A House for Mr Biswas

by

V. S. Naipaul

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on A House for Mr Biswas makes teaching easy.

Marcus Aurelius Term Analysis

A Roman emperor best known for writing the Meditations, a journal of practical exercises derived from Stoic philosophy and especially Epictetus, whom Mr Biswas reads throughout his life.

Marcus Aurelius Quotes in A House for Mr Biswas

The A House for Mr Biswas quotes below are all either spoken by Marcus Aurelius or refer to Marcus Aurelius. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Independence vs. Belonging Theme Icon
).
Part 1, Chapter 1 Quotes

Mr Biswas never went to work on the estates. Events which were to occur presently led him away from that. They did not lead him to riches, but made it possible for him to console himself in later life with the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, while he rested on the Slumberking bed in the one room which contained most of his possessions.

Related Characters: Mr Biswas, Bipti, Raghu, Pratap, Prasad
Page Number: 23
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire A House for Mr Biswas LitChart as a printable PDF.
A House for Mr Biswas PDF

Marcus Aurelius Term Timeline in A House for Mr Biswas

The timeline below shows where the term Marcus Aurelius appears in A House for Mr Biswas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 3: The Tulsis
Education, Work, and Language Theme Icon
Gender and Family Theme Icon
Colonialism, Oppression, and Escape Theme Icon
...coming to Aryan Association meetings and invited a handful of Aryans to tea, giving them Marcus Aurelius ’ Meditations, Epictetus’s Discourses, and various “other booklets” before she left. These booklets soon littered... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 1: “Amazing Scenes”
Independence vs. Belonging Theme Icon
Social Status and Hierarchy Theme Icon
Education, Work, and Language Theme Icon
...listing some of the authors he read. The editor smiled when he mentioned Samuel Smiles, Marcus Aurelius , and Epictetus, asking if he read them for pleasure, and Mr Biswas replied that... (full context)