V.S.NAIPAUL’S THE MYSTIC MASSEUR: DEFINING FAILURE AND SUCCESS FOR THE COLONIAL SUBJECT
V.S.NAIPAUL’S THE MYSTIC MASSEUR: DEFINING FAILURE AND SUCCESS FOR THE COLONIAL SUBJECT

Summary/Abstract: The Mystic Masseur is the story of Ganesh Ramsummair’s journey from the margin to the centre, from colonial Trinidad to the imperial metropolis of London. The particulars of Ganesh’s local and later metropolitan success are inscribed into the larger picture of a colonial society and its maladies. Ganesh’s rise to prominence is premised on the bastardization of Hindu and western cultural capital. Yet what at a superficial level appears as achievement is revealed as a deeper failure. Instead of fighting for equal access to education or championing the rights of the subaltern, Ganesh proves a supporter of the status quo. He uses opportunities only to further his own interest, and never takes a wider view on issues of social injustice. Through Ganesh’s character and the story of his meteoric rise to power the novel satirizes the limited social and political understanding of colonial society, directing a powerful critique at the effects of economic imperialism. Due to the lack of authentic cultural traditions and real values, Trinidadian society appears as artificial, halfmade, and is thus incapable of fostering and promoting excellence.

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