存在主义的核心观念——存在和虚无,是贯穿奈保尔小说的重要主题。他早期的特立尼达小说,传达出一种害怕虚空和无意义的精神焦虑;他中期的小说,则常用“恶心”这一生理反应来揭示存在的虚无;他晚期的小说,对抗争的强调使其存在主义的颓废倾向明显减弱,多了积极的社会意义。奈保尔把存在主义和他小说的后殖民性进行了有机结合。 Existence and nothingness are the core concepts of existentialism, which are the important themes that run through Naipaul’s novels. His early Trinidad novels convey a fear of vanity and meaningless anxiety; his mid-life novels often use the physiological reaction of “disgusting” to reveal the nihilism of existence; his late novel, The emphasis on resistance has obviously weakened the tendencies of its existentialism and added more positive social significance. Naipaul organically combines existentialism with the postcolonial nature of his novels.