Based on the chapters that were assigned, Miguel Street is a complicated yet interconnected tale of a neighborhood in Port of Spain. Through the use of a few characters, Miguel Street tells stories about struggle, both internal and external, as well as community in times of mutual hardship. In this piece, the themes of community, poverty, and escapism are connected as individuals in the community rely on each other as well as various forms of escapism in order to cope with their shared struggles with poverty.
The narrator introduces the key characters Bogart, Hat, and Big Foot. Hat and the narrator are friends and have known each other ever since the narrator was a young boy. Hat, who may be deemed as a masterful schemer, was known for coming up with ideas to get money; whether that is through scams or bets. When the narrator was young, Hat used him and other children as workers to get gum from policemen, giving them one cent for each packet of gum. Later, the narrator found out that “Hat was selling the chewing gum for six cents a packet” (Naipaul 50). It is clear from this scam that Hat uses the members of his community in his schemes in order to cope with poverty. He found escapism in his schemes which gave him temporary relief from his struggles with poverty.
Big Foot’s character uses a different method of escapism but still relies on the community. Big Foot is considered the neighborhood bully, a “real” tough guy. He asserts his dominance by showing his physical strength. After an incident with a dog, the narrator sees that Big Foot is not as untouchable as he wants everyone to think. His method of escapism is his tough guy persona. This persona relies on the fear, intimidation, and slight admiration of those in his community. Instead of simply trying to cope or escape from the struggles of poverty, Big Foot is coping with his insecurities and vulnerability. When Big Foot loses a boxing match, he sees this as his being vulnerable, something he never wanted to be in front of the people of Miguel Street. This chips away at his tough guy exterior, and he begins to cry uncontrollably, being even more vulnerable, which leads to more cries. “All of us from Miguel Street laughed at Big Foot. All except me” (56). The minute Big Foot shows his vulnerability, everyone on Miguel Street loses their respect for him, proving his escapism method to be unreliable but simultaneously self-destructive.
The next character who is also coping with poverty is Bogart. Bogart was always a quiet character and to others never seemed to want anything. Little did the residents of Miguel Street know, Bogart did have desires. Bogart, while appearing to be accepting of the mutual poverty of the land, wanted more. He wanted to be remembered and to be rich. Bogart came left Miguel Street almost unnoticed and came back a completely different person. He looked different, talked differently, and even sounded different. He, like Big Foot, created a new persona; a persona that seemed untouchable to the struggles of Miguel Street until proven otherwise. Bogart’s new persona may have made him untouchable to the more common problems on Miguel Street, but it did not protect him from everything as he was soon arrested for bigamy. So, while his method of escapism gave him temporary relief, it did not protect him completely.
Through the stories told about these characters a common message can be taken. Friendships formed in your community can make dealing with adversity a little more bearable. The support system in a community can help with personal and mutual struggles. The topic of masculinity was addressed in these chapters, especially in Big Foot’s chapter. Society has a strict criterion for what counts as masculine and when a man does not fit these criteria, they are automatically ostracized from the community. Based on the narrators’ thoughts concerning Big Foot, a possible solution to this issue is to just be forthcoming and accepting about who you are from the beginning. Hiding behind a persona can only last for so long before it all comes crumbling down.
Naipaul, V.S. (1959) Miguel Street.
Hi Shania, I like how you connected each of these characters with the theme of escapism! I hadn’t thought of it that way before, especially for Big Foot. I had mostly seen his tough guy persona as an armor of protection he gave himself. But thinking about it in light of escaping the feelings of insecurity he must feel gives a different perspective that leads to a possible alternative path he could have gone down. In a way, if he had confronted his fears and insecurities rather than tried to hide them, perhaps he would have grown in confidence and self-worth enough to not feel the need to bully others or maintain this self-image. This goes to show that looking at the same event through different lenses can lead to alternative conclusions.
I love that you included analysis on Hat and how he uses his own community against itself because of impoverished they all are especially since he does feature strongly in all of the chapters we read- I don’t think the other posts even mention or analyze him. I really appreciate that you steer from demonizing any of the characters and I think it’s because of what you brilliantly articulated in the last paragraph of your response, which is that masculinity dictates their standing in their community. This made me think further and come to the judgement that because they are in poverty, they can create community out of economic stability but out of strict social roles.