Language and Humor in V.S. Naipaul's The Mystic Masseur Peter Muturi Njeri College

V.S. Naipaul’s first published novel, The Mystic Masseur, can correctly be described as satirical given the extensive manner in which it employs language in the form of irony, hyperbole, caricature and other techniques to tell the picaresque story of Ganesh Ramsumair, which the frame narrator tells us is the story of Trinidad of that time. While it is true, as Gillian Dooley (20) argues, that much of the humor in the novel derives from Naipaul’s masterly use of language, other elements of the novel also contribute towards producing humor in the novel. Elements of the plot, narration and characterization work hand in hand with the language techniques to convey the story in a humorous way, and in so doing ridicule and critique the Trinidadian society. In this essay, I will argue, with textual evidence from the novel and with additional evidence from critiques and analyses of the text, that Naipaul’s masterly application of these different elements of the novel form, especially language,helps him weave not only a story full of humor but also one that conveys important themes regarding the Trinidadiansociety that Ganesh is part of.

From the onset, it is important to note that the core of the story itself—the absurd plot and the...