A Bend in the River

by V. S. Naipaul

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Student Question

What does Salim sell at his shop in A Bend in the River?

Quick answer:

In A Bend in the River, Salim sells small household items at his shop, including pots, pans, kitchen utensils, dishes, paper, and writing supplies. He manages the shop with the help of his assistant, Metty.

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In V. S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River, the protagonist and narrator, Salim, a young, ambitious East African man of Muslim Indian decent, decides to move deeper into the continent, as he fears that the Liberation Army may violently destroy his home and harm his family. He settles in a small town by a bend in the river, where he acquires a shop from a successful local businessman by the name of Nazruddin.

In the shop, Salim sells whatever small household items that he can: pots and pans, kitchen utensils, dishes, paper, pens and pencils, and other items that the local townspeople need. He soon realizes that the town is in no better condition than his previous home; however, he keeps the shop and runs it with the help of Metty, one of his former servants who quickly becomes his assistant.

Salim slowly adapts to his new environment and forms new relationships; however, he becomes too preoccupied with his personal life and his identity crisis and decides to get away from it all by visiting Nazruddin in London. When he returns to the town, he sees that the state has given the shop to the local mechanic, Théotime. Salim then becomes Théotime's chauffeur and manager of the shop he previously owned and starts illegally trading ivory and gold.

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