“The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.”

In the novel’s opening line, Naipaul tells the reader what the story will be about: without will, there is no way. Conflict will always rise up, again and again, and if a person allows themselves to be consumed by it, literally or figuratively, then they’re finished. The verb choice of “allows” indicates that this is indeed a choice, showing that while chance and circumstance account for something, ultimately, it is how a person reacts to these circumstances that defines them.

“Africa was my home, had been the home of my family for centuries.”

This opening line of Chapter 2 introduces the reader to the theme of home and belonging, a thread that figures largely throughout the novel. Notably, the next sentence begins with the word “but,” alerting us that Salim has no certain home. Every place Salim lives is only a partial home for him, no matter, it seems the circumstances or the actions he takes.

“Miscerique probat populous et foedera jungi.”

This is the motto on the ruined monument by the town’s dock. Salim doesn’t know the meaning of the ancient words, which translate as “He approves of the mingling of the peoples and their bonds of union.” It is the old motto of Trinidad, where V.S. Naipaul was born, and dates from the Romans settling Africa.