In a Free State (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: V. S. Naipaul
- First Published: 1971
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: 1954-1969
- Setting: Bombay, Washington, D.C., the West Indies, London, and an unnamed African country
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: 1950’s, Culture, 1960’s, United States or Americans, Africa or Africans, Caribbean, Power, personal or social, Politics, Racism, Blacks, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Education or educators, Class consciousness, Asia or Asians, Washington, D.C., India or East Indian people, London
- Locales: Africa, West Indies, Washington, D.C., London, England, Bombay, India
Characters Discussed
Santosh (SAN-tosh), the protagonist of “One out of Many,” an Indian domestic. When his employer, an Indian in government service, is posted to Washington, D.C., the naïve Santosh anticipates a life of freedom in America. His unrealistic view of America is enhanced by his watching television commercials. His lust leads him into an affair with a black maid. Overwhelmed with guilt, he abandons his employer and takes a job as a chef in an Indian restaurant. Lacking a work permit, he is afraid to walk the streets lest he be arrested. Finding himself in a...
[The entire page is 805 words long]
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