Recommended by Darshy Pandey
Miguel Street is a masterfully arranged portfolio of characters and occurrences experienced through the eyes of an unnamed young boy in World War 2 Trinidad. At first, the seventeen chapters appear to be isolated sketches based on individuals - however each one ties in and overlaps with the others, adding to the flavour of life on Miguel Street. Naipaul’s development of character is exceptional and the level of detail in which all the eccentricities and mannerisms are explored makes this book truly immersive for the reader. The novel takes us on a unique journey in which we can experience first-hand what life in Miguel Street was like through its each and every characteristic.
Naipaul’s novel recounts the simplicity and limitations of life in a small, working-class neighbourhood Port of Spain, Trinidad. Although the story is not chronological, we reach a climax of the narrator’s departure from the street he has been confined to for so long. It is difficult to categorise Miguel Street as it is unique in so many ways: firstly, it lacks a main plot, however this does not in any way detract from the incredible atmosphere Naipaul is able to engage the reader in. Secondly, the novel is presented in a comedic manner, not laugh-out-loud comedy, but a light-heartedness that is often used to mask the severity of tragic or dramatic occurrences.
Nobody on the entire street ever achieves anything considerable with their life: Popo, a self-acclaimed carpenter has always been building 'the thing without a name', whilst B. Wordsworth, 'the greatest poet in the world', writes but one line before dying, alone in the world. In addition, many of the men on Miguel Street have drinking problems and depression - some of whom subject their families to regular domestic abuse - to the point that Hat, one of the core members of the street, believes he has murdered his wife. However, these actions are always described in a light-hearted fashion, the narrator failing to see the uniqueness in things that he has grown accustomed to through living on the street.
The one thing that could be subject to criticism (in modern day society) about Naipaul’s Miguel Street, is the potential misogyny and acceptance that women were somewhat owned by their male counterparts. For example, the narrator describes the wife of a violent inhabitant of the street: 'George’s wife was never a proper person. I always thought of her just as George’s wife, and that was all.' Another example of this includes: 'Is a good thing for a man to beat his woman every now and then', which shows that what was deemed acceptable in that era differs so greatly from what is acceptable now. We must however consider that the novel was based around 80 years ago in a developing nation that had not yet gained independence from Britain, therefore this is not really a valid criticism of the novel, but more of society itself. As far as storytelling goes, Miguel Street is considered a masterpiece for a reason, and the way in which Naipaul constructs layer upon layer of character and emotion is nearly flawless.
Despite an evident dark side to the novel, much of Miguel Street highlights the beauty of human nature and the simplicity of a childhood almost cut off from the outer world. The narrator has a near pristine youth, carefree, spending much of his time playing cricket on the streets with friends - through Naipaul’s structure one can almost feel the mid-afternoon Caribbean sun beating down on the houses. He is also able to extract from his characters a splendid vibrancy: each of Miguel Street’s inhabitants have distinctive qualities and quirkiness that makes each chapter so intriguing. Such individuals include self-proposed tutor Titus Hoyt, a caring and intellectual man driven to educate the children of Miguel Street. Despite the unwillingness of the children to endure his Latin lessons, and their disappointment in the ‘Miguel Street Literary and Social Club’, his passion for teaching never dies. Morgan, the clown of Miguel Street, is determined to win the laughs of others even in the most unlikely of circumstances - but most of all obsessed with fireworks (which eventually results in his house burning to the ground). A quote that I feel summarises the colourful nature of Miguel Street as a community is: 'A stranger could drive through Miguel Street and just say ‘Slum!’ because he could see no more. But we, who lived there, saw our street as a world, where everybody was quite different from everybody else.'
As I stated previously, Miguel Street is a truly unique novel; Naipaul’s dynamic method of storytelling enabling the reader to truly sympathize with his wonderfully developed characters. Naipaul is also able to find the perfect balance between beauty and tragedy, layering emotion to form a world thick with interest and colour. Miguel Street is almost a metaphor for humanity, highlighting the imperfections and differences that make us who we are.
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