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Alienation and displacement are current themes throughout
Naipaul's novel. Two examples come to mind almost immediately. Jack the
gardener is an example of both alienation and displacement. Jack's alienation
within in his own home caused him to kill Brenda. He wasn't sure of his
place in Brenda's heart. Another example is the young girl, Angela who
flirted with him only in the company of others. --Rachel
I see the inevitability of change throughout this book.-- Anica
I read an article published in the online Bangladesh newspaper, "The
Independent", written by Niaz Zaman. He had this to say concerning the
title and theme: "...arrival is an enigma because the narrator arrives
in a place that is familiar and unfamiliar, a place that is home and yet
not home, a place that changes even at the very moment that the writer
is writing about it, above all, a place where one arrives by not arriving."
--Jennifer
We don't always remember things the way they really are. Naipaul remembered
the island the way he wanted it to be, an escape from reality. We all do
that when the truth is not pleasing to us. We fantasize about relationships,
past memories, material things, etc. I assume this is our personal escape
from reality. --Starr
The title is borrowed from the painting of artist Giorgio de Chirico.
In Naipaul's book is itself something of enigma or in his words "of desolation
and mystery; it speaks of the mystery of arrival." Naipaul, for many years,
had been inspired by the painting. The writer is the narrator, even though
Naipaul never uses his own name. The book is a search for the writer's
self, a quest in which Mr. Naipaul feels a kinship with his journey of
writing and the land he journeys. --Sue Ellen
I think this is completely about Naipaul's change in his life with his
new home. The title itself rings true about his feelings. The Enigma (bewilderment,
mystery, puzzle) of his Arrival in a new land with new customs, cultures,
etc. I feel that Naipaul felt left out of the life he lived in Trinidad
and was in search of his true self. Through his studies at Oxford and his
permanent move to England, I think Naipaul solved the mystery and found
his niche in life. When thinking of the Chirico's painting, I think it
also represents Naipaul and his life. "...in the foreground there are two
figures, both muffled, one perhaps the person who has arrived, the other
perhaps a native of the port..." (97-98). I would interpret that Naipaul
sees himself as the one who has "arrived" in his search for home. I also
see the other as the person he wants to be "a native," who feels the true
sense of belonging. --Susan
In the section entitled "Ceremony of Farewell," the speaker talks of
the dream of disappointment and exhaustion. As he grew older, he then turned
his thoughts to death. I have two thoughts to consider. One, he talks of
how it was only after his thoughts of death that he really began to get
the feeling to write this book. Is death a part of this "enigma"? If not,
how does it fit in. Secondly, is it possible that Naipaul was in some way,
predicting or feeling his sister's impending death? --Ricardo
©2002 Seodial Deena
All Rights Reserved
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World Literature Written in English
