Summary
The novel begins on a winter day in London. A man named Moses Aloetta takes a bus to meet up with someone from Trinidad who is arriving at Waterloo Station. Moses is also from Trinidad originally and is often tasked with helping people who have recently arrived in London adjust. He takes note of the nasty weather and is irritated by the fog. He is annoyed that he had to get out of bed to do this. He thinks that there has been a recent spike in anti-immigrant sentiment in London, as white Londoners have been in a stir about the recent influx of West Indian people.
He also thinks about how he has been tasked with taking care of more and more people. Often, they come to him without any warning or notice. He doesn't like everyone he has to help and sometimes sends them to look for housing not near where he lives. At the moment, he is on his way to meet a young man named Henry Oliver who is coming to London via boat-train. He feels nostalgic and "soft," thinking back to his own arrival in London at Waterloo Station many years before.
He stands on the platform and runs into his friend Tolroy. Tolroy tells him that he is waiting for his mother, who is due to arrive from Jamaica today. Moses is impressed that Tolroy has saved up enough money to care for his mother. Tolroy responds brusquely, telling Moses to mind his business. Moses says he meant no offense. A reporter comes up to Moses while he is waiting for the train and asks him to give a comment about life in Jamaica, under the false assumption that he is from there. He lies and makes up a comment about a hurricane that ruined his house. The reporter asks him why so many people are immigrating from Jamaica. Moses starts to say that it's because things are hard but the reporter hurries off, ignoring him.
Moses is frustrated as he was about to speak his mind about the problems facing Black immigrants in London. He remembers another time when a reporter took his picture and then he was fired from his job after the picture appeared in the newspaper. Tolroy sees his mother get off the train and then, to his great dismay, he sees that she has brought his whole family with her, including his aunt, Tanty Bessy, his sister, Agnes, and Agnes's husband, Lewis, as well as their two children. He is upset, as he has no idea how he will support or even house all of them. His mother says simply that they assumed he was making enough money to take care of all of them.
The same reporter from earlier stops to interview the family. Tanty talks to the reporter, assuming his intentions are good. She tells him that she came along to London to cook and clean for her family. He asks for her picture and, despite Tolroy's objections, she tells the family to crowd in for one. The picture runs in the paper the following day with a headline about Jamaican families flooding into England.
Moses watches the scene, feeling bemused by the chaos. Moses helps Henry off the train and notices that he has no luggage or heavy clothing. He worries about him surviving the winter and tells him so. Henry reassures him that he will be fine. They talk about Henry's ride over to England and Moses gives him the nickname Galahad, as a joke about him being young and naive.
Moses helps Galahad get settled. He takes him back to his apartment in Bayswater. He advises him about what to look for in an apartment and what neighborhoods he can expect to find something suitable in. Galahad quickly falls asleep. The next day, Moses tells him he should start looking for work. He also tells Galahad about the racial prejudice that is strongly present in London and how it will make his job search more difficult. They talk more and then Galahad leaves to go find work.
Analysis
Community is a key theme in this first part of the book. The reader is introduced to Moses, the book's protagonist, at the beginning of the story. The narrator notes that Moses often takes on the responsibility, sometimes begrudgingly, of showing people around London when they first arrive. His role is an important one, as he helps support the community of West Indian immigrants by offering them some guidance. He is also described as having a "soft" heart and being familiar, and mostly friendly, with many of the Trinidadians and Jamaicans in London. As much as it sometimes irritates him to do so, acting as a mentor figure makes him feel like he is protecting other immigrants. The reader sees this community building in action when Moses talks to Galahad and helps him get settled in during his first days in London, showing how to look for work and housing. Community is shown as incredibly important, as it provides some degree of protection from the city's challenges and also gives people like Galahad a safe place to get their start.
Immigration is another major theme in this first section. The book begins with characters at very different points in the immigration process. Moses and Tolroy have been in London for some time and know their way around. They both treat the reporter at Waterloo Station with distrust, as they know he is likely working for a publication that espouses anti-immigrant viewpoints. In contrast, recent immigrants like Tanty and Galahad are more naive. Tanty happily agrees to be photographed by the reporter, trusting his intentions as a journalist. Galahad brings no winter clothes, assuming he will just keep warm. Selvon chooses to bring these differences to the fore to show how living in London for an extended period of time causes an adjustment of perspective. The more jaded characters are more aware of potential threats and problems, while the others think that everything will just work out. The book highlights how the immigration process is one of gradual shifting, as the characters learn how to live in the city.
Racism is also an important theme in these pages. After noticing the reporter, Moses thinks back to a time when he was fired for having his picture in the newspaper, despite the fact that the picture was taken against his will. He also reflects on the virulent anger that newspapers have been stirring up with the onslaught of coverage about West Indian immigrants. These stories have made white Londoners increasingly hateful and suspicious of immigrants from these countries. When he tries to say something about this to the reporter, the reporter abruptly walks away from him. Later, he tells Galahad that it is difficult for a Black man to find work in London. Taken together, these stories demonstrate how racism puts tremendous pressure and strain on the characters, as it impacts almost every part of their daily lives, from small social interactions to larger concerns around labor and finances.
Money is a main theme of this section of the novel. The characters immediately begin talking about money at Waterloo Station and continue to do so throughout this section. Moses talks to Tolroy about his job, saying he is impressed by his ability to save his paychecks. Tolroy balks when his mother arrives with his whole family in tow, as he cannot afford to support all of them. Moses tells Galahad that he must immediately start looking for a job so he can properly support himself. Money is a source of perpetual concern for the characters, as they need it to survive but their ability to obtain it is limited by the social hierarchy they live in. As Moses says to Galahad, being Black prevents them from getting some jobs, creating a very concrete ceiling for the amount of money they can hope to make.
The beginning of the book introduces Moses and brings up many of its central themes and ideas. The reader sees the optimism that brings people like Galahad and Tanty to London from faraway places. At the same time, they witness the weariness experienced by Moses as a result of the many daily stressors he has to face as a pillar of the community. In essence, the opening reveals the many conflicting emotions the city's immigrants experience on a daily basis.
