References to Imperialism

Throughout "The Waves" we find allusions to Imperialism or, connected with that, the British Empire. Louis being Australian might count as the first reference to that. At one point in the story he describes his accent as "colonial". The most obvious passage is, of course, Percivals' trip to India. Bernard describes his involvement in the mending of a broken cart in the following words: "But now, behold, Percival advances; Percival rides a flea-bitten mare, and wears a sun-helmet. By applying the standards of the West, by using the violent language that is natural to him, the bullock-cart is righted in less than five minutes. The Oriental problem is solved." (98). Despite evoking a vivid image of the stereotypical British colonist (note the helmet), this passage describes the imperialistic/racist ideology that ought to state the supremacy of the Europeans over other races. A similar passage can be found on page 210 when Bernard complains not being able to "take ship to India and see a naked man spearing fish in blue water." If Percival symbolizes British imperialism, his death foreshadows consequently the decline of the Empire and the British influence in the world. Also remarkable in this sense is the italicized section on pages 107/8. For the first (and only) time, the setting is not only the house at the shore, but the sun shines on and moves over various exotic countries (deserts, jungles, mosques, southern villages -> Egypt/Sudan, India, Egypt, Malta/North Africa?), before it reaches England. Although this might be a bit far-fetched, the section reminded me of the saying that the British Empire was an "empire on which the sun never sets", because it encompassed the whole world.