In A House for Mr. Biswas, V. S. Naipaul explores multiple dimensions of the cultural alienation that is attached to reading and writing in colonial Trinidad. By focusing on the character of Moshu Biswas, a poor Trinidadian of Indian, Hindu heritage, Naipaul shows the ways that class and national heritage influenced the opportunities available to Trinidadians in an earlier era. Moshu gains adequate education to have a career as a journalist and remains a life-long voracious reader. His poverty, family obligations, and dependence on his wife’s much wealthier family combine to prevent him from continuing his education or writing literature, as he often fantasized about doing.

In addition, the British colonial educational system is shown as an alienating influence. The best schools in Trinidad are church-affiliated, so Hindu families enroll their children in Christian schools. The colonial system does not invest in higher education so advanced professional and academic training is not available on the island.

Moshu’s son Anand, influenced by his father’s passions, gains a better education with scholarship support. His wealthier cousin, Owad, has even more opportunities. One irony of Owad’s studies in England is the wealthy boy's awakening to class inequality through discovering Marxism. For Anand as well, fulfilling his educational aspirations demands that he set aside cultural connections and physically depart his island home.