Jane - 1/31/2011 - Naipaul

 I found the character of Metty to be emblematic of the conflict between exoticism and the familiar in A Bend in The River. Salim describes the differences between the wealthy families of his native town and the slaves to be only behavioral, since, after centuries of interracial breeding, the Arabs and Africans look virtually indistinguishable. Once Metty is uprooted from the compound to join Salim, Salim anticipates that he will become withdrawn and despairing over the carnage he witnessed, but, instead Metty flourishes in the village- becoming well liked among the inhabitants of the village. He goes as far as to adopt a new name- a French word for interracial. This struck me as ironic that he would adopt a foreign word for something deemed in his native land as pejorative that now seems to be a way for him to own this prejudice or perhaps to say that it is no longer relevant. The dynamic between Salim and Metty becomes as master and slave is also altered- now becoming more equal companions.