The Mimic Men: Analysis of Major Characters
**Overview of "The Mimic Men: Analysis of Major Characters"**
"The Mimic Men" is a novel that explores the complexities of identity and belonging through its major characters, primarily set against the backdrop of the Caribbean island of Isabella. The protagonist, Ranjit Ralph Kripal Singh, is a politician in exile, grappling with feelings of alienation stemming from his mixed heritage—son of a poor schoolteacher and a wealthy woman. His journey reflects the struggles of navigating socio-economic divides and personal failures, particularly after being banished following a coup in his homeland. Singh's wife, Sandra, embodies the challenges of social mobility, facing ridicule as she attempts to fit into a higher social class, ultimately leading to her departure from both Singh and Isabella. Other significant characters include Cecil, Singh's aggressive uncle, who personifies the darker aspects of power and family legacy, and Ethelbert Browne, Singh's schoolmate who, despite his insecurities, evolves into a folk leader alongside Singh. The interplay of these characters highlights themes of ambition, betrayal, and the quest for identity within a politically charged environment. Each character's arc contributes to a nuanced reflection of post-colonial Caribbean society, making the novel a rich tapestry of human experience and societal critique.
The Mimic Men: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: V. S. Naipaul
First published: 1967
Genre: Novel
Locale: The Caribbean and London
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The 1930's, 1940's, and 1960's
Ranjit Ralph Kripal Singh, the protagonist and narrator, a politician in exile. The son of a poor schoolteacher and a woman from a wealthy family, Singh is a member of the Indian minority on the Caribbean island of Isabella. Intelligent and sensitive, he feels alienated during his childhood, during his university years in London, and during his later years as a real estate developer and a politician on his native island. Banished after a coup, at the age of forty he is finished, a purposeless exile living in a lower-middle-class area of London.
Sandra Singh, Ralph's wife. A tall, big-boned, large-breasted woman with an ill-tempered expression on her face, she has cut herself off from her lower-class London family and is attempting to move upward in society by getting a degree from the well-known school where Ralph is enrolled. She fails her qualifying examination twice, however, and then changes course, persuades Ralph to marry her, and goes to Isabella with him. There, although she tries to adopt the manners of the wealthy, she cannot keep up the pretense; soon, she is publicly mocked and snubbed. After numerous infidelities, she leaves Singh and moves to Miami.
Cecil, Ralph's uncle and schoolmate. A young brother of Ralph's mother, he is aggressive and flamboyant, even as a child. He inherits the bottling works on which the family fortune is based, but he soon loses his money and his license. Brandishing his Luger, he tyrannizes Isabella residents and almost certainly is the person who shoots Ralph's father and his common-law wife.
Kripalsingh, later Gurudeva, Ralph's father. A poor school-teacher for whom a brilliant future was once predicted, he lapses into irritability as one misadventure follows another. Deserting his family, he becomes the leader of a protest movement and then a prophet who lives in the hills and fathers at least one other son. Eventually, he is killed, probably by Cecil.
“Champ” Deschampsneufs (day-SHAH-noof), a school-mate of Ralph. A member of Isabella's most aristocratic family, he becomes a friend of Ralph despite the difference in their social positions. After working in a bank, he moves to Quebec, where he paints and dabbles in the Hindu religion.
Wendy Deschampsneufs, Champ's younger sister. A small and ugly but vivacious woman, she first becomes a friend of Sandra and then suddenly drops her. Later, she is a central force in the political movement led by Ralph and Ethelbert Browne. After a few months, she becomes bored and joins her brother in Quebec.
Ethelbert Browne, a black schoolmate of Ralph. As a boy, he is skinny, nervous, and insecure, with a mirthless smile and a wart on his chin. He is embarrassed when Ralph visits his home; as a result, their friendship breaks up until after both young men have gone to school in London and returned to Isabella. A feverish talker and a journalist, Browne becomes a folk leader and attains power along with Ralph. Lacking the skills of a politician, however, he also falls.