Half searching for identity for the sake of meaning in Naipaul’s Half a Life

In this novel, Naipaul addresses the identity crisis regarding the internal and external of man. The protagonist, Willie, emigrates to London from India, next to Africa, and returns to London. He is constantly looking for an identity to make meaning of his life. Willie was born in a religious, cultural, and backward society that affects him, and he lacks self-esteem and self-confidence. Looking outside without inside for a purpose in life is the essential problem. Therefore, Willie cannot find it. The protagonist fails throughout his journey, from the first space to the second space and the third one. He is disappointed in all his relationships, even with Ana, whom he loved and lived with for many years in Africa.