Sam Selvon's An Island is A World (1955) is a novel which expounds on different individuals' search for identity, belonging, and a place of return. Selvon's attempt to explore the pressing existential issues of life is seen in his portrayal of the characters: Foster, Rufus, and Johnny, and how each is affected by their respective place of residence at various points in time. Due to the effects of geography on self-identity, these male characters experience a significant change in their sense of self and grapple with questions of masculinity, identity, and belonging. This essay is concerned with how geography contributes to each character's change in identity and how the concept of return informs their sense of belonging. Additionally, this essay discusses how each character's change in identity, as influenced by geography, is linked to their masculinity. Firstly, this essay discusses how geography, as depicted in An Island Is a World, does not only incorporate various physical locations, but can also be seen as a form of consciousness with which the novel's male characters travel to various locations to find their masculine identities. The first instance in this discussion is Foster and his struggle with feelings of insignificance and dissatisfaction with monotonous-living, which cause him to travel to London in search for his purpose. Secondly, I will unpack how Rufus's self-identity changes in that he disassociates himself from Trinidad, his place of origin, and embraces his new-found life after visiting the United States of America. Lastly, I will discuss how Johnny finds a renewed sense of self in the prospect of relocating to India under the guise of being a displaced Indian native. Collectively, these three male characters and their perception of themselves inform this essay's discussion of the novel's thematic concern with how geography contributes to an individual's change in identity. Selvon depicts geographical locations such as Trinidad, London, America, and India, as representing certain ideologies which contribute to the characters' consciousnesses and drive their development throughout the novel. In his article about East Indian identity, Selvon (1986:9-11) writes: "By the time I was in my teens I was a product of my environment" and "[t]his island is my shadow and I carry it with me wherever I go". These statements encapsulate the idea that geography shapes and informs an individual's
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