Jason- 2/2/11 -Naipaul

11. Mahesh’s Bigburger shop stood out to me as a symbol for the outsider as a kind of parasite feeding off a host organism. Clearly, Mahesh is (or at least tries frequently) to be as opportunistic. Once he lands the Bigburger deal, it seems his efforts have paid off, though up until that moment Mahesh had tried to funnel money his way by whatever means he was capable of engaging in, whether it be a camera business or a customizable wooden plaque business. Most of his ideas consist of “feeding” off other industries; the cameras were mainly intended for the tourists who never seemed to come to the area, and the plaques for the van der Weyden hotel. But what made the Bigburger franchise a success for Mahesh was the coupling of the restaurant’s attractiveness to the van der Weyden’s visitors across the road with the African officials and army members interest in the place for its “décor and modernity” and the fact that Mahesh had made a point to make his houseboy, Ildephonse, a manager, to attract local Africans. The point seems to be that the outsider’s relationship to Africa is necessarily parasitic, in this case, in relation to the exchange of money. It is added later that Salim notices in the Bigburger, and in other establishments with an African staff, that once the proprietor is not around the staff becomes “vacant,” that they were “acting” and could remove themselves spiritually from their jobs. The implication seemed to be that though the Africans purposely disconnect themselves form their surroundings, they nevertheless engage in the parasitic relationship. Perhaps this is because both sides feel they are “putting one over” the over. Still, on page 99 Mahesh flat-out states that he’s a numbers watcher (he’s talking about Bigburger), “Noimon offered me two million. But you know Noimon. When he offers two, you know it’s worth four.” Given this statement, it’s likely Mahesh has only stumbled blindly into this kind of success and, further, his parasitic relationship to the country and people who he engages with is more or less beyond his understanding.