Jane- Naipaul- 2/9/2011

I would like to further explore Naipaul's employment and symbolism of the natural motifs throughout A Bend in the River. One motif I found striking- even though it doesn't quite qualify as natural- are the African masks which on page 65 Salim has a very visceral reaction to: "The bush was full of spirits; in the bush hovered all the protecting presences of a man's ancestors; and in this room all the spirits of those dead maks, the powers they invoked, all the religious dread of simple men, seemed to have been concentrated". Much besides the immediate reaction to these masks, they seem to be emblematic of Father Huismans outlook on the progress of Africa and its European ties, an vision which Salim seems to share. I also find the River and water hyacinths to be telling motifs, particularly the passage on p. 46 that details the natives reactions to the water hyacinths as the "new things" brought over from Europe as well as the passage regailing Father Huismans' death which ties in nicely to his views regarding European influence on Africa.