The character of Mohun Biswas emerges as an individual who conforms to social rules more than he rebels against them. He can be seen as so typical of the colonized subject that he could be labeled a “colonial Everyman.” Mr. Biswas very much wants to achieve a better life for himself and his family, but he tries to do so by operating within the limits that are consistent with his colonized position. Moving away from traditional, Hindu-influenced worldview to embrace modern, European ways has inherent limits. The goals that Biswas sets and his hard work in trying to achieve them are evidence of conformity to the rules that the colonizer sets. His hopes of pushing past the established boundaries cannot be fulfilled because he tries to excel at activities that remain firmly within those boundaries. While his self-image may be at odds with the ways that the colonial rules view Indian Trinidadians, a strategy that does not include overt rebellion seems more likely to perpetuate than to change the colonial situation.

Naipaul emphasizes numerous contradictions in Mohun’s personality and situation that make it increasingly difficult for him to create the “home”—or identity—of which he dreams. The author creates a situation in which Biswas tries to overcome cultural, religious, and gendered opposition. While choosing the profession of journalist gives him a voice, it also firms up his place in a colonial hierarchy. His humorously critical interactions with his wife’s family are largely ineffective. Through his interactions with his son, Anand, however, the reader senses that Mohun, despite not achieving most of his goals in his own lifetime, has created a long-lasting legacy. A true challenge to colonialism may fall to the next generation.