Sayaad Life In Austin Clarke's 'The Question'

“The Question”
ISU Journal: Characters
Sayaad Bacchus “The Question” by Austin Clarke, is a story of a miserable unnamed narrator and his pain filled life. This novel is about a man with all the answers, but does not know the question. It’s about a man who misses the obvious and who fails to heed hints and warnings. It’s about a man who is never present and who chooses to abandon life. It’s about a man who prefers fantasy over reality, escaping through the memories to a haven of a simpler time. It’s about a man who, when his fantasy world is interrupted by marriage, self destructs. The unnamed narrator is a judge at a Refugee Board in Toronto. He is originally from Barbados but moved to Canada to start a new life. His parents are both dead, the rest of his family still resides in Barbados and he lives alone. In the beginning of the novel, the unnamed narrator is sitting on a deck at party with a woman. This unnamed woman and he begin a conversation that will change both their lives. As their words build a maze of intimacy, that man finds himself drawn into the memories of his childhood in Barbados, and to reflections on his life in
When events escalate and the narrator’s thoughts become dangerous, he has an epiphany. He had thoughts of destroying his apartment, murdering his wife and killing himself, but decides against it. I believe he decided not to do it because he did not want to be alone anymore: “And suddenly this freedom, this independence of being alone, of being sovereign overcomes me. I want to be home. I want to be with my wife. And I want to be with Auntie Reens. I want to be with the dog” (239). Evidently, he does appreciate what he has and he comes to the realization that it’s worth living for. The conclusion of the novel left many questions unanswered and the protagonist learns little about himself. Clarke left much to my imagination and left much to be