R.K. Narayan’s initial works drew inspiration from his own childhood and school days. In his first few books, he tries to introduce Malgudi and its characters to his readers. This had helped in creating a strong base among his readers about the settings of his books. As in seen in his initial four books, starting from ‘Swami And Friends’ to ‘The English Teacher’ , the characters are confined to Malgudi and most of the story takes place in that town.
‘Swami and Friends’, R.K. Narayan’s first book was described by The Guardian,in 2011, as one of the best novels ever written by an Indian author. Undeniably, an average Indian always thinks of ‘Swami and Friends’ and ‘The Guide’ as Narayan’s best work.
The novel follows the life and adventures of Swami, a schoolboy in British India. The characters in this book are very typical of an Indian village: a dominating father, a submissive mother, a religious grandmother who mollycoddles her grandchildren, a stern headmaster and of course, the playful Swami. After having been dismissed from Albert Mission School, Swami is made to join Board High School. While his close friends, Rajam and Mani from his previous school decides to form a cricket team called Malgudi Cricket Club (MCC), Swami has little choice but to skip his Drill classes and go for daily evening practice. Problems ensue when he decides to leave Malgudi after being reprimanded by his Headmaster. After a series of dramatic events, Swami misses the much anticipated and much prepared for match, against Young Men’s Union, a team from Chennai, to Rajam’s ire. The novel ends with Rajam leaving for Trichinopoly, while Swami and Mani bids him farewell at the Malgudi Railway Station.
As with a lot of his other novels, Narayan leaves the ...
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...is wife to return home, assuming that it was just another tantrum that she throws. Though the novel ends on a negative note in regard to women rights, it makes a successful attempt in at least bringing the issue to the forefront.
With ‘The Dark Room’, Narayan tries to bring to the attention of his readers the plight of women at that time. While Savithri’s house is symbolic for the conservative and orthodox customs, practices and beliefs in Malgudi, the dark room in her house where she seeks refuge from her husband’s tantrums represents the space where a woman is separated from the rest of the world. The dark room is just a temporary retreat for women struggling to survive in an old-fashioned world. The author, in all probability gained inspiration for this work from the women’s movement that gained strength in the 1930’s along with the nationalist movement in India.
Moreover, the mother faces the turning point of the whole journey when she courageously confronts her husband and finally voices out her opinion against being treated as more of a thing rather than a person. She reminds him that “[her] name… is Elizabeth” and should not be referred to as a mere “woman”, but being outrageous as he was, he yells at her to “shut [her] mouth” as she was trying to explain, and “[get his] supper”. Through the mother’s confrontation with her husband, the readers learn the importance of having the courage of speaking out what we believe is right despite of the outcome, instead of merely submitting in silence. Ultimately, numerous positive changes occurred once resolution to both the mother's external and internal conflict are addressed. Not only does “[the husband] often speaks to [the] mother as though she were more of a person and less of a thing”, but the mother also decides to “[teach] her two grandsons how to wash dishes and make
Siddhartha, written by Herman Heese, is a book about a man’s journey to find his inner self beginning as when he was a child and ending when he was of old age. Siddhartha, while on this quest, searched for different mentors to teach him what they know, hoping to find truth and balance in and of the universe. At the end of the novel, Siddhartha reaches the enlightenment through many teachings.
Hurd, Mary. “Siddhartha.” Cyclopedia of Literary Places (2003): 1. Library Reference Center. Web. 14 Jan. 2014
Siddhartha, written by Herman Heese, is a book about a man’s journey to find his inner self beginning when he is young and ending when he is of old age. Siddhartha, while on this quest, searched for different mentors to teach him what they know, hoping to find truth and balance in and of the universe. At the end of the novel, Siddhartha reaches the enlightenment through many teachings.
Schneider, D. (2007, July 13). Featured Book Review of Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha. Retrieved from M&C Books website: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/books/reviews/article_1329679.php/Featured_Book_Review_Of_Herman_Hesse_s_Siddhartha
Different angles and difficulties of movement and osmosis are investigated in The Namesake. Throughout the novel, Ashima (the mother) and Ashoke (the father) attempt to make their kids Bengali while the brother and the sister, Gogol and Sonia, demand that they are Americans. The conflicts must do with everything from giving the youngsters their names, to regardless of whether they ought to make intermittent visits to India.
...t the novel imparts a systematic, methodical tone to Siddhartha, and together with the consciously created form unifies the experiences of Siddhartha, permitting a feeling of closure and meditation on the thoughts and ideas presented therein. There is certainly a unique rhythm to Siddhartha which is skillfully communicated both consciously and subconsciously. One can appreciate the conscious craftmanship" of the novel's structure and style, while at the same time allowing the rhythm, feelings, and experiences to sift into one's mind on a deeper, more subconscious level.
The book of Ruth is a female dominated story known for its traditional family values, female dynamics, and the restoration of social status. Although, let it be known that the book of Ruth varies in interpretation depending on one’s own social-location. Social-location is the identity of a person’s gender, race, social class, age, ability, sexuality, and geographical location. After examining A South African Indian Womanist Reading of the Character of Ruth, by Sarojini Nadar, I have learned the significance of the character Ruth for windows in India. Since Womanist is not a very common term, I think it is important to define it for the purpose of this paper. Sarojini Nadar explains “I use the term womanist in the title as opposed to feminist
Mehta, Kamal. “Naipaul as a Short Story Writer”. V. S. Naipaul: Critical Essays Vol. 3. Edited by Ray, Mohit Kumar. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers, 2005. Print.
In this chapter Mahasweta Devi’s anthology of short stories entitled Breast Stories to analyze representations of violence and oppression against women in name of gender. In her Breast Stories, Devi twice evokes female characters from ancient Hindu mythology, envisions them as subalterns in the imagined historical context and, creates a link with the female protagonists of her short stories. As the title suggests, Breast Stories is a trilogy of short stories; it has been translated and analyzed by Gayatri Chakraborty Spivak and, in Spivak’s view, the ‘breast’ of a woman in these stories becomes the instrument of a brutal condemnation of patriarchy. Indeed, breast can be construed as the motif for violence in the three short stories “Draupadi,” “Breast-Giver,” and “Behind the Bodice,”
Rohinton Mistry’s “Such A Long Journey” is the story of turbulent life of Gustad Noble and his family, who lives in Khodadad Building north of Bombay. The story portrays the series of events such as his son Sohrab’s refusal to attend Indian Institution of Technology, hardships faced by his friends and family, political turmoil and chaos caused by the war between India and Pakistan. Gustad transforms from a stubborn, materialistic and awful person to an open-minded and more adaptive to circumstantial changes in his life. Ultimately, Gustad Noble journeys to a greater understanding of his role as a father, friend and citizen of India.
... struggles in their day-to-day lives to subvert these rules placed upon them by men within their lives and within the society. It is every woman’s dream to trespass the boundaries made for her by others. The lives of the child’s mother, aunt, grandmother and others bring out the importance of every day resistance and its role in woman’s liberation
Indian Writing in English has a special status in English Literature owing to its treatment of women characters. Short stories help the writers to project select characters in an impressive way to the readers. In Indian context the status of woman in a society and her treatment is very different from those of her European or American counterparts. Women are depicted both as a good and evil in literature by various writers. However, in no literature is a women stereotyped as was done in Indian literature. Away from the mythical stereotyping of women, Ruskin Bond portrayed his women in a different way. The female characters of his short stories range from a small child to a grandmother. These characters are as powerful as men and have left a strong impression on the readers. I have chosen following eight short stories for the critical analysis of Ruskin Bond’s Women in this paper.
Growing up during a time of violent political upheaval in Sri Lanka, Arjie travels an especially bittersweet journey into maturation in Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy. The adults in Arjie’s extended family mostly belong to an older, more conservative generation that attempts to fit Arjie into society’s norms. The adults that Arjie meets in the community through his family are individuals who prompt him to see past the confines of his childhood, and it is Arjie’s peers who give him the extra push to understanding himself. With guidance from his extended family, his adult friends, and his peers, Arjie is able to discover his identity through understanding the impact of race and gender on his life.
But the relevance of this work is beyond the boundary of an autobiography since it stands as a symbol for the untouchable or Dalit community. As a result it could be placed on the high pedestal of Indian literature. Valmiki’s struggle described so graphically is symptomatic of the extent of the challenges involved in the process of reclaiming dignity for himself and his community. Om Prakash Valmiki, through this work presents himself not as a writer, but as a member of Dalit community who makes the unheard voice of these suppressed people echo in this world of