R. K. Narayan's Short Story 'Old Man Of The Temple'

Trying new and unfamiliar things is tough and scary. Still it might be an opportunity one will never have again. One theme in “Old Man of the Temple” by R. K. Narayan is that sometimes it’s necessary for one to step out of his/her comfort zone to try something new. This theme is reflected in the Disney movie, Tangled, and the song, “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. One theme in the short story, “Old Man of the Temple” by R. K. Narayan is trying new things. For example, the author writes “I saw the old man open the door and come out. He is standing there; shall we ask him to open them again if you want to go in and see?” I said to Doss, “Let us be going, we are wasting our time here.”(Narayan 204). This shows that the main character is not willing to listen nor believe Doss, saying that this is “wasting his time”. This demonstrates that the main character refuses to do something out of his comfort zone, and doesn’t want to risk wasting his time. Another example that displays the theme is when the author says, “When I passed that way again, months later I was told that the bullocks passing the temple after dusk

For example, the chorus says “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways.” This demonstrates self-reflection of the man asking himself to change. This is an example of stepping out of comfort zones to make a change. Another example is “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.” This quote too talks about reflection and making changes. This as well lines up with the theme of trying new things out of comfort zones. Consequently, Don’t be afraid to make changes it’s important to try new things. In conclusion, trying new things is not easy. One should always be open to challenges and opportunities. Life wouldn’t be any fun if it was boring old routines