Jagdat Character Analysis in A House for Mr Biswas

Bhandat’s melodramatic older son, who moves in with a woman of a different race and fathers a child out of wedlock at a young age. In adulthood, he always dresses in a shirt and tie that resemble funeral attire. Mr Biswas reencounters him at Tara and Ajodha’s house after many years, and he advises Mr Biswas to be wary about borrowing money from Ajodha.

Jagdat Quotes in A House for Mr Biswas

The A House for Mr Biswas quotes below are all either spoken by Jagdat or refer to Jagdat. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

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There was no need to ask where Jagdat was going. He was going to his family. He too, then, lived a divided life.

Related Characters: Mr Biswas, Tara, Ajodha, Jagdat, Rabidat

Related Symbols: Houses

Page Number and Citation: 241

Explanation and Analysis:

Jagdat Character Timeline in A House for Mr Biswas

The timeline below shows where the character Jagdat appears in A House for Mr Biswas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...girl in Arwacas,” to his friend’s delight. News quickly spread, and although Bhandat’s older son (Jagdat) openly bragged of his illegitimate child with a woman of a different race, Bhandat’s younger... (full context)

Rabidat, the younger of Bhandat’s sons, walked in; like his brother, Jagdat, “he was living with a woman of another race and had some children, no one... (full context)

Tara and Ajodha continued asking Mr Biswas about the house, but Bhandat’s older son, Jagdat, soon came to the verandah, dressed as usual in attire strikingly reminiscent of funeral-wear. Tara... (full context)

Colonialism, Oppression, and Escape Theme Icon

As Mr Biswas went to catch the bus on the main road, Jagdat tapped him on the shoulder and offered him a cigarette—nobody was allowed to smoke at... (full context)

Jagdat explains that Ajodha might help with vitamins but never with money—he barely paid his gardener... (full context)

...his children to Pagotes on Sundays, and quickly struck up “an easy, relaxing relationship” with Jagdat: although they did not particularly get along or care what one another had to say,... (full context)

...their first visit; they decided to visit Ajodha on the way, and both he and Jagdat were skeptical of the new car’s sturdiness and safety. On their way back from the... (full context)