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DIASPORIC MOVEMENTS OF WILLIE:
NEGOTIATING IDENTITY
SEEN IN THE POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVES
IN NAIPAUL’S MAGIC SEEDS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ADRIANUS BRISTO BHAGO
Student Number: 10 4214 101
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2015
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJIPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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DIASPORIC MOVEMENTS OF WILLIE:
NEGOTIATING IDENTITY
SEEN IN THE POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVES
IN NAIPAUL’S MAGIC SEEDS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ADRIANUS BRISTO BHAGO
Student Number: 10 4214 101
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2015
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJIPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJIPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH
UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma
Nama : Adrianus Bristo Bhago
Nomor Mahasiswa : 10 4214 101
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
DIASPORIC MOVEMENTS OF WILLIE:
NEGOTIATING IDENTITY
SEEN IN THE POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVES
IN NAIPAUL’S MAGIC SEEDS
Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata
Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain,
mengolahnya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan
mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis
tanpa perlu meminta ijin kepada saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya
selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Dengan demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal 18 Februari 2015
Yang menyatakan,
Adrianus Bristo Bhago
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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY
I certify that this undergraduate thesis contains no material which has been
previously submitted for the award of any other degree at any university, and that,
to the best of my knowledge, this undergraduate thesis contains no material
previously written by any other person except where due reference is made in the
text of the undergraduate thesis.
Yogyakarta, February 18, 2015
Adrianus Bristo Bhago
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Or how can you say to your brother, “brother, let me
remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself
do not see the plank that is in your own eye?
Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is
in your brother’s eye.
(Luke, 6: 42)
LET US LOOK AT EACH OTHER WITHOUT MISTRUST,
MEET EACH OTHER WITHOUT FEAR,
TALK WITH EACH OTHER WITHOUT SURRENDERING PRINCIPLE.
(JOHN POPE)
You can’t control others’ acts, but you can control your
reaction to their acts,
and that is what counts most to you.
(Napoleon Hill)
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I dedicate this undergraduate thesis to:
My dear Jesus Christ and Holy Mother Mary
My beloved Mom
My wonderful Dad
My lovely sisters:
Ferty, Ivonn, Gin,
Ratna (RIP) and Era
My dearest brothers:
Arto, Visto, Arno,
K’Bosko and K’Aris
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Hallelujah and hallelujah! I praise Almighty God for all Thy blessings on
me that I can finish this undergraduate thesis. I praise Thee Holy Mary that it is
because of Thy love for that I can pass all the difficult times during my working
on thesis. I believe that nothing is impossible to achieve as long as Thou Lord
stands by my side.
My deepest gratitude goes to Paulus Sarwoto, S.S., M.A., Ph.D, for
being patient in guiding and encouraging me completing my undergraduate thesis.
I thank him for his time to read, check on my work, and also for the discussions
that open my mind to gain the new ideas. I also thank him for his willingness to
support me when my spirit goes down. My deepest gratitude also goes to Elisa
Dwi Wardani, S.S, M.Hum who has given her time to read and check on my
thesis. Thank her for the discussions.
My gratitude also goes to all the lectures at English Letters Department
for their dedications and guidance for me during my study, to all the Secretariat
staff and Library staff for their best service.
My endless gratitude goes to my parents Bapa Laurentius Bhago who
gives me chance to study at Sanata Dharma University and Mama Marcelina Sin
with her love, warmth and patience. My Mama’s love, warmth and patience make
me understand that one’s life should be useful for everyone without
discrimination. Their prayer, love, patience, guidance, advice and financial
support become strength to finish my study. Mama and Bapa, I want to say sorry
if I make many mistakes. Besides, my gratitude also goes to my gentle brothers;
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJIPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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Arto, Visto and Arno, thanks for taking care Mama and Bapa. My lovely sisters;
Ferti, Ivonn, Gin, Ratna (RIP) and Era, I thank them for their love and patience. I
love my dear family.
My special thanks also go to my beloved partner, Paskaliani R. Jani, for
her patience and love in guiding me to better person. I thank her for granting a
space in her heart and letting me to part of her life. I also thank her for being my
side when I am up and down. God Love Us.
Finally I thank my classmates from the class of 2010 (Melki, Ichi, Kenzy,
Diaz, Kicos, Mendra, Febri, Fanny, Meiti, Susi, Indi, Kae Kons) IKALEWA,
SANPIO 04 JOGJA (Yoan, Pinok, Lalong, Barus, Sony, Selo, James), Mrican
Football Club, 8A United (Romi, Alvin, Eeng, Bang Grandil, Ausan, Bang
Andrew, Pa D Ary, Bang Muklas, Bang Andi, Yance, Ndek and Try Kuncoro),
Postcolonial Group (Vania, Grady and Cuimbra) and all the people that I cannot
mention one by one, for their endless support and for being my friend and family.
Adrianus Bristo Bhago
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................... ii
APPROVAL PAGE .......................................................................................... iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH v
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ................................................................ vi
MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................ vii
DEDICATION PAGE ....................................................................................... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. xi
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................... xiii
ABSTRAK ........................................................................................................... xiv
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1
A. Background of the Study ................................................................... 1
B. Problem Formulation ........................................................................ 5
C. Objectives of the Study ..................................................................... 5
D. Definitions of Terms ........................................................................ 5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................ 9
A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................ 9
B. Review of Related Theories .............................................................. 13
1. Theory of Character and Characterization .................................. 13
2. Theory of Setting ......................................................................... 16
3. Postcolonial Theory..................................................................... 17
4. Theory of Identity........................................................................ 21
C. Review on Social Condition in Africa, India after Independence, and
England .............................................................................................. 24
1. Review on Social Condition in Africa
during Colonization .................................................................... 24
a. Scramble for Africa ............................................................... 24
b. The Effects of the Scramble .................................................. 26
2. Review on Social Condition in India
after Independence...................................................................... 27
3. Review on Social Condition in England 1957-1960 .................. 30
D. Theoretical Framework ...................................................................... 32
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................. 34
A. Object of the Study............................................................................. 34
B. Approach of the Study ....................................................................... 35
C. Method of the Study ........................................................................... 36
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 39
A. Depiction of Willie’s Perspectives in the Different Geographical
Locations ............................................................................................ 39
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1. Willie’s Perspective in Africa .................................................... 40
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home ............................. 40
b. Willie’s Perspective on Postcolonial Resistance ................... 42
2. Willie’s Perspective in India ...................................................... 45
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home ............................. 45
b. Willie’s Perspective on Domestic Conflict in the Aftermath of
the India Independence .......................................................... 52
c. Willie’s Perspective on Globalization ................................... 55
3. Willie’s Perspective in England ................................................. 59
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home ............................. 59
b. Willie’s Perspective on Multicultural Society ....................... 61
B. Postcolonial Identity Negotiation Revealed through Willie’s Diasporic
Movements ........................................................................................ 64
1. Willie’s Perspective in Africa .................................................... 65
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home ............................. 65
b. Willie’s Perspective on Postcolonial Resistance ................... 67
2. Willie’s Perspective in India ...................................................... 69
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home ............................. 70
b. Willie’s Perspective on Domestic Conflict in the Aftermath of
the India Independence .......................................................... 71
c. Willie’s Perspective on Globalization ................................... 73
3. Willie’s Perspective in England ................................................. 74
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home ............................. 75
b. Willie’s Perspective on Multicultural Society ....................... 76
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ......................................................................... 78
BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................. 83
APPENDIX ......................................................................................................... 87
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ABSTRACT
BHAGO, ADRIANUS BRISTO. Diasporic Movement of Willie: Negotiating
Identity Seen in the Postcolonial Perspectives in Naipaul’s Magic Seeds.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma
University, (2015).
This thesis discuses Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul’s novel entitled “Magic
Seeds”. In the story the major character searches his true identity. It can be seen
from his perspectives toward the idea of home, postcolonial resistance, domestic
conflict in India, globalization and multicultural society.
There are two objectives that the writer wants to achieve in this study. First,
it is to find out the perspectives of Willie in three different geographical locations.
Second, it is to explain how the diasporic movements reveal the idea of
postcolonial identity negotiations of Willie.
The writing of this undergraduate thesis was conducted by applying library
research. The source of review of related studies, theories and historical
background are collected through library research, journals and online sites. The
writer considered the postcolonial approach was appropriate to be applied in this
study because the novel tells about the endeavor of the major character to find his
postcolonial identity in three different locations. By applying this approach, the
writer can reveal the idea of postcolonial identity negotiations through diasporic
movements in Africa, India and London.
In the analysis, the writer finds out that Willie has particular perspective
toward certain circumstance. In Africa, he criticizes the idea of home and
postcolonial resistance. He feels uncomfortable in Africa because his life is
haunted by the emergence of superiority of his wife and he does not have
primordial relation with Africans. Subsequently, Willie moves to India. In India,
Willie also has perspective to the idea of home, domestic conflict and
globalization. Willie cannot capture feeling at home in India because the
architecture of the hotels are copied from foreign countries; he fails to join the
peasants’ movement to fight against landlord and the rapid development of
globalization destroys the original cultures in India. Then he moves to London.
This is the last route of his journey. He still questions the idea of home and the
multicultural society. The idea of home in London is revealed through the
emergence of St. John’s Wood house. He states that St. John’s Wood house gives
luxurious facilities to him that make him comfortable. He also observes the
multicultural society in London. Many people from various countries come to
London and bring their own languages, cultures and faith. The idea of
postcolonial identity negotiations is revealed by the perspectives of Willie in three
different geographical locations which represent his future struggle to formulate
the fixed identity.
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ABSTRAK
BHAGO, ADRIANUS BRISTO. Diasporic Movement of Willie: Negotiating
Identity Seen in the Postcolonial Perspectives in Naipaul’s Magic Seeds.
Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma,
(2015).
Skripsi ini membahas novel dari Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul yang
berjudul “Magic Seeds”. Di dalam cerita, seorang tokoh utama mencari identitas
tunggalnya. Itu dapat dilihat dari sudut pandangnya terhadap konsep rumah,
resistensi poskolonial, konflik dalam negeri di India, globalisasi dan terhadap
masyarakat multikultural.
Ada dua tujuan yang ingin penulis capai dalam penelitian ini. Pertama
adalah untuk menemukan perspektif-perspektif dari Willie di tiga lokasi geografis
yang berbeda. Kedua adalah untuk menjelaskan bagaimana gerakan diaspora
mengungkapkan adanya negosiasi identitas poskolonial dari Willie.
Penulisan skripsi ini dilakukan dengan menerapkan studi pustaka. Sumber
tinjauan pustaka, teori-teori dan latar belakang sejarah dikumpulkan melalui studi
pustaka, jurnal dan situs jaringan. Penulis menganggap pendekatan poskolonial
adalah tepat untuk diterapkan dalam penelitian ini karena novel bercerita tentang
usaha dari karakter utama untuk menemukan identitas poskolonial di tiga lokasi
geografis yang berbeda. Dengan menerapkan pendekatan ini, penulis dapat
mengungkapkan gagasan negosiasi identitas poskolonial melalui gerakan diaspora
di Afrika, India, dan London.
Dalam analisis, penulis menemukan bahwa karakter utama, Willie, memiliki
perspektif tertentu terhadap keadaan tertentu. Di Afrika, ia mengkritik konsep
rumah dan resistensi poskolonial. Dia merasa tidak nyaman di Afrika karena
hidupnya dihantui oleh munculnya superioritas dari istrinya dan ia tidak memiliki
hubungan primordial dengan Afrika. Selanjutnya, Willie pindah ke India. Di
India, Willie juga mengkritisi terhadap gagasan rumah, konflik dalam negeri dan
globalisasi. Willie tidak dapat menangkap konsep rumah karena arsitektur hotel di
India diambil dari negara-negara asing; ia gagal bergabung dengan gerakan para
petani untuk melawan “tuan tanah” dan perkembangan pesat globalisasi yang
menghancurkan budaya asli di India. Kemudian ia pindah ke London. Ini adalah
rute terakhir dari perjalanannya. Ia masih mempertanyakan gagasan rumah dan
masyarakat multikultural. Konsep rumah di London terungkap melalui munculnya
St. John’s Wood. Dia menyatakan bahwa St. John’s Wood memberikan fasilitas
mewah kepadanya yang membuatnya nyaman. Di sisi lain, ia juga mengamati
masyarakat multikultural di London. Banyak orang dari berbagai negara datang ke
London dan membawa bahasa, budaya dan agama mereka sendiri. Ide negosiasi
identitas poskolonial ini diungkapkan oleh perspektif Willie di tiga lokasi
geografis yang berbeda yang mewakili perjuangan masa depannya untuk
merumuskan identitas tunggal.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study
Human beings have their own histories that help their young generation
to get better future. Several histories of human beings tell the fall and glory of
certain empire. One may acknowledges the fall of certain empire for instance, fall
of Rome and fall of Constantinople. On the other hand, history records some
glorious narratives for example, the glory of Sriwijaya and Majapahit. Those
histories are spread in different ways depend on the technology in that time.
Commonly, present day, people record the experiences of the ancestors through
novels, travel writings, and periodicals.
In the colonization period, the colonizers spread the news through
newspapers. The empire in its heyday is conceived and maintained through
writings-political treatises, diaries, acts and edicts, administrative records and
gazetteers, missionaries‟ reports, notebooks, memoirs, popular verse, government
briefs (Boehmer, 2005: 14).
From early days of colonization, literature is defined to interpret the way
of thinking about exploration, Western conquest, national valour, and new
colonial acquisitions. The intensive interactions between the oppressors and the
oppressed have been developed from time to time through literature as its object.
However, the imbalance relation between colonizers and colonized is one of the
objects in postcolonial studies (Ashcroft, Griffiths & Tiffin, 2000: 188). In the
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scope of literature, postcolonial literature scrutinizes the correlations between the
colonizers and the colonized comprehensively. Boehmer emphasizes that
postcolonial literature is generally defined as the endeavor to dismantle the
colonial relationship. It is used to fight against the ideology of the colonizers.
Thus, the emergence of postcolonial writing is deeply marked by experiences of
cultural exclusion and division under empire (Boehmer, 2005: 3).
However, in colonization era, the colonizers have employed literature to
spread the ideology, to control, and to oppress the natives or the outcasts.
“Institution of literature in the colony is under the direct control of the imperial
ruling class who alone license the acceptable form and permit the publication and
distribution of the resulting work” (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, 2002: 6).
Hence, the emergence of literature in that time has huge contribution to the
development of Western hegemony over the world.
Subsequently, literature begins to enter on the golden era. It occurs when
the ruling class and lower class have an equal opportunity to access to the
literature. In this case, the colonized people can feel the freedom, although later
they engage with “self” control. They are able to express their perspectives,
experiences and feelings toward cultural interaction between the colonizers and
the colonized throughout the world through literary work. The implication of this
freedom is the emergence of anti-colonial writers who become more dangerous
for the colonizers. Naipaul is categorized as postcolonial writer because his works
mostly examine the dilemma of the post-colonial writer. Notably, Ashcroft,
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Griffiths, and Tiffin (2002: 86) state that V.S Naipaul‟s works examine the
dilemma of the post-colonial writer, but particularly in The Mimic Men (1976).
Naipaul‟s dilemma also can be seen in his novel, Magic Seeds. In Magic
Seeds Naipaul scrutinizes his dilemma through Willie‟s perspectives. Willie is
characterized as a man who travels from India to London. In his travel, Willie is
trying to find his “true identity”.
Notably, Magic Seeds emphasizes the diasporic movement of Naipaul.
Robert Balfour in his article “V.S Naipaul’s Half a Life, Magic Seeds and
Globalisation” examines that Magic Seeds compromises a single narrative of
migration and identity politics, describing the brutalization and diaspora of
peoples as a result of slavery, colonization and decolonization and
industrialization.
According to Post-Colonial Studies, diasporic movement is a product of
colonialism. Here, diasporic movement involves the temporary or permanent
dispersion and settlement of millions or Europeans over the entire world (2007:
61). Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack identify that diaspora as settling of various
people away from their homelands; often associated with the notion of the Jewish
diaspora in modern Israel, but extended in cultural studies, postcolonial studies
and race theory to consider the displacement of peoples by means of force, such as
slavery (Wolfreys, Robbins and Womack, 2006: 32).
Naipaul is as the descendant of diasporic movement. The descendants of
the diasporic movements generated by colonialism have developed their own
distinctive cultures which both preserve and often extend and develop their
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originary cultures (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, 2007: 62). Thus, it can be
concluded that the diasporic movement does not only lead the colonized people
into displacement but dispose them into ambivalence space where the cultures and
identities are constructed by the colonizers.
Naipaul‟s literary work, Magic Seeds, shows his own voice, where he
focuses on his diasporic movement and different ways of seeing toward
neighborhood. Magic Seeds begins when Willie has travelled from India to be a
student in London, and published a book of stories. Later on he marries a woman
of mixed Portuguese and African ancestry and lives in her Portuguese African
colony for 18 years, and at the point of the colony's independence, leaves to join
his sister in Berlin. Willie's sister Sarojini, criticizes of his passivity and lack of
commitment toward the war. Willie is supported to involve revolution group.
Willie agrees to go back to India to join guerrilla war. Actually, he joins wrong
group and undergoes a long period of aimless marching, murder and hiding out in
the forest. Later, he escapes from revolution group. He is captured and
imprisoned. His sister, however, recruits Roger, an English lawyer and publisher
who has known Willie during his student life. In a short while he is on a plane to
London, where Roger finds him a rich patron and a job on a trade journal. The
story ends with Willie reflecting on his life and on Britain's new multi-racial
identity.
The novel depicts wonderful experiences of the author with all the
strange imaginations and ways of seeing toward surroundings. In order to
understand deeper, the readers have to read the story carefully. The diasporic
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experiences of the author attract the writer to analyze it. In this thesis, the writer
would like to analyze the diasporic movements of Naipaul‟s protagonist, Willie.
The writer sees the strong correlation between diasporic movements and the
struggle of the main character to find his identity.
B. Problem Formulations
1. How are Willie‟s perceptions on postcolonial issues in the different
geographical locations depicted in the novel?
2. How do diasporic movements reflect Willie‟s postcolonial identity
negotiation?
C. Objectives of the Study
This thesis is aimed to reveal how diasporic movements reflect Willie‟s
postcolonial identity negotiation. To get better understanding about that objective,
two problem formulations are made. First objective focuses on the Willie‟s
perspectives on the three different geographical locations. Second objective is
how diasporic movements reflect Willie‟s postcolonial identity negotiation.
D. Definitions of Terms
In order to avoid miss understanding and give clear meaning, it is
important for the writer to define some terms. The terms are significant to
comprehend the problems discussed in this undergraduate thesis. In their book
Post-Colonial Studies: The Key Concepts (2007: 61), Ashcroft, Griffiths, and
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Tiffin explain that the word “diaspora” is taken from Greek meaning “to
disperse”. Diasporas, the voluntary or forcible movement of peoples from their
homelands into new regions, is a central historical fact of colonization. According
to Brah (1996: 178-179) the word derives from the Greek—dia, “through”, and
speirein, “to scatter”. According to Webster‟s Dictionary in the United States,
diaspora refers to a “dispersion from”. Hence the word embodies a notion of a
centre, a locus, a „home‟ from where the dispersion occurs. It invokes images of
multiple journeys. At the heart of the notion of diaspora is the image of a journey.
Yet not every journey can be understood as diaspora. Diasporas are clearly not the
same as casual travel. Nor do they normatively refer to temporary sojourns.
Diasporic movement is the act of moving of people from their homeland to
another place where they settling down, about putting roots “elsewhere”.
The writer also uses another terminology. It is negotiating. According to
International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences negotiating is an act of
interaction through which individuals, organization, or governments explicitly try
to arrange a new combination of some of their conflicting interests (International
Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences vol 11, 117). Identity negotiation is the way
how someone consults his identity with another people in order to get the
agreement.
Besides, the terminology of postcolonial identity is also used in this
study. Stuart Hall defines postcolonial identities are never unified and, in late
modern times, increasingly fragmented and fractured; never singular but multiply
constructed across different, often intersecting and antagonistic, discourses,
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7
practices, and positions. They are subject to a radical historicization, and are
constantly in the process of change and transformation (Hall, 1996: 4). It means
that identity is not stable. In the contemporary era, identity is always constituted.
Subsequently, the terminology of colonization must be explained in this
research. Marc Ferro in his book, Colonization: A Global History (1997: 1),
defines that colonization is associated with the occupation of a foreign land, with
is being brought under cultivation, with the settlement of colonists. He explained
that colonization is refers to” power” of a people to “reproduce” itself in different
spaces. Thus, colonization is related to the endeavor of the colonizers to grab new
territory. They spread their ideology, cultures and so on.
According to Slemon, “postcolonial” and “resistance” are positively
shimmering as objects of desire and self privilege and so easily appropriated to
competing, and in fact hostile, modes of critical and literary practice (Slemon,
1995: 104). Subsequently, Slemon cites Cudjoe and Harlow‟s work, resistance is
an act or sets of acts, that is designed to rid a people of its oppressors, and it so
thoroughly infuses the experience of living under oppression that it becomes an
almost autonomous aesthetic principle (1995: 107). Thus, postcolonial resistance
is related to the unfriendly competition between oppressed and oppressors in
modes of critical and literary practice. It is because the oppressed is living under
oppression.
Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin also associate the term “postcolonial” with
the cultural relations between the oppressors and the oppressed from the
colonization up to the present day (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, 2002: 2).
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According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary the word “issue” is defined
as an important topic that people are discussing or arguing about. Postcolonial
issue is the important point which related to the general discussion about the
relations between colonizers and colonized from past up to the present day.
The last term that the writer used in this study is globalization.
Globalization is the process whereby individual lives and local communities are
affected by economic and cultural forces that operate world-wide. In effect it is
the process of the world becoming a single place. Globalism is the perception of
the world as a function or result of the processes of globalization upon local
communities (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, 2007: 100). Globalization operates
in the economic and cultural sector. The Western countries spread their economy
system over the third world countries. The local communities in the third
countries are not able to block the influences from first world countries.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
In this chapter, the writer explores some reviews in order to support the
analysis. This chapter consists of the review of related studies, review of related
theories and the review of Social condition in Africa during colonization, India
post-independence and England. The last part is the theoretical framework.
A. Review of Related Studies
Reviewing on Magic Seeds, Alphonsa C.A in her article entitled
―Dispersed Identities and the Search for Home: A Postcolonial Reading of V.S.
Naipaul’s Magic Seeds‖ states that ―home‖ gives somebody sense of place in the
world. In this way, one acknowledges certain place in the world if they have a
home. Thus, by considering the significant meaning of home, someone
understands who they are. Further, Alphonsa highlights that:
the concept of home as a place which is give comfort, security and
stability to somebody…Home becomes a mythic place of desire in the
diasporic imagination…Home as an idea always ensures that we are
ourselves, and a place that allows one to rip off all the masks…Magic
Seeds which is a continuum of Naipaul’s constant engagement with the
live of dispossessed and unmade world they inhabit (Alphonsa, 2012:
44-47).
Alphonsa offers better insight that relocation, fleeing or movement of people from
one social space to another either willingly or forcefully is painful. As a novel,
Magic Seeds portrays comprehensively the victory of the colonizers in disposing
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the sense of belonging of the colonized people. In other words, Alphonsa more
concern on the concept of home to reveal one’s identity.
Meanwhile, Lucia Miheala Grosu ―Mapping the Road to Identity in V.S
Naipaul’s Magic Seeds‖ has a different standpoint to understand Willie’s identity.
She observes that Naipaul in his literary work consistently uses metaphor. The
using of metaphor on Naipaul’s novel, Magic Seeds, depicts the cleverness of the
writer in keeping the hidden messages of the story. By focusing on the mapping
of the metaphor, Grosu comes into conclusion that it symbolizes one’s journey to
discover one’s identity. She employs metaphor to interpret Willie’s struggles, V.S
Naipaul’s main character in Magic Seeds, to discover own identity, his true self.
Grosu also notes Magic Seeds as follows:
Naipaul’s novel has an open ending, thus his readers are left imagining
different outcomes of the hero. We are once more allowed into his
thoughts: ―I must try now to be only myself. If such a thing is possible‖
(Naipaul, 2004: 170). Through these words, the author gives us an
indication as to how Willie is going to live the rest of his life and he also
sums up the message hidden under the hero’s life map: one has to build a
life without mirroring others' existence and celebrating one’s
individuality (Grosu, 2013: 62).
Grosu asserts that ―Magic Seeds tells the story of how identity is built and
changed and rebuilt, how an individual can reconnect with a dormant self, how a
person can grow and achieve the wisdom of accepting his own flaws, his own
mistakes‖ (Grosu, 2013: 58).
Still reviewing V.S Naipaul’s Magic Seeds Ravi Kumar Mishra, in his
article ―Sense of Place and Post-Colonial Perspectives in the Fiction of V.S.
Naipaul: Half a Life and Magic Seeds‖ discusses about the theme of post
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colonialism and sense of place by analyzing V.S Naipaul’s two novels Half a Life
and Magic Seeds. Mishra notes as following explanations:
One definition is that a place comes into existence when humans give
meaning to a part of the larger, undifferentiated space. Any time a
location is identified or given a name, it is separated from the undefined
space that surrounds it. Some places, however, have been given stronger
meanings, names or definitions by society than others. These are the
places that are said to have a strong Sense of Place. The sense of place is
a social phenomenon that exists independently of any one individual's
experiences, yet is dependent on human engagement for its existence.
Such a feeling may be derived from the natural environment, but is more
often made up of a mix of natural and cultural features in the landscape,
and generally includes the people who occupy the place (Mishra, 2013:
12).
From quotation above, Mishra wants to emphasize the significance of certain
place to anyone existence. Broadly, particular place certainly has different
meaning to one’s life. Place itself cannot be separated from human experiences.
The novel has three settings: first there is pre-independence Africa, then post-
independence India, and finally London. All three are places that Naipaul can
identify with. Thus, sense of place is a social phenomenon which is related to
one’s experiences. Subsequently Mishra also comments on Naipaul’s characters.
Based on his paper, he proclaims that:
characters in Magic Seeds and Half a Life tend to deny one or more racial
characteristics in order to become ―more respectable,‖ in their estimation.
However, they eventually discover that their identity cannot be fixed
because they are the fruits of multiple cultures. All through the novel,
Willie is drifting without a solid and fixed identity. He cannot try to
achieve one fixed identity because of his multi-background (Mishra,
2013: 13).
Mishra reiterates that Naipaul’s characters are unable to discover the single
identity in their multi backgrounds. Thus, tendency to disclaim the one or more
characteristics are generally found in multiple cultures.
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Another criticism on Magic Seeds comes from Robert Balfour. His
analysis is different from three critics before. In his article ―V.S. Naipaul’s Half a
life, Magic Seeds and Globalisation‖, Balfour explores:
Naipaul’s 21st century writing as a critical understanding of the
postcolonial phenomenon of globalisation as a cultural and economic
force which is a development and consequence of imperialism and
decolonisation. I shall argue that as a phenomenon, globalization differs
from postcolonialism, in the interaction it brings about between
marginalised classes and nations and those who by virtue of class,
economic power or race are defined as being at the centre in the
21stcentury (Balfour, 2007: 1).
For Balfour, however, postcolonial phenomenon of globalization as a cultural and
economic force is different from postcolonialism. On the other hand, both
globalization and postcolonialism lead marginalized class and nations to the
center of 21st century. Balfour draws attention that globalization and
postcolonialism have significant power to the marginalised classes.
In this thesis, the writer develops what Alphonsa, Grosu, Mishra and
Balfour have analyzed. Broadly, the three of them examine about Willie’s
identity. Alphonsa underlines the important of home for one’s existence. For
Alphonsa, the emergence of home itself is able to determine who we are. ―Thus
home as an idea always ensures that we are ourselves‖ (Alphonsa, 2012: 49).
Grosu’s “Mapping the Road to Identity in V.S Naipaul’s Magic Seeds” asserts
that ―for Willie the trauma of his life is not determined by economic, political or
social difficulties, but by his inability to find his own identity and thus his place in
the world‖ (Grosu, 2013: 57). Notably, Grosu explains that the inability of Willie
to encounter his true self brings him into traumatic circumstances. In line with
Alphonsa and Grosu, Mishra examines how Naipaul’s characters try to find their
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identity in multi-background. Different from three critics, Balfour more concerns
on the postcolonial as a phenomenon of globalization. He scrutinizes the
ramifications of the globalization and postcolonialism toward marginalized
classes. His elaborations are also useful in this study. Based on the profound
considerations, the writer develops what Alphonsa, Grosu, Mishra and Balfour
have done. The purpose of this study is to examine how diasporic movement
reflects the postcolonial identity negotiation of Willie. Thus the writer’s
standpoint here is clear.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Theory of Character and Characterization
Character is one of main intrinsic element in literary work. Knowing the
theory of character is important for the writer. Better understanding to the related
theory help the writer to analyze what kind of postcolonial conditions describes.
M.H Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham in their book, A Glossary of
Literary Terms states that characters are the represented in a dramatic or narrative
work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral,
intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and
their distinctive ways of saying it—the dialogue and from what they do—the
action. The grounds in the characters' temperament, desires, and moral nature for
their speech and actions are called their motivation (Abrams and Harpham, 2009:
32-33).
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There are two kinds of character: the major character and the minor
character. The major character is the main focus in a work of literature. The
author’s idea or thought are represented through the main characters. Therefore,
the reader’s attention is focused on them. As Henkle states in his book Reading
the Novel:
Major character has a fullest attention for the readers. They will have
opinions that he or she will represent their wish and thought, and may
become the major figure that build their expectation and desires, which in
modification shift or established their values (Henkle, 1977: 92).
On the contrary, the minor character is character that has a limited function. The
minor character is the partner of the major character in the story; it can be the
major character’s friend or enemy, to improve the story and to make some
interaction to fulfill the context of the story (Henkle, 1977: 95).
Characterization also plays an important role in building the idea of a
story. Characterization is the way the author characterize the characters.
According to Holman and Harmon (1986: 81), characterization is the creation of
imagery persons so that they exist for the readers as life. Therefore,
characterization should be conveyed in a good way in order to create a clear
image to the reader’s perception.
Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Novel define
characterization as the process by which an author creates character, it is the
device that he makes the readers to believe a character in the particular type of
person he is. An author does this way to make a stereotype of someone existing in
a real world situation comes real during the reading (Rohrberger and Woods,
1971: 20).
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According to M. J Murphy there are nine methods for readers to
understand the character. First, Personal Description. The author describes the
appearance of a character in details such as the face, the skin color, the hair and so
on. Second, Character as Seen by the Others. The author describes the character of
the person through the other’s eyes and opinion. The opinion that come from
people around the person about his personality can also determine his
characteristics. Third, Speech. The author gives the readers some clues about the
character through what the character says. Fourth, Past Life. Through certain
events of the character’s past life, the readers know the characteristic of him/her.
Here we learn that a character’s past experiences, particularly those which are
really meaningful can cause several effects to the person’s future life even may
change his character. Fifth, Conversation of Others. Through the conversations
done by other people, the readers know what they say about the character.
Seventh, Reactions. The readers know what kind of person the character is by
seeing how he/she reacts to various situations in the story. The readers here can
conclude if a person is temperamental or patient. Eighth, Direct Comment. The
author gives direct comment to the character. However, the author does not give
lots of direct comment otherwise the novel is uninteresting to read. Ninth,
Thoughts. The author directly mentions what a person is thinking about. By
knowing what in the character’s mind, the readers know his characteristic. Tenth,
Mannerism. The author creates the character’s behaviors where each and every
one of the behaviors shows the characteristic of the character. A person’s habits of
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idiosyncrasies may also tell us something about his or her characteristic (Murphy,
1972: 161-173).
2. Theory of Setting
Setting is one of the main intrinsic elements in the novel. Setting has an
important role in the novel which has direct effect to the character, such as
personalities, and way of thinking. There have been many books discussed about
theory of setting, but the writer only takes three of them to analyze the novel.
Setting of the novel is the background against which the characters live
up their lives usually setting concerns with place and time in which the characters
live. These can give a great effect on their personalities, actions, and way of
thinking (Murphy, 1972: 41). In A Glossary of Literary Terms, setting of a
narrative or dramatic work is the general locale, historical time, and social
circumstances in which its action occurs; the setting of a single episode or scene
within a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place (Abrams
and Harpham, 2009: 330).
Subsequently, Holman and Harmon describe that there are four aspects
compose the setting. First the actual geographical action which contains; its
topography, scenery, and such physical arrangements as such the location of the
interior, for example, door, window, furniture, etc. It means the description where
the story takes place physically. Second the time or period in which the action
takes place. Third is the occupations and daily manner of living of the character.
Fourth the general environment of the characters, for example: religions, mental,
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moral, social, and emotional conditions through which the people in the narrative
move (Holman and Harmon, 1986: 468).
3. Postcolonial Theory
Reviewing on postcolonialism needs more concentration in order to
understand deepest about it. Many believe that postcolonialism has two meanings.
First, postcolonialism can be defined as certain era. Second, postcolonialism also
can be interpreted as theory. Although postcolonialism has two meanings, many
people convince that it more relates to the theory.
In this study, the writer scrutinizes the constellation of postcolonialism as
theory in the postcolonial studies. Wilfred L Guerin, Earle Labor, Lee Morgan,
Jeanne C. Reesman, and John R. Willingham define the process of reconstructing
as ―postcolonialism‖. According to them, ―postcolonialism is as a historical phase
undergone by Third World countries after the decline of colonialism: for example,
when countries in Asia, Africa, Latin, America, and the Caribbean separated from
the European empires and are left to rebuild themselves‖ (Guerin et al, 2011:
361). Thus, it can be concluded that postcolonial theory is built on the advanced
awareness of the ex-colonized.
Ania Loomba in Colonialism/Postcolonialism describes the complex
relations between imperialism and colonialism. She argues that imperialism,
colonialism and the differences between them are explained separately based on
the histories transformation. In addition, she criticizes that the meaning of
imperialism can be implemented in undefined colonies as in United States
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imperialism but colonialism doing the reverse. For Loomba, the complicated
discussion about imperialism and colonialism contributes in generating the term
of ―postcolonial‖. Postcolonial begins with prefix ―post‖ which contains
confusing problems. It connotes ―aftermath‖ that has two meanings; temporal
(coming after) and ideological (supplanting). It means that prefix ―post‖ can be
understood as after colonialism and substitute the colonized ideology with the
colonizers ideology (Loomba, 2005: 11-12).
From the previously foregrounded idea, it can be concluded that
imperialism and colonialism are part of the postcolonial discourse which refer to
the after colonialism and replacing the native ideology with imperial ideology. It
means that it foregrounds the complex relations between the colonizers and the
colonized. Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin also associate the term ―postcolonial‖
with the cultural relations between the oppressors and the oppressed from the
colonization up to the present day (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, 2002: 2).
The relation between the oppressors and the oppressed generate various
types of discussion which become urgent topic in the constellation of postcolonial
studies. Generally speaking, the complicated relations between Western and
Eastern present serious discussion on migration, slavery, suppression, resistance,
representation, difference, gender, place, responses to the influential master
discourses of imperial Europe such as history, philosophy and linguistic
(Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, 1997: 2). Discussion about relations between the
oppressors and the oppressed is something new. Most of people are difficult to
decide when postcolonial theory is born. According to Peter Barry, ―the ancestry
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of postcolonial criticism can be traced to Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the
Earth, published in French in 1961, and voicing what might be called ―cultural
resistance‖ to France’s African empire‖ (Barry, 2009: 186). In addition, Barry
cites Fanon’s argument that the outcasts have to take back their historical past in
order to find out the identity and voice. Besides, the colonized people must fight
against the ideology of colonialist that humiliate the historical past of the
oppressed (Barry, 2009: 186). Here, the ideology of colonialist is emerged in the
scope of discourse.
Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths & Helen Tiffin state that discourse is
important because it joins power and knowledge together. ―Those who have
power have control of what is known and the way it is known, and those who
have such knowledge have power over those who do not‖ (Ashcroft et al, 2007:
63). Knowledge and power are particularly important in the relationships between
colonizers and colonized.
The relation between postcolonialism and discourse is discussed in Said’s
book, Orientalism. Most of people believe that Orientalism is a major book of
postcolonial theory. Postcolonialist reads Orientalism in order to understand
deeper the concept of postcolonialism. Orientalism is ―western style for
dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the orient‖ (Said, 1994: 3).
Thus, orientalism is the understandings, knowledge and the domination of
Western ideology over the Eastern world. Besides, postcolonial theory is applied
to dismantle Western hegemony.
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Western hegemony can be seen on the ability of the colonizers in
controlling even creating the Eastern in all aspects such as politics, economies,
cultures, militaries, sciences and imaginative. In this context, creating process of
eastern world generates binary opposition that places the western people in the
strong position and the eastern people in weak position:
Binary oppositions are structurally related to one another, and in colonial
discourse there may be a variation of the one underlying binary –for
instance, colonizer : colonized, white : black, civilized : primitive, good :
evil, beautiful : ugly (Ashcroft, Griffiths & Tiffin, 2007: 19).
Those practices must be dismantled by postcolonial theory. The emergence of
postcolonial theory is supposed to cultivate the comprehensive understanding to
the eastern people in seeing the western ideology. Leela Gandhi in Postcolonial
Theory defines postcolonialism as ―theoretical resistance to the mystifying
amnesia of the colonial aftermath‖ (Gandhi, 1998: 4). In other words, postcolonial
theory is toolkit for the colonized people to fight against the colonizers’
suppressions. The colonized people must be aware the implications of the
colonization in a long time ago.
The consciousnesses of the aftermath of colonization makes colonized
people searching the strategies to reconstruct their culture, ideology, social,
economy, politic and identity. This is what Asian, African, American and
Caribbean do. However, western hegemony produces cultural bias in the Eastern
world. Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin in The Post-colonial Studies Reader state
that postcolonial connect with cultural bias which caused by the colonial process
from the beginning of the colonial contact.
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4. Theory of Identity
Identity is closely related to the position within society. Hall in Questions
of Cultural Identity (Hall, 1996: 4) examines that identities are absolutely rupture
which cannot be collected in single unit. Identities are disintegrated and split
vividly in contemporary era. They are always in process of mutation and
revolution.
From previously foregrounded idea, it can be concluded that a well
known critic, Hall proposes an essential definition of identity to entire people that
becomes a starting point to discover another definition of identity. Fixed identity
is something difficult for one to achieve in contemporary era. Most of the
identities are constituted.
In line with Hall, Bhabha in his book The Location of Culture describes
that identity is not an a priori or a finished product. According to him, it is only
the problematic process of access to an image of totality (Bhabha, 2004: 73). In
other words, identity is an unfinished product and it relates to questions of the
totality. However, as Bhabha and Hall contend, identity distinctly concerns with
the process of the completeness of image. Definitions of identity from Bhabha and
Hall are quite general. Hogg and Abrams in their book Social Identifications: A
social Psychology of Intergroup Relations and Group Processes review that
―identity is people’s concepts of who they are, of what sort of people they are, and
how they relate to others‖ (Hogg and Abrams, 1988: 2). Defining the conception
of identity, Hogg and Abrams concern with the questions who they are and how
relationship between human beings occurs.
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Subsequently, Francis M. Deng contends the definition of identity
specifically. Definition of identity in his book entitled War of Visions: Conflict of
Identities in the Sudan (Deng, 1995: 1) is ―the way individuals and groups define
themselves and are defined by other on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion,
language and culture‖. In other words, the notion of identity depends on how
someone or certain group characterizes who they are. The basic identification
based on race, ethnicity, religion, language and culture.
Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann do not classify the term of
identity in a particular field as Deng noted earlier. Briefly, they associate the idea
of identity with certain realm. Berger and Luckmann’s The Social Construction of
Reality clarifies that the meaning of identity is objectively defined ―as location in
a certain world and can be subjectively appropriated only along with that world‖
(Berger and Luckmann, 1966: 132). Thus, certain place is going to be a
fundamental feature in determining one’s identity. Identity is not only about place,
race, religion and culture, but also connects with narrative. The idea of narrative
connects to the notion of identity. Gregory Castle in Postcolonial Discourse: An
Anthology states explicitly that ―identity is always a question of producing in the
future an account of the past, that is to say it is always about narrative, the stories
which cultures tell themselves about who they are and where they came from‖
(Castle, 2001: 283). Castle examines further what narrative is about. Narrative in
connection with the definition of identity is the stories which tell human beings
about who they are and also where they originated from. Kum-Kum Bhavnani and
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Ann Phoenix in Shifting Identities Shifting Racisms: A Feminism & A Psychology
Reader remark that:
identity as a word which is much used in both academic and political
contexts…The notion of identity is as static, and therefore, unchanging,
is one which is not fruitful in discussing the construction of, the
reproduction through, and the challenge to unequal social
relationships…Identity as a static and unitary trait which lies within
human beings, rather than as an interactional and contextual feature of all
social relationships, has been laid to rest. Identity as dynamic aspect of
social relationships, is forged and reproduced through the agency/
structure dyad, and is inscribed within unequal power relationships
(Bhavnani and Phoenix, 1994: 6-9).
From quotation above, the writer draws conclusion that identity covers various
field of human beings. Notably, Bhavnani and Phoenix depict identity as a static
and dynamic and challenging an unequal condition in social relationships between
human beings. The characteristics of identity, static and dynamic, are engraved
within disproportion power of human relationships. The static identity has been
rested because it is not useful in discussing of human relationships.
Actually, Bhavnani and Phoenix reveal how the static identity cannot be
maintained in the contemporary era. They also emphasize dynamic identity which
always be shaped and constituted in social structure. Further, they say that the
constituted identity is portrayed in the unequal relationships.
Gandhi’s definition of identity is almost the same as Bahvnani and
Phoenix. The difference between them is on the object of study. Gandhi in her
book entitled Postcolonial Theory focuses on the unequal relations between the
colonizers and the colonized. She says that ―identity is always underpinned by the
presence of its Other, or that every major knowledge carries within itself the
possibility of a countervailing minor-ness‖ (Gandhi, 1998: 54). Alexander Wendt
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in his article Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power
Politics pronounces identity as following explanations:
identities-relatively stable, role-specific understandings and expectations
about self-by participating in such collective meanings. Identities are
inherently relational: "Identity, with its appropriate attachments of
psychological reality, is always identity within a specific, socially
constructed world (Wendt, 1992: 397).
Based on quotation above, the writer finds some important points. First, identity is
not stable. Second, identity is inherently relational. Third, identity is socially
constructed.
C. Review on Social Condition in Africa, India after Independence, and
England
1. Review on Social Condition in Africa during Colonization
a. Scramble for Africa
Ehiedu E. G. Iweriebor, ―The Colonization of Africa” in Africana Age’s
website comprehensively describes:
Africa experienced the European imperialist aggression, diplomatic
pressures, military invasions and eventual conquest and colonization
between 1870s and 1900. The European imperialist push into Africa is
motivated by three main factors, economic, political, and social. It
developed in the nineteenth century following the collapse of the
profitability of the slave trade, its abolition and suppression, as well as
the expansion of the European capitalist Industrial Revolution. Thus the
primary motivation for European intrusion is economic (Iweriebor,
2011).
Aggression, diplomatic pressures, and military invasions have been done in
African land by the Western people in order to grab the resources. On the other
hand, European people also spread the capitalist industrial revolution. By
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spreading the capitalist system, the white man can control natural resources. The
richness of Africa’s natural resources is explicitly explained by Charles R. Joy in
Emerging Africa as following explanations:
even before the carving up of Africa, the nations of Europe has found
that there are other kinds of wealth in Africa besides the yellow gold dug
from the rocks, the white gold of ivory, and the black gold of slaves. In
1867 diamonds are discovered in South Africa. Later, coal and many of
the common metals are found in various parts of continent. Large
deposits of uranium have been found in the Congo and South Africa. Oil
has also become a major resource (Joy, 1967: 9).
However, Africa has many natural resources and those push the Western countries
into Africa continent. Donald R. Wright in Microsoft Encarta (2008) also rises
economic as primary factor for European to control Africa. He describes that
European nations begin scramble to grab colonies in Africa continent at the end of
the 19th
century. The western people come close to the Africa continent by
sending the soldiers. The soldiers have two functions; they act as investigator and
creator of settlements on African land. Western people take advantage on the
African resources which enrich their own country.
The most aggressive country that exploits the African resources is
England which is represented by Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes is diamond prospector
who gains control of many diamond mines in South Africa. He dominates world
diamond production. He grasps African continent for Britain from 1881.
Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe are the countries that have been seized by Cecil
Rhodes.
Subsequently, many other Western countries also exploit African
resources such as France, Portuguese and Germany. All African countries except
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Ethiopia and Liberia are controlled by European people in 1912. African countries
can liberate from Western domination after 1950. Although most of the African
countries have got their independence, but Western people still attract by the
natural sources. The Western scientists hunt for fossils and find out many
undiscovered kinds of plants and animals in African continent (Wright, 2008).
b. The Effects of the Scramble
Western invasions to African continent generate profound ramifications
for instance, many African die in war, poverty, deprivation and cultural bias.
Wright’s ―Scramble for Africa‖ in Microsoft Encarta depicts that the condition in
Africa is absolutely different after World War I which most of the African
countries are under European control. The western people command on African
coasts. In the British context, Cecil Rhodes has spread his authorities from the
Cape until Cairo. Western colonies in Africa give enormous advantages to their
master for instance, gold in South Africa and overflowing harvest in East and
West Africa. Huge invasions to Africa continent become greatest importance
throughout Europe. The stories about Western competitions toward African
continent are become headlines in Europe. Later, after the conquest is complete;
Africa is absolutely disappeared in Western mind until the movement for African
independence of the 1950s and 1960s. Wright also states that:
Effects of the European takeover on Africans are considerable. In the
short term, the Scramble obviously led to Africans’ loss of control of
their own affairs. But it also brought enormous hardship to most
Africans. In addition to the deaths caused by the conquest itself, many
Africans died as a result of disrupted lifestyles and movement of people
and animals among different disease environments. Africa’s population
did not begin to recover from the devastation caused by the Scramble and
its aftermath until well into the 20th century. In the long term, the
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Scramble is part of a larger process of bringing non-Western peoples into
the world economy—in most cases as exporters of agricultural products
or minerals and importers of manufactured or processed goods. Colonial
governments taxed their African subjects and used the revenues to
improve the colony’s infrastructure: building roads, bridges, and ports
that connected distant locales to the outside world. Meanwhile,
institutions to improve people’s lives, such as hospitals and schools,
appeared more slowly. Colonial rule also brought elements of Western
culture—from the French and English languages and Western political
models to Coca-Cola and automobiles. It is in reaction to European rule
that Africans developed a sense of nationalism that would help them gain
independence in the second half of the 20th century (Wright, 2008).
By reading the quotation above, it can be concluded that colonialism brings the
African people into huge troubles. Colonization in Africa generates great
implications. The implications are in short term and long term. Short ramification
refers to the victim of the imperial process in Africa such as many African die in
war. Moreover, the African absolutely cannot manage their own land. In the long
term, African cultures come to the extinct because the western people have spread
their culture in Africa. European people also apply global trade in Africa continent
which destroys African economy stability. African are not ready to enter the
global trade. The readers can observe that the western always win in the
competition because they have constituted all the things before the war begin.
They do not need extra energies to re-dominate Africa territory.
2. Review on Social Condition in India after Independence
India is Britain’s colony. Britain has placed strong influences to the
Indian people. The influences occur in all sectors. British reshape way of life in
towns and cities and in the countryside. Moreover, British spread the technologies
and administrative structures in order to reshape the Indian life. British
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dominations also occur on the economy sector. British introduce free trade which
emphasizes the mass production and the mass consumption. The implication is on
the peasants’ life who forgotten by the government.
In this section, the writer employs Stanley Wolpert’s comprehensive
explanations about the history of India. Wolpert’s in A New History of India
portrays the condition of India after independence. Wolpert elaborates that on
August 15, 1947 the Union of India become dominion within British
Commonwealth. Nehru is emerged as prime minister and Lord Mountbatten. In
the same times, Pakistan also designates Jinnah as governor and Liaquat Ali Khan
as prime minister. The realization of independence of the India subcontinent
brings acute problems resulting from partition. Muslims is a minority in India. On
the other hand, Hindu is minority in Pakistan (Wolpert, 2009: 377).
As an independent country, India is forced to overcome all the problems
such as economy, social, and politic. In economy sector, India is haunted by huge
gap between rich and poor. The poverty rate increase significantly. Thus, poverty
is the most critical and urgent problem in India after independence. Nehru as first
prime minister must reduce the poverty rate in India. Nehru improves the national
resources. Then, he creates national Planning Commission to manage country’s
resources in 1948. Subsequently step from Nehru is Five Year Plan which brings a
significant changing in annual production of goods and services from about
eighteen to twenty billion dollars. Thus, after independence, Indian government
has done massive alteration in politic and economy segment. To situating India in
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prosperous country, Indian government has to reform all sectors including social
part (Wolpert, 2009: 377).
The transformations are also done in social sector. Milton W. Meyer in
his book entitled South Asia: A Short History of the Subcontinent depicts the
importance of the social revolution. He remarks that the planned of social
revolution in India is as important as the political and economic changes. India
employs strong rule for foreign regime that ever control stability and economy
segment in Indian history. This strong rule aims to prevent the negative
ramifications of the Western culture to the traditions in India. Western cultures
tend to destroy the old traditions in India.
However, India uses caste system in determining the social stratification.
At times, Nehru also makes significant transformation in caste system. The
emergence of the constitution in 150 evokes the problems in the caste system in
India. In this constitution, the Harijans are classified as an exterior caste, the
untouchables. Nehru changes the rule as the realization of Untouchables Offenses
Act in 1955. This act gives a significant changing for an exterior caste which can
use wells and access to shops, restaurants, hotels and places of entertainment.
Further reformations also occur in Hindus which are enacted of Hindu Marriage
Act, Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, Hindu Succession Act, and Hindu
Adoptions and Maintenance Act. The traditional privileges, differences, and
distinctions based on custom and caste are removed. Marriage is recognized as
contractual, and it is permitted between parties of differing castes. Divorces are
sanctioned for women as well as for men (Meyer, 1976: 191-192).
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3. Review on Social Condition in England (1957-1960)
England is the most aggressive country in scrambling the resources in
Asia and Africa. The writer provides the history of England from 1957 to 1960.
The writer applies Jeremy Black’s explanations in order to get better
understanding. Black’s A New History of England (Black, 2008: 223-225)
contends that the loss of empire signs the political experience of England from
outbreak of the First World War to the 1960s. The significant changing occurs in
economic and social sector as the aftermath of the technological innovation and
application. Transitions encompass the permanent damage of the environment
which becomes a fundamental issue from 1960. More generally, the population
rate in England decrease significantly because many soldiers die in First World
War. Although England has a problem in population rate, England starts to
move to industrial stage. It can be seen from the amount of population of rural
England. Most of the British do not attract in the agriculture. In 1921-1939, the
number of agricultural laborers fell by quarter, and the pace quickened after the
Second World War. Horses are replaced by tractors, and local water-mills fell into
disuse. The alteration also arises in music zone which attends the great musician
such as Elgar and Vaughan Williams. The crafts movement develops from the
1900s, in large part as affirmation of vernacular culture that is worth defending. In
fiction, there are ruralist writers, such as Henry Williamson. His work is Tarka the
Otter (1927).
Andrew Jackson in his blog, Designing Britain 1947-1975 says that in
1950s can be considered a golden era for British culture. The transformation
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occurs in politic sector which the conservative system is replaced by democratic
system. The Britain makes General Election in 1951. This election can be claimed
as basic indicator to measure reformation in England. Britain is entering a period
of increased affluence and freedom, and many of the old social and cultural
structures begin to be challenged, particularly by the young. In addition, American
ways of life have entered to the British public in the end 1950. American cultures
and goods come to British. Jackson remarks how the American life styles
influence the British society. He depicts that:
By the 1960s consumption have become less connected with utilitarian
needs, and more to do with and comfort. The era of the ―lifestyle‖ have
begun, and specialist retailers began to spring up, providing outlets where
people could buy into a new identity based around design or fashion.
Manufactures are only happy to meet this demand, and ephemeral
products, often reflecting an increasing interest in fashion and pop music
began to be developed and sold.
The restoration also occurs in education sector. The state funded education system
pushes children from working class families to study at college and university.
Education is a best way to improve social status in British society. The emergence
of new education system blurs social class viewing from high culture and mass
culture. It is because through education, the working class can move to upper
class. British society also begins to question old values. Many of cultural
conventions that seem so enduring only twenty years earlier begin to crumble, and
new cultural forms such as cinema and pop music begin to be treated with the
same degree of seriousness as high culture. The rise of television, radio shows,
satirical magazines and films are become main factors of rapid development in
England.
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D. Theoretical Framework
The theories that are explained in the previous section are used to help
the writer to examine the problems in this thesis. The analysis employs the
theories of character and characterization to know more deep about the
personalities and motivations, perspective of Willie in three different geographical
locations. In this thesis, the writer analyzes the main character, Willie. In order to
know deeper about Willie’s perspectives, theory of character is employed.
Abrams emphasizes that ―characters are on the dramatic or narrative work and
they have particular moral, intellectual and emotional qualities‖ (Abrams, 2009:
32-33). The theorist’s basic principles about characters become references to the
writer in analyzing Willie’s character especially his perspectives. Theory of
characterization becomes a significant aspect in determining Willie’s character.
The theory is used as the writer’s field of inquiry to answer the first question.
Thus, the theory of character and characterization reveal the perspectives of the
main character and then it supports the next problem formulation.
Subsequently, postcolonial theory with its discussion on colonialism and
orientalism, and also theory on setting are employed as guidance to understand
intensely about the issue that novel brings about. Most of Naipaul’s works
discusses disapora’s theme. In analyzing diasporic movement, the role of the
theory of setting becomes an essential part. The notion of diaspora itself is the
movement from one place to another place. Besides, diaspora movement also is
the nexus of the time and social condition. Thus, theory of setting becomes a
proper theory in order to scrutinize the diasporic movement of Willie.
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The other kind of theory that writer employed in this thesis is
postcolonial theory. In Postcolonial Theory postcolonialism can be seen as a
―theoretical resistance to the mystifying of the colonial aftermath, revisiting,
remembering and, crucially, interrogating the colonial past‖ (Gandhi, 1998: 4).
The process of returning to the colonial scene discloses a relationship of
reciprocal antagonism and desire between colonizers and colonized. Postcolonial
theory examines the cultural contact amidst colonizer and colonized. In this thesis,
postcolonial theory is employed to observe the aftermath of colonialism toward
diasporic movement of the main character in Magic Seeds. The colonialism has a
significant aftermath to Willie’s existence and his family. In his migration, Willie
questions his identity. To exploring Willie’s identity, theory of identity is
required. Besides, the reviews on social condition in Africa during colonization,
Post-independence India and England in 1957-1960 are urgent to get a clear
history or depiction about historical background of the story. The reviews of
social conditions also support the writer to make a comprehensive analysis which
is supported by the strong evidences. Thus, these theories and the reviews on
social condition in various countries are very beneficial to understand the second
questions.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
Chapter three is divided into three sections. First is the object of the
study. The second section focuses on the chosen approaches which are used in this
analysis. The third section concerns on the steps in completing the study.
A. Object of the Study
The object of this thesis is a novel by V.S Naipaul. Naipaul was born in
Chaguanas, Trinidad in 1932. He goes to England on a scholarship in 1950. After
four years at University College, Oxford, he begins to write. His first book is
Mystic Masseur (1957), comic portraits of Trinidadian society. The Mystic
Masseur wins the Mail on Sunday or John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1958 and
is adapted as a film with a screenplay by Caryl Phillips in 2001.
Magic Seeds is his last novel. It is originally published in Great
Britain by Picador, London, in 2004. In this thesis the writer uses Random
House of Canada edition published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada, Toronto in
2004. The novel consists of twelve chapters. The number of the pages is 282
pages.
V.S Naipaul’s Magic Seeds tells the story about Willie has travelled
from Africa to Berlin, India and up to London. He marries a woman of mixed
Portuguese and African ancestry. He lives with his wife in Africa for 18 years.
Later he travelled to Berlin to follow his sister, Sarojini. In Berlin, Sarojini
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criticizes of Willie’s passivity in revolutionaries in Africa. Sarojini asks his
brother to enlist in revolution group in India. Willie agrees to join a revolution
group. In India, he joins the wrong group and undergoes a long period of aimless
marching, murder and hiding out in the forest. Years later he escapes and is
imprisoned. His sister, however, recruits Roger, an English lawyer and publisher
who has known Willie during his student life.
In a short while he is on a plane to London, where Roger finds him a rich
patron and a job on a trade journal. The book ends with Willie reflecting on his
life and on Britain's new multi-racial identity.
B. Approach of the Study
The writer uses postcolonial approach to analyze this novel because the
postcolonial study concerns on general process with some shared features across
the globe. “But if it is uprooted from specific locations, “postcoloniality” cannot
be meaningfully investigated, and instead, the term begins to obscure the relations
of domination that it seeks to uncover” (Loomba, 2005: 22). It means that how the
native populations are destroyed, oppressed or otherwise transformed by the
process of colonization itself; how those populations struggled to achieve freedom
from the colonial forces and how the effects colonialism continue to be felt in
both the colonized and colonizing nations.
In other words, postcolonial approach is able to analyze how the
“metropolis” and the “colony” are deeply altered by the colonial process. Thus,
the aftermaths of the colonization change the all circumstances in colony side. The
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aftermaths include all aspects of life such as economic, social and cultural. This
approach is suitable to analyze Naipaul’s novel because it deals with the
relationship between the colonizers and the colonized and how the colonization
aftermaths stimulate diasporic movement of the colonized people.
C. Method of the Study
In getting the answer of the problem formulations, the writer used the
library research method. To support the study, the writer used two kinds of
resource: primary resource and secondary resources. The primary resource on the
study was the novel itself; Naipaul’s Magic Seeds. The secondary resources were
some books that were used to support the analysis of this study especially the
books which were related to the Africa society during colonization, Indian society
after independence, and England society from 1957- 1960 and also the books
about theories of postcolonialism like Colonialism/Postcolonialism written by
Ania Loomba, The Post-colonial Studies Reader written by Ascroft, Griffits and
Tiffin, Postcolonial Theory written by Leela Gandhi, Beginning Theory: An
Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Colonial & Postcolonial Literature,
Postcolonial Discourse: An Anthology, Orientalism and Colonization: A Global
History. To collect the information about literature, the writer used the book
namely A Handbook to Literature, The Theory of Literature, A Glossary of
Literary Terms, Reading the Novel, Reading and Writing about Literature,
Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel
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for Overseas Students and Key Concepts in Literary Theory. The writer also
collected some information from internet contain essays and articles.
In analyzing the data, the writer made some steps. First, in order to
understand the object of study, the writer applied close reading and understanding
the whole text carefully. Then, the writer underlined the important points related
to the analysis.
Second, the writer tried to find the secondary sources, which were
important to analysis the novel and certainly related to the analysis. The third step
was analyzing the topic based on problem formulations in the first chapter.
To answer the first question, the writer tried to find out the perspectives
of the main characters. Before this step, firstly the writer identified the main
characters in the novel that were going to be analyzed. Afterwards, the writer
identified the perspectives of the main characters. The theory of character and
characteristic were important to finish this step. Secondly, the writer tried to find
out the description of Africa Society during colonization, Indian society after
independence, and England society in the novel through the setting and the
characters. Theory of setting was useful for helping the writer to answer the
question.
In answering second question, the writer employed the postcolonial
theories, which were theory of postcolonialism, theory of orientalism and theory
of identity. The theories helped the writer to understand deeper how diasporic
movement reflected the postcolonial identity negotiation of the main character.
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Finally, the last step done was the conclusion. In this part, the writer concluded
the answers to the two questions.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter answers the problems in the previous section. Based on the
composition of the problem formulation, this section is divided into two parts. The
first part contains the evidences and the explanations of the main character‘s
perspectives in the different geographical locations. The result of the analysis is
the answer of the first problem formulation. The information and the elucidations
are related to the next objective, the description how diasporic movements reflect
Willie‘s postcolonial identity negotiation. In the second part, the writer concerns
on how diasporic movements reveal Willie‘s postcolonial identity negotiation.
A. Depiction of Willie’s Perspectives in the Different Geographical Locations
According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2008),
perspective refers to ―a particular way of considering something‖. Human beings
are the most intelligent creature on the planet. Human can be classified as the
smartest creature on the planet because they can use the ability of mind in creating
the tools. This ability makes human different from animals. Human also have skill
in considering something whether it is inside or outside them. As a human being,
authors also have their own perspectives. They reveal their opinions through the
characters especially the major characters.
The major characters are the main focus in a work of literature. In this
study, the writer finds out that the main character in the Magic Seeds is Willie. He
is chosen as main character since his emergence from the beginning of the story
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until the end. This character is considered as an important figure because he
becomes center attention of the readers. Major character contributes in giving
some information or moral values to the readers. Moral values can be captured
from major characters‘ perspectives. Sometimes major characters‘ perspectives on
the literary works always change from time to time depending on the
circumstances. Setting or environments are the most important aspects in the
novel.
Setting on the literary works have significant role in shaping the
personalities, perspectives and ways of life of the characters. The significance of
the setting can be seen in Willie‘s personalities, perspectives and ways of life.
Willie makes long journeys from Africa, India and England. Willie experiences
many things in Africa, India and London. In three different geographical
locations, Willie criticizes the social, economy, and culture condition. The reason
why the writer chooses three different places is because those are significant in the
story. Knowing Willie‘s perspectives on three different geographical locations are
required to the readers in order to understand the second objective.
1. Willie’s Perspectives in Africa
In this section, the writer divides the heading into two subheadings. First
is Willie‘s perspective on the idea of home. Second is Willie‘s perspective on
postcolonial resistance.
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home
Africa is the first place where Willie starts to questions the existence of
home. The consciousness of Willie cannot be separated from the condition in
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Africa where he does not have home. Here, Africa as setting of place has a
significant contribution in shaping Willie‘s life.
Home has a significant meaning for everyone. Home gives security to
somebody from the rains, storms and all the things that disturb one‘s life. In
addition, home is a place where one finds love and happiness. The absence of
home gives enormous ramification to one‘s life. For instance, everyone tries hard
to rebuild their home if it burnt. Thus, home is the most special place for
everyone.
In Naipaul‘s Magic Seeds, the readers can see the significance the idea of
home on the major character. Willie lives in Africa for eighteen years. He has half
white wife. Her name is Anna. Willie does not have job in Africa and he lives
together with his wife. He lives in his wife‘s house. Willie examines that Anna
has a big house. Willie thinks that he is lucky for eighteen years in Africa:
Willie said, ‗I was in Africa. A Portuguese colony on its last legs. I had
been there for eighteen years. My wife was from that colony. I was living
in her big house and on her land, twenty times more land than anyone
here has. I had no job. I was just her husband. For many years I thought
of myself as lucky (Naipaul, 2004: 112).
Moreover, Willie also thinks that he is very poor man when he is in Africa. He
does not have any money. He always feels that he does nothing in Africa.
―Because you must understand I was poor, literally without money… I began to
feel that all I was doing was living my wife‘s life. Her house, her land, her friends,
nothing that was my own‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 113).
In short, Willie feels that he does not have anything in African land. He
is unhappy in Africa. He does not feel at home. Willie does not need to think
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about Africa anymore. As a result, Willie does not have sense of belonging to
Africa. ―Never at home in India, when I was a boy. Never here in London. Never
in Africa. I lived in somebody else‘s house always, and slept in somebody else‘s
bed‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 177-178). Willie absolutely does not feel at home wherever
he goes. It can be seen from his statement ―never at home in Africa‖. In Willie‘s
context, he does not get the security and love in his wife‘s house. As a result, he
wants to leave Africa. Here, the readers can see the relation between setting and
the idea of home. The social circumstances in Africa do not give an opportunity to
Willie to enjoy his life. The implication is Willie never at home.
However, Willie‘s statement toward the condition in Africa reveals the
idea of home. Home for Willie is the condition where he can feel love, happiness,
warm, originality and security. The readers are able to understand that home is the
most important place for Willie. It can be seen from his descriptions about his life
condition in Africa.
b. Willie’s Perspectives on Postcolonial Resistance
Colonization in Africa brings profound ramifications to the African
people. The colonizers have grabbed all the natural resources in Africa continent.
As a result, African people enter into difficult circumstances such as poverty,
starvation, and guerilla war. Guerilla war is one of the most important issues in
Africa. In Naipaul‘s Magic Seeds, Sarojini criticizes Willie‘s passivity in guerilla
war. Although guerilla war is important war to African people, Willie does not
join it.
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Actually, Willie does not unite with African people to join the glorious
war. He just witnesses the guerilla war from his wife‘s house. He views the
struggle of African people from his wife‘s luxurious house:
You‘ve always preferred to hide. It‘s the colonial psychosis, the caste
psychosis. You inherited it from your father. You were in Africa for
eighteen years. There was a great guerrilla war there. Didn‘t you
know?...But no. You stayed in your estate house with your lovely little
half-white wife and pulled the pillow over your ears and hoped that no
bad black freedom fighter was going to come in the night with a gun and
heavy boots and frighten you (Naipaul, 2004: 6).
The quotation above portrays Sarojini‘s criticism to her brother, Willie. She
describes that Willie always runs away from guerilla war. He hides in his wife‘s
house. Sarojini is very angry to her brother. She states that Willie‘s passivity is
inherited from their father.
Actually, Willie has particular reason why he does not join the guerilla
war in Africa. He says that ―It was always far away. It was a secret war, until the
very end‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 6). It is because Willie does not have enough
knowledge about the Africans‘ histories which it impacts on his sense of
belonging to the guerilla war. The people who can access to the guerilla war are
only the Africans. They know their own war. To Willie, he does not find a strong
reason to join the guerilla war in Africa until that war is end. In addition, Willie
reiterates his personal reasons to his sister. ―It wasn‘t like that, Sarojini. In my
heart of hearts I was always on the Africans‘ side, but I didn‘t have a war to go
to‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 6). Apparently, Willie does not have a reason anymore to
answer his sister‘s questions. He wants to convince his sister that he always
defends the Africans from the colonizers‘ suppressions. Willie sends the most
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important message to his sister that we cannot claim someone else‘s war become
our own war. If Willie joins the Africans or the colonizers, he is not different from
mercenary who just fights to get money. Thus, the readers can capture that Willie
cannot take part in the guerilla because he thinks that guerilla war does not relate
to himself.
Willie‘s perspective toward guerilla war is different from his sister.
Sarojini sees the guerilla war as a glorious war. She describes the meaning of
guerilla war very detail to Willie. She examines that guerilla war is related to the
poor people. The poor people become servant in their own land. Willie is not
aware about that problem. Sarojini remarks that thinking about the helpless people
who become slaves in their home brings sadness and sorrow:
It was a glorious war. At least in the beginning. When you think about it,
it can bring tears to the eyes. A poor and helpless people, slaves in their
own land, starting from scratch in every way. What did you do? Did you
seek them out? Did you join them? Did you help them? (Naipaul, 2004:
6).
Subsequently, Willie explains his perspective to African people. He says that he
always sympathizes the Africans but he views the Africans from the colonists
eyes. He acknowledges that he has been in Africa, but he already forget that life.
Willie‘s answer functions as confession about his passivity in guerilla war in
Africa. He wants to say that he is not part of African people:
He said, ‗I always had sympathy for Africans, but I saw them from the
outside. I never really found out about them. Most of the time I saw
Africa through the eyes of the colonists. They were the people I lived
with. And then suddenly that life ended, Africa was all around us, and we
all had to run (Naipaul, 2004: 38).
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The quotation above emphasizes that Willie feels the sufferings, struggles,
revenge, sadness and sorrow of the Africans. Willie wants to show his sense of
humanity to the readers. The violence in Africans‘ land is the extraordinary crime
that it is against the humanity. Although Willie understands the bad effects of the
guerilla war, he just watches it from the outside. For Willie, Africa does not give
security, happiness and love. It happens when war between Africans and
colonizers occurred. War in Africa absolutely has a great impact to Willie‘s life.
Willie undergoes internal conflict which determines his position in war between
Africans and colonizers. In this point, Willie does not feel at home anymore. He is
not part of the Africans and colonizers.
2. Willie’s Perspectives in India
In this section, the writer divides the heading into three subheadings.
First is Willie‘s perspective on the idea of home. Second is Willie‘s perspective
on domestic conflict in the aftermath of the India independence. Third is Willie‘s
perspective on globalization.
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home
In the story, India becomes second place where Willie continues his life.
India also has significant role in shaping Willie‘s personalities. It is in line with
Murphy‘s theory of setting; setting of the novel is the background against which
the characters live up their lives usually setting concerns with place and time in
which the characters live. These can give a great effect on their personalities,
actions, and way of thinking. In India, the setting of places are Riviera Hotel,
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training camp and peasants‘ hut. Three of them have different contribution toward
Willie‘s life in India.
Willie goes to India when British government does not rule India
anymore. He moves to India to join revolution group. As a stranger, Willie does
not have a home in India. He stays over in a Riviera hotel before he goes to the
training camp. There are many hotels and he has to choose one of them. Because
he does not know about those hotels, he allows himself to be led by the agent:
There were various hotel agents about, and Willie, choosing at random,
allowed himself to be led by one of these men to the Hotel Riviera. They
took a carriage. ‗Modern, all modern,‘ the Riviera man said all the time,
and then vanished as soon as he led Willie into the little lobby of the
hotel, as though not wishing now to be held responsible for anything
(Naipaul, 2004: 34).
Willie observes all things in the Riviera hotel. He detects the windows, menus and
all the things that make Willie surprised. ―Willie knew that it had no meaning, that
it had all been copied from some foreign hotel, and was to be taken only as a
gesture of goodwill, a wish to please, an aspect of being modern‖(Naipaul, 2004:
34). In fact, hotel is different from the ordinary home. One must pay a lot of
money to get the service of a hotel. Apparently, hotel in India cannot represent the
spirit of India. It means that all the things for instance the architecture, definitions
in the hotel, rules, menus and so on that exist in a hotel are borrowed from the
Western countries especially England. At times, a great enthusiasm to imitate any
Western thing spread all over the town in India. There is a notion that to be
modern means to be Western-like. This kind of modern image becomes trend in
the ex-colonized country.
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In other words, Willie‘s perspective toward Riviera hotel cannot be
separated from the function of it as a setting of place in story. Riviera hotel can
influence Willie‘s point of view where he judges that architecture in India is
copied from outside. Willie feels unhappy or not at home when foreign
architecture dominates Indians‘ buildings. Home here is not about refuge place
but the comfortable condition. Here, the readers can capture how the author uses
the setting of place to convey the messages.
Subsequently, Willie moves from hotel to the training camp. He lives
there as a sentry. This is a logical consequence as a participant of a revolution
group. The condition is different from home because there are many sentries that
Willie does not know. ―There were about forty or fifty people in the camp. Word
went around, spread from newcomer to newcomer...‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 51). This
kind of condition requires someone to be smart man to face the people who come
from multiple backgrounds with all their own discrepancies. One must learn the
others‘ behaviors and start to respect the weakness and the strong point of the
other members. However, Willie has to accept the condition in the training camp.
There are many rules that control the newcomers. The rule is very rigid. ―It was a
training camp. The sentry, not speaking, making no sound, woke them up one by
one while it was still dark. The rule of the camp was that there was to be no sound
and no light at night‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 51-52). Willie dismantles the dark side of
the training camp. The condition in the training camp is not good to the sentries.
The sentries are not treated as human beings. The sentries‘ rights are restricted by
the rules that applied in the training camp. Freedom is something expensive. The
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implication of the uncomfortable situation in the training camp for Willie is he
feels unhappy to be there. The boredom always comes to him. He tries hard to
fight against the uncomfortable situation:
Willie thought, ‗I have never known such boredom. Ever since I have
come to India I have known these terrible nights of boredom. I suppose it
is a kind of training, a kind of asceticism, but for what I am not sure. I
must look upon it as another chamber of experience. I must give no sign
to these people that I am not absolutely with them (Naipaul, 2004: 52).
Boredom has affected Willie since he has joined the revolution group. Being a
stranger in training camp, Willie tries to look it as experience. Although Willie
accepts being a stranger in training camp, he still does not want to join the
revolution group anymore. He does not give a sign to the camp leader that he does
not want to join the revolution group. In Willie‘s context, the boredom occurs
because he cannot accept the rules in the training camp. Boredom is the
subsequent ramification of the rigid condition in the training camp.
Then, Willie also becomes disoriented in the training camp. He does not
know where he is. He begins to remember his past experiences when he counts
the bed he had slept before. He cannot repeat those experiences in the training
camp because there is no chance to Willie to rehearse them. Although he cannot
repeat those experiences but he expects that he can to be himself. It means that he
starts to know deeper who he is and where he comes from. This kind of
remembering gives hope to Willie to feel what he has done twenty years ago.
Willie thinks that knowing his identity is the only thing to help him to get the
freedom:
He became disorientated. He remembered the time when it consoled him,
gave him a hold on things, to count the beds he had slept in. Such a hold
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was no longer possible for him. He wished now passionately only to save
himself, to get in touch with himself again, to get away to the upper air.
But he didn‘t know where he was. (Naipaul, 2004: 139).
Willie has to obey all the rules in the training camp. However, the constellation of
setting even setting of place or social circumstances gives huge contribution to
Willie‘s perspectives. He is not at home. It is not different from the condition in
Riviera hotel. In this point, Willie cannot capture the function of training camp as
a home where he is able to find the brotherhood.
Subsequently, Willie has particular task from headquarter. He is sent to
Dhulipur. Dhulipur is far from training camp. Willie goes with Bhoj Narayan. The
journey is very difficult. They have to pass all the villages to get Dhulipur. At
times, they stop over in peasant‘s hut. Willie makes detail observation to the
peasant‘s hut. There is any space for calves and hens. He also detects the master
of the house. He says that the owner of the hut is an outcast:
Even in the dark Willie could see the trimmed leaves of the thatched roof
of the important family of the village. The village was a huddle of houses
and huts, back to back and side to side, with narrow angular lanes. They
walked past all the good houses and stopped at the edge, at an open
thatched hut. The owner was an outcast, and very dark…The thatch of
his hut was rough, untrimmed. The hut was about ten feet by ten feet.
Half of it was living space and washing-up space; the other half, with a
kind of loft, was sleeping space, for calves and hens as well as people
(Naipaul, 2004: 49).
The detail observations to the houses and the huts in the urban village want to
reveal the huge gap between the Indians. Implicitly, good houses and huts
represent the one‘s social status which good houses belong to the important man
in the village and the huts belong to the workers. Condition in the hut is much
messy where human beings must give space to the animals. In addition, the image
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of the hut‘s master is always in the negative tone for instance; outcast, dark and so
on.
In short, Willie and Bhoj Narayan shelter in peasant‘s hut in the village.
The condition in village is different from training camp and the hotel. They free to
ask the master of the house. The people are friendly. The master of the house
gives sattoo to Willie and Bhoj Narayan. Sattoo is traditional food in India. It can
be found only in the village. In addition, the house‘s master also asks Willie and
Bhoj Narayan to sleep in his house for a night. The master of the house is
welcoming:
Willie and Bhoj Narayan sheltered in the open secondary hut, with cool
thatched eaves that hung welcomingly low, shutting out much of the
glare. Willie asked the woman of the house for sattoo, for which he had
developed a taste; and he and Bhoj Narayan moistened it with a little
water and ate and were content. The sattoo was made from millet. Before
the sun went down the master of the house came, dark and sweated from
his labours. He asked them to stay for the night in the open hut where
they were. The calves were brought in, with their fodder. Rice gruel was
offered to Willie and Bhoj Narayan (Naipaul, 2004: 57).
Apparently, the enormous transformations in India do not touch the urban village.
The peasants‘ ways of life are still primitive. The peasants always work in the
community group work. The peasants‘ attitude is very welcomed that it is hard to
find in a hotel and training camp. This way of life represents the simplicity of the
peasants in India. The descriptions of the hotel, training camp and hut reveal how
Willie sees the idea of home in the town, training camp and in the urban village in
India.
Naipaul‘s major character, Willie, examines that the idea of home in the
town which is represented through the emergence of hotel, is not appropriate with
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the idea of home in Willie‘s perspective. The ramification is we can find that
Willie is not at home in India. It is because the architecture in the hotel in his
ancestors land comes from former colonizer of India, England. Those
transformations do not foreground the authenticity of India.
Then the idea of home is also interrogated in the emergence of the
training camp. The training camp does not provide freedom, happiness,
friendship, and so on. These circumstances are absolutely opposite with the idea
of home in Willie‘s mind.
Furthermore, Willie still questions the idea of home in India which is
shown through his detail observations on peasant‘s hut. Actually, Willie starts to
feel at home in India since he interacted with the peasants in the urban village. He
can capture the warmth, simplicity, happiness and so on through the peasants‘ hut,
way of life and habit. On the other hand, Willie also views that the peasants in the
urban village are dark and outcast. This observation contains the colonizer
perspective which he characterizes the peasants as an ―outcast‖. Implicitly,
Willie‘s description toward the appearances of the peasants denies the idea of
home that he searches in hut. Willie thinks that he is not at home in hotel because
the architecture is from England or he does not like the condition in the training
camp because the extreme rule, he is still in the ambiguous position. This claim
can be seen from his perspective toward the peasants in the urban village which he
feels at home but on the other side he humiliates the peasants. Here, we can see
that the significance of setting toward Willie‘s perspectives on hotel, training
camp and peasants‘ hut.
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b. Willie’s Perspectives on the Domestic Conflict as the Aftermath of India
Independence
British regime leaves many elementary problems in India. Indian
government has to overcome those problems. Those problems are poverty,
deprivation and rebellion. However, those problems need much energy. In the
story, Willie goes to India to enter the revolution group. He wants to enter the
revolution group because he is pushed by his sister. Sarojini sees Kandapalli as an
important person. He is the leader of the revolution group in India who stands on
the peasants‘ side. She asks Willie; ―Does the name Kandapalli Seetaramiah mean
anything to you?‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 15). She adds that ―…Kandapalli and the Tamil
movement are parts of the same regenerative process in our world. If only I could
get you to believe in that process you will be a changed man‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 16).
At times, there are many peasant movements who against the suppression of the
feudal system in India. Every village has their own war and own leader to fight
against landowner.
Actually, Willie does not know who Kandapalli is. Sarojini introduces
Kandapalli to Willie. She reminds Willie in order to remember Kandapalli.
Sarojini says:
Sarojini said, ‗Every morning when you get up you must think not only
of yourself but of others. Think of something that‘s close to you
here…Think of where you‘ve been in Africa. You might want to forget
poor Ana, but think of the war there. It‘s going on now. Think of your
house. Try to imagine Kandapalli in the forest. These are all real places
with real people (Naipaul, 2004: 18).
The quotation above portrays how Sarojini tells Willie about responsibility toward
neighborhood. There are many people who must be helped. Human beings should
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be sensitive to the issues of war that kill many people. Most of the victims are
from the helpless and the poor people. Many people die in the guerilla war to
struggle their rights. One‘s life will be useful when he or she gives help to the
weak. On the other hand, Sarojini says that Willie can forget his half white wife in
Africa, but he has to remember the guerilla war there. It means that Sarojini does
not sympathize to the Western people who suppress the Africans. Implicitly,
Sarojini wants to invite his brother to follow Kandapalli‘s group. Joining the
peasants‘ movements is the way for Willie to understand who he is. Hearing the
stories from his sister, Willie decides to go to India. Willie brings wonderful spirit
to India. ―He was full of his mission, full of the revolution in his soul…‖
(Naipaul, 2004: 29). Willie has a target when he joins the revolution group.
In short, Willie enlists himself as a new entry in the revolution group in
India. He expects that he can do more to India. His motivation to join the
revolution is to help the poor and helpless people. Ironically, Willie joins in the
wrong group which he unites Kandapalli‘s enemies. He cannot fight for the poor
and helpless people. As a result, Willie does not feel comfortable in joining the
revolution group:
I am not among the poor and the villagers in this camp. There has been
some mistake. I have fallen among the wrong people. I have come to the
wrong revolution. I don‘t like these faces. And yet I have to be with
them. I have to get a message out to Sarojini or to Joseph. But I don‘t
know how. I am completely in the hands of these people (Naipaul, 2004:
50).
Willie does not like the people in the revolution group. It means that Willie cannot
feel at home anymore. It is because he joins with wrong people. Their spirit is
different from Willie‘s spirit. From the beginning, Willie associates his mission
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with peasants‘ mission. This mission makes Willie at home in India. The
condition totally changed when he meets Kandapalli‘s enemies. The implication is
he wants to leave training camp. In fact, Willie cannot escape from the training
camp. Willie is really desperate to face this situation. Actually, there is resistance
of Willie. It is not significantly showed in the novel. It can be seen from Willie‘s
statement ―I don‘t like these faces‖. Willie wants to reveal that as a soldier he has
to survive in the emergency situation and to think the next step to get out of the
training camp. Then, Willie decides to tell the mistakes to his sister. He writes a
letter to Sarojini. ―Dear Sarojini, I think something terrible has happened. I am
not with the people we talked about. I don’t know how it’s happened, but I believe
I am with Kandapalli’s enemies” (Naipaul, 2004: 52). Willie believes that he has
joined Kandapalli‘s enemies. Willie writes Kandapalli‘s name in his letter. It is
dangerous for Willie. Later, Willie rethinks that he has to omit Kandapalli‘s name
in his letter. ―He thought that was too open. He crossed out Kandapalli‘s name,
and then decided that it was too dangerous for him to write to Sarojini‖ (Naipaul,
2004: 53). In order to avoid another problem, Willie decides to cancel his letter to
Sarojini.
He has to accept the terrible condition in training camp. Willie observes
all the sentries. He detects that most of the people who enlist themselves to the
revolution group are in Willie‘s age. ―They were all people in their late thirties or
early forties, Willie‘s age, and he wondered what weakness or failure had caused
them in mid-life to leave the outer world and to enter this strange chamber‖
(Naipaul, 2004: 53). There are many Indians who become landowner‘s soldier to
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take the peasant‘s land. Those soldiers are loyal to their powerful master. Their
tasks are to collect the taxes from the peasants and if the peasants do not pay the
taxes; the soldiers will take the peasants goods including the land. This condition
makes Willie‘s life getting worst. Social circumstances in his ancestor‘s land do
not give him happiness, brotherhood and love. Willie cannot capture the idea of
home in his ancestor‘s land.
c. Willie’s Perspectives on Globalization
Indian people begin to develop their country. They make significant
transformations in all sectors. They start to modernize the technology, education
system, government structure, social system and culture. The transformation in
India cannot be separated from the emergence of British people. British has
important role in developing the technology in India. Besides, British people also
spread their cultures, way of life and way of thinking. Gradually, Indian people
follow British‘s ways of live, ways of thinking and cultures and they forget their
original cultures.
However, British‘s cultures, ways of life and ways of thinking bring
positive and negative impacts to the Indian people. The positive impacts to the
Indian are on the technology and education sectors. India can adopt the
technology from England in actualizing prosperous society. On the other hand,
some of British‘s cultures also bring negative impact. For instance is ways of life.
It is the most vivid example of the British‘s influence to the Indian people.
In the story, Willie criticizes the Indian ways of life. He is really
confused when he observes the Indian habits. He believes that Indian people adopt
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foreign cultures. Because many Indians adopt foreign styles, Willie looks them
different from himself. Willie thinks that there is huge gap between himself and
Indian people. It can be seen from Willie‘s observation toward Indian people in
the airport:
He saw India in everything they wore and did. He was full of his mission,
full of the revolution in his soul, and he felt a great distance from them.
But detail by detail the India he was observing, in the airport pen, and
then in the aircraft, the terrible India of Indian family life—the soft
physiques, the way of eating, the ways of speech, the idea of the father,
the idea of the mother, the crinkled, much used plastic shop bags
(sometimes with a long irrelevant printed name)—this India began to
assault him, began to remind him of things he thought he had forgotten
and put aside, things which his idea of his mission had obliterated; and
the distance he felt from his fellow passengers diminished (Naipaul,
2004: 28-29).
The globalization has shocked the social life and social system. The history of
globalization is related to the story of colonialism. Since colonialism cannot
survive in the constellation humans‘ civilization, the Western countries create new
type of colonialism that can be accepted in all over the world. Globalization
emphasizes the idea of mass consumption and mass production. In addition, the
Western countries try to formulate the global culture which it glorifies the
dominant culture. India has experienced the strong impact of the globalization
which the Indians have different perspective to themselves, way of life and way of
thinking. Implicitly, globalization has constituted the social group in the social
life.
However, those transformations still haunt Willie‘s mind. Willie
understands that he sees India from someone else‘s perspectives, but he does not
want it to dominate his life. Long time ago, Willie has been to India. He describes
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that India is a simple world where everything has been constituted. It can be seen
from following quotation:
Willie thought, ‗Twenty years ago I wouldn‘t have seen what I am seeing
now…I have come from a world of waste and appearances. I saw quite
clearly some time ago that it was a simple world, where people had been
simplified. I must not go back on that vision. I must understand that now
I am among people of more complicated beliefs and social ideas, and at
the same time in a world stripped of all style and artifice (Naipaul, 2004:
30).
Willie sees that Indian people are from various backgrounds. He has to adapt with
those people who come from multiple backgrounds. The globalization has
developed rapidly in India. Although most people continue to live as citizens of a
single nation, they are culturally, materially, and psychologically engaged with
the lives of people in other countries as never before. The new definitions of the
transportation, building and all the rules are the product of globalization. Those
transformations must be adjusted in order to avoid negative impact to one‘s life:
And soon India, with all its new definitions of things (taxi, hotel, railway
station, waiting room, lavatory, restaurant), and all its new disciplines
(squatting in the lavatory, eating only cooked food, avoiding water and
soft fruit), engulfed him (Naipaul, 2004: 31).
Moreover, Willie also describes how the road in India is very crowded. The
scooters and taxis struggle to get a space with horsedrawn. This is the most vivid
example of the negative effect of the globalization. There are many cars that make
the road crowded. In addition, the taxis and scooter will produce the air pollution
and global warming. On the other hand, the large number of taxis and scooter as
product of globalization will replace the traditional transportation. Implicitly, the
globalization enlarges the inequalities in the social life which it impacts on the
poverty rate in the developing countries. The poor will become poorer and the rich
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man will become richer. Thus, it can be ensured that the victims are always from
the lower class. They are always suppressed by the emergence of global economy:
Pedal rickshaws and scooter rickshaws and taxis competed for space with
horsedrawn or mule-drawn carriages that tilted dangerously downwards
at the back, seemingly about to throw out their heavy load of women and
children (Naipaul, 2004: 34).
The local communities for instance, the village people cannot survive in the
global competition because global economy is much more related to the huge
capital. The capitalists easily control the global market which they determine
standard of certain product for instance; paddy, tobacco and so on. The products
that have a good quality will be sold in the supermarket and the rest are for the
peasants. Thus, if the peasants want to taste the good product, they have to go to
the town which they spend a lot of money. ―In the towns he also began to eat
better food. Strangely, the food in the countryside—where the food was grown—
was bad; in the town every day could be a feast day‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 76).
Moreover, the globalization erases the third world countries way of life.
Most of the people in the developing countries imitate the Western way of life
which the nutrition is the most important thing than the quantity of the food:
In the villages, when times were good, the peasant heaped his plate or
leaf with grain, and was content to add only flavourings of various sorts;
in the towns even poor people ate smaller quantities of grain, and more
vegetables and lentils. Because he was eating better Willie became less
liable to small illnesses and the depressions they could bring on (Naipaul,
2004: 76).
The developments in India are from outside. Willie believes that those
transformations are artificial. There is no authenticity. ―Willie knew that it had no
meaning, that it had all been copied from some foreign hotel, and was to be taken
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only as a gesture of goodwill, a wish to please, an aspect of being modern‖
(Naipaul, 2004: 34). Indian people adopt the western cultures to be modern.
3. Willie’s Perspectives in England
In this section, the writer divides the heading into two subheadings. First
is Willie‘s perspective on the idea of home. Second is Willie‘s perspective on
multicultural society.
a. Willie’s Perspectives on the Idea of Home
After released from prison in India, Willie goes to London. Willie does
not have a home in London. The meaning of home here refers to physical refuge
which gives comfort and security to the inhabitants. The questions of home
always emerge in every place where he stops over. Willie sees that London
already changed in all sectors. The transformations in London absolutely impact
on Willie‘s life including his point of view. Here, we can see the contribution of
particular setting in shaping characters‘ personalities. Murphy elaborates
comprehensively that setting of the novel is the background against which the
characters live up their lives usually setting concerns with place and time in which
the characters live. These can give a great effect on their personalities, actions,
and way of thinking (Murphy, 1972: 41).
Willie is really confused with the condition in England. In his letter to
Sarojini, he states that Willie sees himself as a guest in London. British are very
nice people. The house is very nice:
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Things are changing here for me. I don’t know how much longer I can
keep on living as a guest of these nice people in this lovely house in this
lovely area. When I arrived I was in a daze (Naipaul, 2004: 271).
Apparently, Willie has different perspective to London. Willie really understands
that he is a guest in London. This expression symbolizes the consciousness of
Willie toward his status in the former colonized of India. Although Willie
acknowledges that he is stranger, he has own perspective to the significant
transformation in London which he admires the social circumstances in that
country. However, Willie‘s detail description to the stabilities of London
indirectly justifies that Western countries are the safest place in the globe where
the ex-colonized people can get the security.
Then, he also describes how London looks like. He states that London is
better than thirty years ago. It can be seen from his letter to Sarojini. ―Now I know
London better and this St. John’s Wood house has spoilt me for living anywhere
else (Naipaul, 2004: 271). In other words, Willie wants to say that St. John‘s
Wood house provides comfortable condition to Willie. St. John‘s Wood house is
one of the symbols of the stability of London which it makes Willie cannot move
to other place. By considering the preceding quotations, the writer sees that Willie
already capture the idea of home.
Moreover, Willie is hardly to accept his life which he regrets his birth in
Africa land. He says that ―I was born at the wrong time. If I was born now, in the
same place, the world would have a different look. Too late for me, unfortunately‖
(Naipaul, 2004: 272). The repentance of Willie is stimulated by the surrounding
circumstances. Actually, Willie was born in Africa when the Western countries
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grab the Africans‘ land. Implicitly, the emergence of the Western countries in the
Africa continent produces the repentance to the Africans‘ next generation. Willie
prefers to choose to be born when Africa liberates from the Western countries.
Apparently, Willie does not understand or does not remember that although he
was born when Africa free from the Western countries domination, he is still
suppressed by the Western people. The colonizers have applied the master plan to
constitute the histories, cultures and identities of their colonies over the world and
replace those sacred things with the Western histories, cultures and identities.
Thus, the readers can see that Willie‘s position in London is a stranger.
Inevitably, Willie‘s perspective on the idea of home cannot be separated from his
observation on the social circumstances in London. Willie will not feel at home if
the setting do not give him security, happiness and all things that he wants. Willie
cannot feel at home in London is because he feels as a stranger. Thus, happiness
and security are not enough for Willie to feel in London.
b. Willie’s Perspectives on Multicultural Society
In the novel, Willie also describes the multicultural society in London.
Willie witnesses many people from India, Pakistan and Japan enjoy their life in
London. He thinks that the world has been united. There is great difference when
Willie lived in London thirty years ago. It can be seen from following quotation:
The streets of the centre were very crowded, so crowded that sometimes
it was not easy to walk. There were black people everywhere, and
Japanese, and people who looked like Arabs. He thought, ‗There has
been a great churning in the world. This is not the London I lived in
thirty years ago (Naipaul, 2004: 188).
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London becomes multicultural state where people from various countries live
together there. The people from various countries are easily found in the roads in
London. The roads are very crowded. Implicitly, Willie describes that London
populations increase significantly.
Then, Willie really understands that the great transformations are
supported by huge power that he does not understand. However, huge alterations
eliminate the stories of poverty and injustice in Willie‘s mind. In the following
quotation is another proof about Willie‘s outlook to multicultural society in
London:
Increasingly on the winding main road there were Indians; and
Pakistanis; and Bangladeshis dressed as they might have been at home,
the men with layers of gowns or shirts and with the white cap of
submission to the Arab faith, their low statured women even more
bundled up and covered and with fearful black masks. Willie knew about
the great immigration from the subcontinent, but (since ideas often exist
in compartments) he hadn‘t imagined that London (still in his mind
something from central casting) could have been so repeopled in thirty
years (Naipaul, 2004: 213-214).
The emergence of the people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in London
makes Willie curious. He makes detail observation on those people. Most of the
people from various continents use their traditional clothes. Seemingly, they
enjoy live in London. Willie still does not understand how Indians, Pakistanis, and
Bangladeshis feel at home in London. Arabs are free to express their faith even
they use cover and fearful masks. Willie says that he only knows the great
immigration from subcontinent but he does not really understand about what
exactly happened behind the great immigration in London.
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Willie sees that those people are the same with him. He describes that the
man from West Indies are happy in London that has cosmopolitan company. On
the other hand, the Malaysian man does not want to talk to anyone in training
center. In addition, Pakistan man focuses on his faith. Willie thinks that Pakistan
man want to spread his religion in the training center. In other words, the people
from various countries in the world just concern about themselves. They do not
care anyone around them. It can be seen from the following quotation:
He was thinking of people like himself, as it seemed to him: the big black
or mixed man from the West Indies, who had worked his way up and was
immensely pleased to be in this cosmopolitan company; the very neat
Malaysian Chinese, clearly a man of business, in a fawn-coloured suit,
and white shirt and tie, who sat in the lounge with his delicate legs
elegantly crossed and seemed self contained, ready to go through the
whole course without talking to anyone; the man from the Indian
subcontinent in his absurd white shoes, who turned out to be from
Pakistan and a religious fanatic, ready to spread the Arab faith in this
training centre devoted to another kind of learning and glory…(Naipaul,
2004: 221).
However, multicultural society in the United Kingdom reveals the
domination of the imperial cultures. The people from various countries over the
world come to the ―center‖ because they believe that they can find the freedom
there. The Western countries always claim that freedom is only found in the West.
Here, we can see that people from entire the world come to the ―mother country‖
act as justification of the Western dominion cultures. The African, Indian, Asian
and American are as ―margin‖ and the United Kingdom is as a ―center‖.
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B. Postcolonial Identity Negotiation Revealed through Willie’s Diasporic
Movements
The following analysis elaborates postcolonial identity negotiation of
Willie by employing postcolonial perspective. Most of people believe that
postcolonialism has two meanings. First, postcolonialism can be defined as certain
era. Second, postcolonialism also can be interpreted as theory. Although
postcolonialism has two meanings, many people convince that it more relates to
the theory.
By allowing the foreign cultures diffuse with one‘s own culture, the
single identity is impossible to achieve as we can see in the earlier section. This
problem is also experienced by Willie when he makes diasporic movements in
three different geographical locations; Africa, India and England. Being a
diaspora in three different geographical locations, Willie‘s perspective can show
what happened on his identity when he views the idea of home, postcolonial
resistance, domestic conflict, globalization and multicultural society because his
identity or his position may be reflected through his perspective toward certain
circumstance. Thus, to answer the second question in the problem formulation, the
writer analyzes Willie‘s diasporic movements in three different geographical
locations (Africa, India and London) as how they reveal postcolonial identity
negotiation.
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1. Willie’s Perspective in Africa
In Naipaul‘s Magic Seeds the writer finds that postcolonial identity
negotiation occurs in Willie‘s diasporic movements in three different geographical
locations. The writer observes that Willie has a particular ways in negotiating his
postcolonial identity in Africa, India and England. The particular ways can be
seen from his opinions toward certain condition in three different geographical
locations which those views represent his position or identity. The writer observes
that Willie‘s postcolonial identity negotiation is began from Africa since he
interrogates the idea of home and the postcolonial resistance until London where
he finds many people from various countries.
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home
His perspectives on the idea of home become strong indication for the
writer to decide that Willie is searching his identity. Here, the idea of home is not
only related to the refuge place but it is much more related to one‘s identity.
Home discloses someone to where she or he comes from and where she or he
belongs to. Bill Ashcroft in Post-Colonial Transformation remarks that:
In the case of diasporic peoples, ‗place‘ might not refer to a location at
all, since the formative link between identity and an actual location might
have been irredeemably severed. But all constructions and disruptions of
place hinge on the question: ‗Where do I belong? (2001: 125).
The question of the idea of home always appears in Willie‘s mind wherever he
goes including when he lives in Africa. The struggle to find his true identity
comes to Willie when he is aware that he stays in his wife‘s house. The writer
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sees that this awareness becomes turning point for Willie to question everything
around him that related to his identity:
Willie says that ―I was in Africa…I was living in her big house and on
her land, twenty times more land than anyone here has. I had no job. I
was just her husband. For many years I thought of myself as lucky‖
(Naipaul, 2004: 112).
Here Willie is depicted clearly by the author. Willie‘s perspective toward his
wife‘s superiority is examined vividly that Anna dominates everything in African
land. In this point, the writer sees that Willie‘s expression justifies the unequal
position between Anna and Willie. The complex relations between Anna and
Willie contain ―a politics of identity, a politics of position, a law of origin‖ (Said,
1996: 226). In other words that the position of Anna is in strong side which it
justifies her identity as a colonizer. On the other hand, Willie‘s position is in weak
side by which it confirms that he is a colonized person. This relation have been
discussed by well known critic, Said. He says that ―the feature of Oriental-
European relations was that Europe was always in a position of strength, not to
say domination‖ (Said, 1979: 40).
The imbalance and inequality relation in Anna‘s house makes Willie
uncomfortable and later he decides to leave Anna. Besides, Willie has to leave his
wife because all he was doing was living his wife‘s life (Naipaul, 2004: 113). He
is desperate living in someone else‘s life: ―I was tired of living her life…Her
house, her land, her friends, nothing that was my own‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 113).
Implicitly, the superiority of Anna dominates Willie‘s life where he cannot refuse
and control it. The consciousness of Willie toward the condition of his life in
Africa reveals that he is searching his true life, true self and true identity.
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Actually, there is no true self or true identity in the contemporary era.
Willie‘s struggle to find his true identity is something impossible to achieve.
Bhabha in his book The Location of Culture says that ―identity is the problematic
process of access to an image of totality‖ (Bhabha, 2004: 73). It means that
postcolonial identity does not acknowledge the single identity. Naipaul‘s major
character, Willie, has a certain image of identity in his mind which makes him to
search his true identity. Unfortunately, the image of the pure identity is destroyed
by the emergence of Anna‘s superiority by which she constructs Willie‘s life in
Africa. Thus, pure identity exists only in Willie‘s imagination. There is no
authenticity. Hall comments that identities are absolutely rupture which cannot be
collected in the single unit. Identities are disintegrated and split vividly in the
contemporary era. They are always in the process of mutation and revolution
(Hall, 1996: 4).
b. Willie’s Perspective on Postcolonial Resistance
Postcolonial identity negotiations also revealed through Willie‘s opinions
toward postcolonial resistance. At times, African people struggle to fight against
the Western countries who grab their land. Many African people die in war.
Wright‘s Scramble for Africa (2009) explains that:
The early years of the Scramble were accomplished with minimal
bloodshed, but that would not be the case in the 1890s and afterward.
Some of the most powerful African states put up strong resistance,
requiring Europeans to send in well-armed forces. Massed African
armies with outdated weapons defeated European forces on occasion, but
more frequently modern weaponry won out, producing some of the most
one-sided battles in the history of warfare.
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Willie has no idea about what to do in facing his own dilemma. His own dilemma
has to do with his position in viewing the guerilla war in Africa. To African
people, guerilla war is a glorious war. It means that guerilla war is the most
important war to Africans. Although guerilla war is important to African people,
Willie never joins the guerilla war. Ironically, Willie witnesses the guerilla war
from his wife‘s house. Willie cannot show his resistance toward the colonizers in
Africa. Willie‘s passivity to the glorious war shows his position. If Willie joins
the guerilla war; it is clear that Willie stands in African side. It means that he is
part of the colonized people. On the other hand, Willie will become part of the
colonizers if he helps the colonizers in guerilla war. Willie‘s position in guerilla
war in Africa is on the middle. He does not join in African side or in colonizers
side.
However, Willie‘s positions in the struggle of Africans in a guerilla war
in Africa represent his identity. The emergence of Willie in glorious war resonate
the image of the opportunist where he cannot decide his standing point in the war.
His position in the guerilla war is ambivalent. It can be seen from his perspective
toward the war. ―In my heart of hearts I was always on the Africans‘ side, but I
didn‘t have a war to go to‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 6). Willie states clearly that he always
supports the African. Then he also says that ―I always had sympathy for Africans,
but I saw them from the outside‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 38). The ambiguous expressions
of Willie raise various interpretations. First, he takes the free area to free himself
from the conflict between Africans (colonized) and Portuguese (colonizer).
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Second, he situates himself in the free position because he does not absolutely
oppose the colonizer or to join the Africans.
Here, Willie‘s constellation in the guerilla war in Africa does not show
his resistance to the colonizers. Willie‘s passivity in the guerilla war implicitly
reveals the important point that whoever does not get involved in the fight against
the crime means he defends the crime. The writer observes that Naipaul‘s major
character, Willie, hides behind his ambiguous statement: ―In my heart of hearts I
was always on the Africans‘ side, but I didn‘t have a war to go to‖. He states that
he does not have a war to go to because he does not have primordial relation
between him and Africans. In this point, Willie shows his trickiness to defend
himself from the accusation that he is on colonizers‘ side.
2. Willie’s Perspective in India
Willie‘s struggle to interrogate his originality continues in his ancestors
land, India. It seems that Willie has primordial relation with India. In fact, Willie
cannot capture the intimate relation between Willie and his ancestors‘ land. He
sees himself as a stranger in India. He is separated, thrown and alienated from his
ancestors land. This condition can be analogized with vagrants‘ condition. They
are homeless and lost of the boundaries as a human being. In this context, the
vagrants do not have a place to identify their identity and to give them security.
The logical implication is Willie keep interrogates his true home, true self and true
identity.
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a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home
The endeavor of Willie in searching his true home, true self and true
identity can be seen from his perspectives toward hotel, training camp and
peasant‘s hut in his ancestor‘s land. For Willie, hotel is not his true home, true
identity because the architectures of the hotels in India are borrowed from the
foreign countries especially England. ―Willie knew that it had no meaning, that it
had all been copied from some foreign hotel, and was to be taken only as a gesture
of goodwill, a wish to please, an aspect of being modern‖(Naipaul, 2004: 34). The
consequence is he cannot see the authenticity the history of India anymore.
Naipaul‘s major character can capture the meaning of home in hotel if it gives him
knowledge about who he is. Thus, although the Riviera hotel has provided the
luxurious accommodations and security for Willie, he still cannot know his
originality, his true identity.
The struggle of Naipaul‘s major character, Willie, to search his true
home, his true self occurs in training camp. Actually the emergence of Willie in
the training camp is to join the revolution group that he has expected before. He
wants to help the peasants because he can see his true self in the images of the
peasants. Willie expects that he can find the warmth, happiness, brotherhood and
the simplicity of the peasants in the training camp. In fact, he absolutely never
find what he has imagined. Willie feels different from the leader of the training
camp because the leader‘s appearances like a businessman or civil servant. ―The
rule in the camp, enunciated by the leader—a man of about forty, who looked like
a businessman or civil servant…‖ (Naipaul, 2004: 53). Willie also acknowledges
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that he had been away from India too long. He couldn‘t assess the backgrounds of
the people around him (Naipaul, 2004: 53). The spirit of the people in the training
camp does not correspond with Willie‘s spirit which he wants to fight together
with the peasants to resist the landowner. Willie is not able to find his true home,
true identity in the training camp.
Actually, Willie finds his true identity when he shelters in the peasant‘s
hut which he can capture the simplicity, brotherhood, happiness and warmth
through the images of the peasants‘ in the urban village. On the other hand, Willie
indirectly mocks the master of the hut by calling him as ―outcast‖ and ―dark‖. The
writer sees that Willie‘s perspective to the hut master shows his ambiguous
position by which he half accepts his identity.
b. Willie’s Perspective on Domestic Conflict in the Aftermath of the India
Independence
Independence is the condition where all the people can feel the freedom.
―In post-colonial usage this usually refers to the achievement by a colony of full
self-government‖ (Ashcroft, Griffiths & Tiffin, 2007: 116). Indians achieved their
independence on 15 August 1947 which gives new spirit, new hope for them to
get better future. Gandhi cites Salman Rushdie‘s novel Midnight Children to
portray the euphoria of the Indians in responding their victory: ―For the next three
decades, there was to be no escape. Soothsayers had prophesied me, newspapers
celebrated my arrival, politicos ratified my authenticity‖ (Rushdie via Gandhi,
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1998: 5). Thus, the atmosphere in the post-colonial state is seemingly better than
pre-colonial period.
On the other hand, the national independence can be seen in the different
way. Gandhi cites Said‘s opinion that ―the cosmetic veneer of national
independence barely disguises the foundational economic, cultural and political
damage inflicted by colonial occupation‖ (Said, 1989 via Gandhi, 1998: 7). In
other words, the national independence that had been achieved implicitly hiding
the bad effects of the colonial occupation.
In Magic Seeds, the author describes the domestic conflict as the
implication of the independence of India. The Writer sees that domestic conflict
between peasants and landlords justifies what Said stated in the earlier section.
The former colonizer of India, England, left the feudal system which is not
appropriate with the Indians. The feudal system has significant contribution in the
domestic conflict in India. The peasants fight against the landlord as the
representation of the colonizers.
By analyzing the condition in India, Willie‘s sister supports Willie to join
the revolution. He follows the revolution in India because he has full of mission in
his soul (Naipaul, 2004: 39) which he wants to joins the peasants‘ movement. In
this point, the writer sees that Willie associates himself as a part of the peasants.
Willie‘s mission to help the peasants is seemingly gone since he joins the
wrong group. The condition in the training is hard for him. It can be seen when he
says that joining the revolution group is failure for the man in early forties
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(Naipaul, 2004: 53). Here, Willie shows his position in the domestic conflict in
India which he stands on the peasants‘ side.
c. Willie’s Perspective on Globalization
However, Willie‘s diasporic movement in India does not give significant
contribution to him in finding his identity. Willie‘s struggle to search his true
identity is also challenged by the development of globalization in his ancestor‘s
land. The history of globalization in India cannot be separated from role of
England as mother country. Globalization is operated world-wide. The local
communities and individual lives are influenced by economic and cultural forces.
Global power changes all the systems in the world including in India. The
globalization has changed every aspects of Indian‘s life such as cultures, ways of
life and ways of thinking and so on. Ashcroft in Post-Colonial Transformation
examines that:
Globalization is the radical transformation of imperialism, continually
reconstituted, and interesting precisely because it stems from no obvious
imperial centre. While it is often understood in terms of large-scale
phenomena, its homogenizing tendencies are effected in a heterogeneous
array of local situations (Ashcroft, 2001: 213).
British still colonize the Indians. It is based on Ashcroft explanation about the
nature of globalization. It is also supported by the strong evidence that many
Indians begin leave their original cultures. The European cultures, ways of life,
ways of thinking are spread widely in India which those things blur the Indians‘
identity. It is what Willie experienced when he makes a journey to India:
…the terrible India of Indian family life—the soft physiques, the way of
eating, the ways of speech, the idea of the father, the idea of the mother,
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the crinkled, much used plastic shop bags (sometimes with a long
irrelevant printed name)—this India began to assault him…(Naipaul,
2004: 28).
Apparently, Indian families adopt the way of life from foreign countries
which this action destroys the original culture. Willie cannot accept those
transformations that exist in his ancestor‘s land. In the transformation era a new
culture is brought from outside and then is introduced to the society with their old
existing culture. Here, in the postcolonial perspective the constellation of
globalization in India acts as justification of the domination of First world over
Third world. The Western countries which are represented by England spread
their domination over Indian. As Ashcroft said before, this relation is radical
transformation of imperialism.
The implication is there is no pure Indian cultures, ways of thinking and
identity. Here, identity should be understood in the larger context. It is not only
about ethnicity but also about ways of thinking, cultures, customs, habits, the idea
of father and mother. For Young, any model of cultural interaction between one
culture and another merge in their product which is characterized with the same
term: hybridity (Young, 1995: 6). From Young‘s definition, we can conclude that
Willie will not find the original culture in India.
3. Willie’s Perspective in England
The last route of Willie‘s diasporic movement is in England. The social
condition in England is totally different from two places that had been stopped
over by Willie. Willie sees that London is a modern city. In the constellation of
postcolonial studies, London is characterized as a mother country. Ashcroft,
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Griffiths and Tiffin in the Post-Colonial Studies: The Key Concepts states that
London is ―mother country‖. Mother country is related to the metropolitan by
which it is a parent state of colony. The metropolis in European thought was
always constituted as the seat of culture, and this meaning is readily transferred to
the imperial/colonial relationship (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin, 2007: 123).
a. Willie’s Perspective on the Idea of Home
Willie feels the gloriousness of London which is described clearly in the
story. Naipaul‘s major character, Willie, is apparently surprised with the
transformation in London. The rapid transformation gives serenity to Willie at
least in a security aspect. In short, Willie gets everything what he wants.
The writer sees that Willie views London differently from two locations
before; Africa and India. Willie does not show his criticism toward the
transformation in London. Willie‘s action justifies the status of London as
―mother country‖ which everything is always better than the colonies. Ironically,
the comfortable condition does not help Naipaul‘ major character, Willie, to find
his true identity. He states clearly that ―I don‘t know how much longer I can keep
on living as a guest of these nice people in this lovely house in this lovely area‖
(Naipaul, 2004: 271). He is a guest in London. According Collins Concise
Dictionary and Thesaurus guest refers to ―a person who receives hospitality at
someone else‘s home‖ (2003: 418). Thus, based on the definition from the
dictionary, London is just someone else‘s home. Willie does not categorize
London with all facilities as his home, his true self, his true identity.
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b. Willie’s Perspectives on Multicultural Society
The huge transformation in London always attracts all the countries over
the world including the ex-colonies such as India, Africa, Australia and America
to come to the ―center‖. Those different countries absolutely always bring their
own cultures, language and so on. Those countries are commonly known as
―margin‖ in the postcolonial studies. Since many people from different countries
move to London, there occurs the intensive interaction between margin cultures
and mother cultures. Gandhi cites Maria Louise Pratt opinion that ―the colonizer
as much as the colonized –is implicated in the transcultural dynamics of the
colonial encounter‖ (Gandhi, 1998: 131).
Willie examines comprehensively which Malaysians, Indian, Arabs,
Pakistan, British and so on interact with each other. For Pratt, ―this encounter
produces an estrangement of familiar meanings and a mutual ―creolisation‖ of
identities‖ (Gandhi, 1998: 131). In other words, England as multicultural state
does not provide pure African, Indian, Asian and American. There is no pure
identity in the contemporary era.
Willie‘s diasporic movements from Africa until India are seen as
interrogating and negotiating his true identity. Hall in Questions of Cultural
Identity (Hall, 1996: 4) examines that identities are absolutely rupture which
cannot be collected in the single unit. Identities are disintegrated and split vividly
in the contemporary era. They are always in the process of mutation and
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revolution. Thus, Willie‘s struggle to formulate his true self, true identity is
something impossible. It is because the characteristic of identity is instability.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
V.S Naipaul’s Magic Seeds gives clear depictions about postcolonial
conditions in three different places such as Africa, India and England. The writer
explores the main character named Willie. He is Indian descent who makes
diasporic movements in three different geographical locations.
In this thesis, there are two problem formulations that are analyzed and
answered. The first problem is Willie’s perceptions on three different
geographical locations. The writer finds out that Willie has own perceptions in
three different places which confirm his existence. The interrogation and
negotiation of true identity and fixed identity are presented through Willie’s
perspectives toward certain circumstance.
The writer begins with the elaboration of Willie’s perspective in Africa.
His outlook much more concerns on the idea of home and on the postcolonial
resistance. Willie’s views on the idea of home are revealed directly in the novel.
Willie cannot be himself in his wife’s house which forces him to leave Africa. In
addition, Willie also comments on the guerilla war in Africa. Willie does not join
guerilla war because he does not have enough knowledge about the Africans’
histories and also he does not have primordial relation with Africans. The logical
consequence is Willie does not have sense of belonging to the guerilla war in
Africa.
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Subsequently, Willie continues his passage to India. He also criticizes
surrounding circumstances in India. The criticism is related to the idea of home,
domestic conflict as the implication of the independence of India and
globalization. His criticism on the idea of home is revealed through his statement
on hotel, training camp and peasant’s hut. For Willie, hotels in his ancestor’s land
cannot represent the originality of Indian culture. It is because the architectures of
the hotels in India are copied from some foreign hotel and are to be taken only as
a gesture of goodwill. Then, Willie also makes detail observation to the condition
in the training camp where he joins the revolution group. He does not like the
condition in the training camp because the rule is very rigid. Absolutely, this
condition is something not expected by Willie. For Willie, this training camp
cannot reveal the idea of home because it’s terrible circumstances. The idea of
home is also portrayed through Willie’s outlook to the peasants’ hut in urban
village when he has special task from the training camp leader. Willie feels at
home in the urban village because he can find the simplicity, brotherhood warmth
of the peasants.
Moreover, as a stranger and a sentry in the revolution group, Willie has
particular opinion what exactly happened behind the domestic conflict between
the peasants and the landlord. For Willie, joining the revolution is a big mistake.
By considering Willie’s perspective, the writer thinks that Willie does not like the
revolution is because he joins the landlord’s group.
Furthermore, Willie also concerns on the impact of the globalization to
the Indians. He observes the transformation on the family life in India. The
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foreign culture has replaced original cultures in India. However, Willie does not
want foreign culture destroying Indians’ original cultures. Later, Willie leaves the
vagueness of India and moves to London.
Willie’s diasporic movement ends in London. He goes to London after he
is released from the prison in India. He has great impression to the transformation
in London. The first impression is on the idea of home which is represented
through the emergence of St. John’s Wood house. London gives serenity to Willie
whom he cannot find in Africa and India. Although London has given luxurious
facilities to Willie, he does not feel at home. He is a stranger. Then, Willie also
observes that London is different from thirty years ago. There are many people
from different countries who bring their own cultures, ways of life and languages.
The last is the idea of postcolonial identity negotiation in Willie’s
diasporic movements. In the previous part it has been explained that Willie has
own perceptions on three different geographical locations. The writer finds out
that Willie’s perspectives toward certain condition in three different places
contain the idea of postcolonial identity negotiation. His diasporic movements act
as toolkit to interrogate and to negotiate his true identity. Willie’s perspectives
toward the idea of home, postcolonial resistance, domestic conflict, globalization
and multicultural society have a significant meaning for him to find his true self,
true identity. The idea of home reveals the idea of postcolonial identity
negotiation since Willie’s life in Africa is haunted by the emergence of superiority
of his wife’s life. He does not have power to control himself and the house. Willie
is aware that he is controlled by his wife. This consciousness leads Willie to the
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important point which he decides to leave his wife’s life. Here, Willie wants to
say that he has to find his true self, true identity. The idea of home is also revealed
the idea of postcolonial identity negotiation when he stays in India. He is annoyed
by the emergence of the hotels in India by which the architectures are copied from
foreign countries. In this point, Willie cannot capture the original cultures in
India. The emergence of St. John’s Wood house represents the idea of home.
Willie feels comfortable but he sees himself as a stranger in London. It means that
he still interrogates his fixed identity.
Then, Willie’s perspective on postcolonial resistance also portrays his
position. It is here that Willie does not absolutely oppose the colonizer and the
Africans. Here, Willie’s constellation in the guerilla war in Africa is ambiguous.
He cannot decide his position in guerilla war. Willie’s passivity in the guerilla war
implicitly reveals the important point that whoever does not get involved in the
fight against the crime means he defends the crime. In this point, Willie shows his
trickiness to defend himself from the accusation that he is on colonizers’ side.
Moreover, Willie’s perspective to the domestic conflict in India represents his
struggle to find postcolonial identity. Willie frustrates when he joins landlord’s
group. It is because his mission is to help the peasants. Willie sees that he is part
of the peasants. On the other hand, Willie mocks the peasants in the urban village.
In the scope of identity, he associates his identity as a peasants but he does not
accept whole identity of the peasants.
Besides, the criticism to the globalization in India also reveals that Willie
searches his postcolonial identity. It can be proved through his statement that the
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architectures in India are copied from foreign countries. He frustrates when Indian
cultures are destroyed by globalization. Here, he is not easy with the
transformation is because he places himself as an Indian. However, Willie is
impossible to formulate single identity in multicultural society.
It is here that the idea of postcolonial identity negotiation is revealed
through Willie’s diasporic movements in three different geographical locations.
Willie cannot find his fixed identity in his diasporic movements: Africa, India and
London. Thus, Willie’s struggle to formulate his true self, true identity is
something impossible. It is because the characteristic of identity is instability.
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Appendix
SUMMARY OF MAGIC SEEDS
Magic Seeds (2004) is V.S Naipaul’s latest novel before he passed away.
This novel tells the experiences of the major character, Willie, in three different
geographical locations: Africa, India and England. Magic Seeds, begins when
Willie, the main character, has travelled from India to become a student in
London, and published a book of stories. Later on he marries a woman of mixed
Portuguese and African ancestry and lives in her Portuguese African colony for 18
years. Willie does not have any job when he lived in Anna’s house. In Africa,
Willie is always haunted by the superior of Anna. Anna has luxurious house, a lot
of friends and big land. The lucky Willie also witnessed the guerilla war from his
wife’s house. Willie does not want the superior Anna dominating his life. Later he
decides to leave Africa to join his sister in Berlin. Willie's sister Sarojini, criticizes
of his passivity and lack of commitment toward the guerilla war in Africa. Willie
is supported to involve with revolution group in India. Finally, Willie agrees to go
back to his ancestor’s land.
Willie goes to India in order to join the revolution group which has been
discussed with his sister, Sarojini. Since Willie arrives in the airport, he is
assaulted by the emergence of strange culture by which he never found before. He
observes that the idea of father, ways of life and ways of thinking of the Indians
have changed. Willie is also surprised when he sees the architecture of the Riviera
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Hotel where he spends couple of nights. The architecture of the Riviera Hotel is
copied from foreign hotel. Willie does not like the architecture of the Riviera
Hotel because it does not reveals the original culture of Indians. Willie says that it
is only wish to be modern. Willie spends couple nights in Riviera hotel. Then, he
moves to training camp where finds newcomer there. In the early days in the
training camp, Willie observes the surrounding; the sentries, the leader and the
rules. After Willie makes detail observations to the training camp, he begins
worried. It is because he joins the wrong revolution group. Willie does not want to
join the revolution group anymore. Although he does not attract to the revolution
group anymore, he has to follow all the rules in the training camp. Willie ends his
journey in India with the tragedy in which he is imprisoned. He spends six years
in the prison where he knows well the cruelty, corruption, intimidation and so on.
His sister, however, recruits Roger, an English lawyer and publisher who had
known Willie during his student life to release Willie from the prison. After Willie
free from the sentence, he moves to England.
Seemingly, England especially London impress Willie with luxurious
accommodations, houses, architecture and the technology. In London, Willie tries
to find out the proper job for him. He sends application letter to certain office in
Bloomsbury. He is offered the luxurious facilities and the freedom from the
company in which he can enjoy his life. Before he works on the company, Willie
has to follow certain training in which he meets many people from various
countries over the world. The habit of Willie to observe surrounding
circumstances still works in the training center. He sees that those people always
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bring their own language, faith, culture and habit. Most of them are individualistic
and they enjoy their life in London. The story ends with Willie reflecting on his
life and on Britain's new multi-racial identity.
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