at the newspaper. Mr. Biswas learns that the editor, Mr. Burnett, has lost his job and that the new editor wants to move away from the salacious "frivolity" (234) of the past, toward more serious news coverage. Mr. Biswas worries that he will also be fired as he has been the writer on many of the newspaper's less than truthful stories which displease "the new regime" (235). For the moment at least, he is relieved to find out that he is not in immediate danger of losing his job, but his role is changed. He covers local funerals, which he believes is "filling up a form" (236) rather than real writing. Mr. Biswas soon loathes his new role and hopes that he will be fired. After some time, his role changes again and he is told to write "serious surveys" (239) in a weekly column focused on the positive work of institutions in Trinidad. These articles are more serious and somber but are equally as untrue as his previous articles. With Mr. Biswas expecting to lose his job soon, the rising prices of food cause due to World War II cause him to argue with Shama more often. He takes his family on a "surprise visit" (242) Tara and Ajodha, who have purchased a new house. Shama does not feel welcome and, in a pique of annoyance, announces that she will never visit the couple again. Mr. Biswas and the children visit Tara and Ajodha every weekend, so Shama stays at home. She overcomes her "shyness" (243) by making friends with the tenants of houses owned by the Tulsi family, from whom she collects rent.

Anand's intense studying—under pressure from his parents—begins to take a toll on his state of mind. He feels increasingly alienated as all his free time is spent studying. Mr. Biswas is shocked when Seth arrives in Port of Spain and immediately sets about destroying the garden outside the house where the Biswas family is living. The garden—which, like the house, is owned by the Tulsi family—is destroyed to make room for "a shed for Seth's lorries at the side of the house" (247). Mr. Biswas can do nothing but watch.

Part 2, Chapter 3 Summary: "The Shorthills Adventure"

The Tulsi family decides to "move on" (249) from Hanuman House. Annoyed by Seth's behavior, Shama visits her mother in Hanuman House. On arrival, however, she discovers that the disagreements between the Tulsi family and Seth were even worse than she imagined. Seth's family has completely moved out of Hanuman House and severed ties with the Tulsi family. Now, many members of the Tulsi family plan to move out of the town and into a more rural area known as Shorthills, where they will have access to a cricket pitch and space for their livestock. Mr. Biswas mocks the rural move. Shama wants "to share the adventure" (250) of moving to Shorthills. She wants to go with her family to the new home and asks Mr. Biswas to move with the Tulsi family. After a long discussion, he visits Shorthills with Mrs. Tulsi, and he eventually agrees. The family joins the Tulsis in Shorthills.

Also living with the Biswas family at Shorthills is a rival family, whom Mr. Biswas nicknames the Tuttles due to their enjoyment of a series of British books about a character named Mr. Tuttle. Mr. Biswas believes that the Tuttle books are “trash” (255), so he uses the nickname in a pejorative way. The Tulsi family falters without the leadership of Mrs. Tulsi. The estate at Shorthills is not developed or built without someone to guide the process. At the same time, the now-elderly Mrs. Tulsi has become more reticent about spending money. The buildings on the estate begin to break down so much that it looks "abandoned" (257). Further complicating matters, the outbreak of World War II has drastically changed the economy of the island. Trinidad is part of the British Empire and many of the funds or administrative efforts which were once dedicated to the island are now being spent to fight the war. For the children of the Biswas family, Shorthills is an annoyance. They cannot access the same public transport routes so getting to school becomes much more difficult. Food is rationed and vehicles have been requisitioned for the war. Due to these "shortages and restrictions" (161), the children are forced to leave the house very early each morning to make sure they reach school on time. They arrive home very late.

A series of deaths—Sharma, Hari, and Padma—shake the Tulsi household. Many people in the house are convinced that they are visited by Padma's ghost. They use these appearances as part of the attempt to disparage Seth, claiming that he killed Padma "and bribed the doctor not to have a post mortem" (265). As life on the estate becomes more difficult, however, Seth sends word that the family's struggles are a "punishment" (268) for the way he has been treated. One day, Mr. Biswas is accused by Chinta of stealing money from her. He denies stealing the $80 but the experience reinforces his belief that he cannot share a house with the Tulsi family. He decides to cordon off an "isolated, unused" (269) area of the estate and build his own private house. The house is built quickly but the isolated nature of the location proves to be a problem. Mr. Biswas sends for his mother Bipti to live with them, and she accepts. To clear the bush around the house, Mr. Biswas starts a fire. The fire grows quickly and gets out of hand. The family panic and they are forced to evacuate during the night, running back to the main house as Mr. Biswas's home is "burning down" (274). He tries to sell the burned house as charcoal and insists that the land is now fertilized.

Part 2, Chapters 1-3 Analysis

Mr. Biswas's decision to strike out on his own has a demonstrable impact on his status within the Tulsi family. After years of relying on them for work and housing, he is almost respected for his ability to forge his own path. Even when he returns to live in one of the Tulsi houses, his job at the newspaper gives him a degree of autonomy which he did not previously hold. The sense of control—if not outright freedom—has an immediate impact on his mental health and Mr. Biswas feels happier than he has been for a long time. The depressive thoughts are never far away, as illustrated by his creeping dread before he finds the newspaper job, but many of the quieter anxieties about his life blur into the rattle and hum of life in the capital city. The vibrancy of Port of Spain and the opportunities it provides to Mr. Biswas help to quiet his depressive thoughts and elevate his status in the Tulsi family.

Mr. Biswas is occasionally faced with dark reminders of his past, however. When he takes a trip to the harbor with Anand, his son almost drowns. The near-drowning of Anand is an eerie echo of the death of Mr. Biswas's father, a tragic event in which Mr. Biswas was reduced to the role of a helpless spectator while the ominous predictions about his tragic life were taking hold. Anand's near-death experience is a reminder to Mr. Biswas of how little agency he has and the unfortunate circumstances of his birth, revealing to him once again the many tensions his faces in his battle to exist and to exist independently. After the experience, Anand attempts to express himself through literature. Mr. Biswas is proud. As a newly-minted newspaper man and aspiring literary figure, he respects his son's decision to put his emotions into words. When Anand says that he is embarrassed by the reaction to his story among his classmates, however, Mr. Biswas's pride turns to anger. He is furious because he is trying to live vicariously through his son. To Mr. Biswas, Anand's literary success is his literary success. Furthermore, criticism of the story is therefore criticism of Mr. Biswas. Anand's embarrassment toward the story is embarrassment toward Mr. Biswas's ideals and ambitions. Mr. Biswas beats his son not because Anand has done anything wrong, but because he has destroyed one of the best opportunities for Mr. Biswas to experience joy through his son's achievements.

In a similar fashion, Mr. Biswas experiences independence in a fleeting moment only to have it robbed by others. The house in Port of Spain is briefly abandoned by the Tulsi family and left for Mr. Biswas and his family to use. This is everything that Mr. Biswas has ever wanted: a house of his own and the ensuing feeling of independence. However, this independence is built on fragile foundations. Mr. Biswas cannot truly enjoy the independence because he knows that the house does not belong to him and the threat of a Tulsi return looms over him, hindering his ability to truly enjoy himself. This jaded realization of a lifelong ambition provides Mr. Biswas with the simulacrum of success: he is given a fake version of everything he wants, only to find that he cannot enjoy it because it is too obviously fake. When Seth arrives and knocks down part of the house, Mr. Biswas's pessimism is validated. The garden is flattened as easily as Mr. Biswas's dreams and all he can do is stand to the side and watch, lacking any agency to change events. This powerlessness is repeated in the second paragraph when, after building a house, Mr. Biswas can do nothing but watch it burn. Everything he nearly achieves—like the house built on other people's land—is doomed to go up in smoke.