Mercy Colon

Dr. Rebecca L. Salois

ENG 3038

October 30, 2024

                      Prompt #2: Miguel Street

In Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul, the themes of community, poverty, and escapism are closely tied together, giving us a visual of life in a poor Trinidadian neighborhood. Each chapter introduces us to characters whose lives revolve around these three ideas, showing how they shape and impact one another. Through these themes, Naipaul explores both the joys and struggles of community life, showing a balance between finding comfort in a community and feeling trapped by it.

The theme of community is central in Miguel Street, illustrating a space where people support each other and share their lives. The residents are bonded by their shared experiences and struggles, and they find companionship and laughter in one another. For example, the neighborhood initially respects Bogart’s mysterious lifestyle. They nicknamed him after the Hollywood star Humphrey Bogart, showing their admiration for him. In the text, it says, “I don’t know if you remember the year the film Casablanca was made. That was the year when Bogart’s fame spread like fire through Port of Spain and hundreds of young men began adopting the hardboiled Bogartian attitude.” Humphrey Bogart’s popularity in Casablanca influenced the young men in the Port of Spain, inspiring them to adopt his tough and cool persona. “Bogartian attitude” refers to the iconic, hard-boiled character Humphrey Bogart often portrayed, especially in Casablanca. Naipaul uses this reference to show how the culture of Miguel Street was influenced by American movies, with the character Bogart being idolized to the point where young men started mimicking his demeanor. This also showed up when they talked about having parties and how they wished Bogart could join them. The text says, “Yet whenever there was a fête or something like that, everybody would say, ‘We must have Bogart. He smart like hell, that man.’ In a way he gave them great solace and comfort, I suppose.” However, when Bogart faces trouble, the community’s view on him changes. After his encounter with the police, the neighbors gossip and seem disappointed about what had happened. “You see,’ Hat said on the pavement that evening, ‘the man leave his first wife in Tunapuna and come to Port of Spain. They couldn’t have children. He remain here feeling sad and small. He go away, find a girl in Caroni and he give she a baby. In Caroni they don’t make joke about that sort of thing and Bogart had to get married to the girl.’ In this quote, Hat is explaining to the narrator and others why Bogart had to settle down and marry a woman he met outside of the Port of Spain. This backstory adds more depth to Bogart’s character, showing the complexities of his life and the factors that led him to change. Hat’s explanation reveals several things about the culture of Trinidad at the time. In Caroni, having a child outside of marriage is taken seriously, which pressures Bogart into marrying the woman. The quote also suggests that Bogart’s restlessness might be, in part, an attempt to escape feelings of “sadness and smallness” due to his personal struggles. 

Poverty is another strong theme in the novel, and it affects everything that the residents do. Living with financial hardship means that survival is often their main focus, limiting their opportunities and making it hard to dream big. Naipaul shows poverty not just as a lack of money but as a mindset that traps the characters in a constant cycle of struggle. Many of them believe that their situations will never improve, which leads to feelings of hopelessness. An example would be the narrator’s neighbor George and his family. George is a violent man whose poverty and inability to improve his circumstances lead him to take out his frustrations on his family. His lack of financial resources makes it impossible for him to provide a comfortable life, which fuels this resentment he has and sense of powerlessness. While first introducing George, the narrator says, “You felt that George was never really in touch with what was going on around him all the time, and I found it strange that no one should have said that George was mad, while everybody said that Man-man, whom I liked, was mad.” Despite his aggression and the impact he has on others, the community seems to tolerate his behavior without labeling him as mad. However, Man-Man is openly labeled as “mad” by the community, despite having a more uplifting attitude. Man-Man’s quirks and imaginative tendencies make him an easy target for ridicule, highlighting the way society sometimes reacts to those who are different or who express their mental struggles in visible ways. 

Although Naipaul doesn’t show a clear solution, he suggests that solidarity and community bonds can help people face their struggles together. The warmth of community life may not solve poverty, but it offers a way to survive and endure. In this way, Miguel Street highlights the importance of empathy, resilience, and connection in the face of difficult circumstances. Miguel Street shows how community, poverty, and escapism are woven into the lives of its characters. Community brings both support and limitations and poverty shapes their choices and decisions on their way of life.