Fragmented Selves: Exploring Alienation and Postcolonial Identity Crisis in V.S. Naipaul's The Mimic Men"

Abstract

The paper aims to determine and investigate sense of postcolonial alienation, estrangement and identity crisis in V.S Naipaul’s postcolonial work The Mimic Men. The novel portrays an individual Ralph Singh possessed with a prototypical colonial nature. He lives in a pluralistic society which estranges him with its biased nature, develops venom against colonized individuals, engulfs their identity, depicts them as mimic men, portray their different aspects of life as inferior and finally force them to be victim of identity crisis. Ralph mimics Western attitude towards life, develops a conflict with sense of self identification and Western world, follows the colonialist mindset, abandons self identity, home, family and mimics west. He prefers to get education in west, marries an English woman, alienates himself from indigenous identity, scatters his personal being, exposed to vulnerability and ultimately corrupts his inner self.