Hello everyone!
I am Nidhi Jethava and I am a student of MK Bhavnagar University department of English. This is my assignment about pre-independence India English literature.
Name : Nidhi P. Jethava
Paper : Indian English Literature- pre -independence.
Roll No. : 13
Enrollment Number : 306920200009
Email ID : jethavanidhi8@gmail.com
Batch : 20-22( MA SEM- 2 )
Submitted to : S. B. Gardi Department of English, Maharaja KrishnaKumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Critical Analysis of the short stories ‘An Astrologer’s Day’ And ‘ A Snack in the Grass’
Answer :-
R. K. Narayan :-
R. K. Narayan (born 1906) is one of the best-known of the Indo-English writers. He created the imaginary town of Malgudi, where realistic characters in a typically Indian setting lived amid unpredictable events.
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanswami, who preferred the shortened name R.K. Narayan, was born in Madras, India, on Oct. 10, 1906. His father, an educator, travelled frequently, and his mother was frail, so Narayan was raised in Madras by his grandmother and an uncle. His grandmother inspired in young Narayan a passion for language and for people. He attended the Christian Mission School, where, he said, he learned to love the Hindu gods simply because the Christian chaplain ridiculed them. Narayan graduated from Maharaja's College in Mysore in 1930. In 1934 he was married, but his wife, Rajam, died of typhoid in 1939. He had one daughter, Hema. He never remarried.
‘An Astrologer’s Day’
An Astrologer's Day is a thriller, suspense short story by author R. K. Narayan. While it had been published earlier, it was the titular story of Narayan's fourth collection of short stories published in 1947 by Indian Thought Publications.It was the first chapter of the world famous collection of stories Malgudi Days which was later telecasted on television in 2006.
Fallon and et al. described the work as "a model of economy without leaving out the relevant detail." Themes found in An Astrologer's Day recur frequently throughout Narayan's work. The story was adapted into a 2019 Kannada movie Gara.
‘A Snack in the Grass’
A Snake in the Grass by R.K. Narayan depicts a family with a problem. Several superstitions or rituals are indicated in the short story. Living in southern India, the Indian people fear and honour the King Cobra.
Themes of the both stories :-
According to Dermot McManus In An Astrologer’s Day by R.K Narayan we have the theme of fate, fear, freedom, appearance, desperation, guilt and relief.
An Astrologer’s day
Fate
Narayan's world is predominantly a Hindu one in which fate plays an important role. Nothing happens by accident and all human actions have consequences. The entire story is based on the astrologer's sense of guilt at having stabbed another young man in the village and then having absconded in order to avoid punishment. The stabbing is later seen to be an act of youthful folly. Nonetheless, the astrologer lives with the fear of being identified, and the curious irony is that it is he who identifies the victim and not the other way about. He does not pay for his crime, but the story ends on the note that he had spent years regretting his deed and that in itself is punishment enough. The story demands a suspension of disbelief, and if credibility is strained at certain points, it is because the author's notion of fate transcends rational.
Theme of Fear and Guilt.
The story is Taken from his Malgudi Days collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story it becomes clear to the reader that Narayan may be exploring the theme of fear and how far a man might go in order to overcome fear. The astrologer has left his village due to the fact that he was afraid that he had killed somebody (Guru Nayak). In what seems to be a friendship that has gone badly wrong the astrologer not only was afraid of what he felt he might have done but he was also conscious that should he stay in the village he would be charged with murder and in turn lose his freedom. Which is interesting as the astrologer spends his nights helping people gain some sort of control or freedom within their lives. However it may be worth knowing that the astrologer is somewhat of a charlatan and in reality doesn’t really know very much about the stars. His job is a means to an end. He stays on the street at night in order to feed his family. However people still come to the astrologer looking for information that might help them with their lives. Which may suggest that each customer is somewhat desperate. Desperate enough to believe what the astrologer is telling them. When the reality is the astrologer is formulating an opinion based on the information each customer gives him.
Symbolically it may also be important that for most of the story the astrologer is in the dark. This in many ways mirrors how the astrologer feels when it comes to Guru. He, like the street, was in the dark about what happened to Guru. The lightning in the street and the fact that it is dark also sets the tone for the astrologer’s conversation with Guru. It is not by chance that the astrologer knows Guru by name. However what is not clear to the reader is at what point the astrologer began to recognise Guru. What is also interesting is the advice that the astrologer gives to Guru. It is entirely defensive. That being the astrologer is attempting to put as much distance between himself and Guru. If anything the astrologer is protecting himself and ensuring that he does not see Guru again. Which in all likelihood will be the case as Guru believes everything that the astrologer has said to him.
Theme of Guilt
Narayan may also be exploring the theme of guilt. The astrologer has spent his time in the city believing that he has killed Guru and the weight of this on his conscience forced the astrologer to abandon his village. If anything it was the guilt that the astrologer felt along with the fear of going to prison for murder that drove the astrologer out of his village. It is also interesting that the astrologer has the appearance of an astrologer or someone who might know what the stars have in store for an individual. This could be important as it is most likely that the astrologer has changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city. The young man that he had been was no longer. The innocence of his childhood was lost after the incident with Guru. The astrologer in order to make a living and to succeed in the city had to change who he was. Something that he successfully managed to do. So successful is the astrologer at changing his appearance that not even Guru was able to recognise him. It is as though the astrologer has all the tools of the trade, something that is noticeable from the opening paragraph of the story.
Theme of Relief
The end of the story is also interesting as Narayan appears to be exploring the theme of relief. The astrologer feels relieved that Guru is not dead as it lifts a great weight from the astrologer’s shoulders. How relaxed the astrologer is; is noticeable by the way that he explains his story to his wife. It is in a casual manner. Which may be important as again there is a sense that the astrologer feels more relaxed about his life. So relaxed in fact that he manages to stretch himself on the pyol. Where once the astrologer had been driven by fear this is no longer the case. His life can begin again knowing that he is not a murderer. He may be a charlatan when it comes to the art of astrology but that in itself is not a crime. At last the astrologer can feel free even if he doesn’t know what the stars have in store for him. The darkness that was inside the astrologer has disappeared. No longer is he tied down by his past and the mistake that he thought he had made. At the end of the story there is not only a sense of relief but also a sense of freedom. The shackles the astrologer had imposed on his mind are gone.
2. A Sank in the Grass
In A Snake in the Grass by R.K. Narayan has the theme of responsibility, honesty, trust, fear, control and tradition. So let’s discuss all the themes one by one.
Responsibility :-
Taken from his An Astrologer’s Day and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Narayan may be exploring the theme of responsibility. It is made clear to Dasa that he has the responsibility to catch the snake. If anything he is being blamed on the snake’s appearance in the garden due to the fact that the garden is overgrown and Dasa has not maintained it. Even though Dasa suggests he had previously asked for a grass-cutter everybody in the story still considers Dasa to be responsible for catching the snake. Dasa is also threatened with being fired should he not find the snake. If anything there is a sense that Dasa may be lazy. There are many ways to cut grass without a grass-cutter yet Dasa is focused only on obtaining a grass-cutter rather than actually exerting himself and cutting the grass another way. As the family in the story do when they are searching for the snake. It is also noticeable that Dasa’s efforts at searching for the snake are half-hearted. He doesn’t really put much effort into his actions. Which again would suggest that Dasa may be lazy.
Honesty and Trust :-
One of the most prominent themes is Honesty and trust. Family members have blind trust in Dasa. Family might think that Dasa caught the Snake but it is not true. The fact that Dasa is in bed when the snake arrives and is the only person in the story who is still in bed further suggests that Dasa may be lazy. It is as though Dasa knows what he can and can’t get away with. There is also a sense that Dasa can’t be trusted. Firstly as mentioned he half-heartedly searches for the snake and secondly at the end of the story he claims to have found the snake in a pot yet nobody actually sees the snake in the pot. Leaving one of the boys to question as to whether there were two snakes. When in all likelihood there is only one snake and Dasa doesn’t have the snake at all. As to why Dasa might like to lie to the family. It is possible that he is conscious of the threat that the family have made towards him about being fired and as such he concocts a story in order to save his job. Which in reality is understandable though at the same time is dishonest. Dasa’s number one priority in the story appears to be maintaining the status quo. That being, keeping himself in comfortable employment for a family who does not seem to see that Dasa is not only lazy and dishonest but also untrustworthy.
Theme of Tradition
Narayan may also be exploring the theme of tradition. Something that is noticeable through the mother and the beggar’s conversation. This may be important as the mother’s fears are alleviated after she talks to the beggar. So thankful is the mother that she gives the beggar a coin. It is also possible that Narayan may be suggesting that it can be beneficial to an individual to follow tradition. However though the mother might believe that the cobra is a sign of God Subramanya visiting her the reality is that the cobra still needs to be caught as it is venomous. It has the potential to kill an individual regardless of their beliefs. What is also interesting is how easily afraid the mother can get. When her son tells her that a person dies every twenty minutes from a cobra-bite the mother nearly screams with anguish. Though as mentioned the beggar does alleviate the mother’s fears. Whether her words ring true is another thing. The introduction of the snake-charmer also plays on the theme of tradition. Though he is only briefly mentioned in the story his words also help the mother when it comes to her fears and apprehensions over the snake. Though unfortunately he is unable to do anything till the snake can be found. Something that Dasa eventually claims to have done.
Theme of control
It may also be a case that Narayan is exploring the theme of control. The snake-charmer has control over snakes. Dasa is supposed to have control over the garden yet it is growing wild and the family are supposed to have control over Dasa. Though this does not appear to be so in the story. It would appear that Dasa is his own boss. The family trusts him to do things like cut the grass or help find the snake but he never fully exerts himself. In reality Das is living the life a master would rather than the life of a servant. He is fully trusted by the family but the reader is already aware that this trust is misguided. Dasa simply can’t be trusted. Something that might be understood by the college-boy who wishes that he had looked inside the pot that Dasa was carrying. Dasa has saved himself from being fired though how long he may remain in the family’s employment is difficult to say. Eventually they must realise just what type of character Dasa is. A lazy, dishonest and untrustworthy man who is taking advantage of his job as a servant to the family.
Protagonist analysis of the stories :
Character of Guru Nayak and An Astrologer :
Guru Nayak was the man whom the astrologer tried to murder several years before the story begun over a drunken street brawl. Guru Nayak is introduced in the story as an aggressive stranger who is searching for a man who tried to kill him a few years ago. Guru Nayak wants to strangle the person who harmed him. He left the village in search of the man. He arrives before an astrologer to find the whereabouts of the person. He exhibits a skeptical attitude on astrologers and his wisdom to forecast. Guru Nayak couldn’t identify the attacker in the market place who was before him due to darkness of the evening and the paint on his forehead, turban, and long beard that the astrologer wears.
Eventually, he believes that the astrologer is a prophet who tells him the specifics of the person who attacked him and even tells Guru Nayak’s name itself. Guru Nayak gets disappointed knowing that the attacker died under the lorry a few months before. He feels satisfied to hear from the astrologer the death of the attacker. As a result, he promises to go home and never venture north of the village. The author narrates Guru Nayak as the antagonist compared with Astrologer. However, Guru Nayak name in Hindi is “Guru” means teacher or spiritual initiator and “Nayak” means hero.
An Astrologer.The unnamed protagonist of the story, the astrologer is not truly an astrologer, but was forced to take up astrologers’ profession due to the emergence of sudden adverse circumstances in his life. Every day Beneath a tamarind tree in a market he sets his shop, wearing a priest’s garb, wrapping in saffron clothing, painting his face with sacred ash and vermillion and posing as a holy man with cosmic wisdom. For a small fee, he listens to people’s problems for ten minutes and offers them what seems like sage advice, dressing in common sense and manipulations in an astrologist’s lingo. Despite having no actual astrological knowledge, he is quite understanding, empathetic and offers comfort to his customers by giving them solace and emotional support At the end of the story it is known that the astrologer fled his village after having a street brawl with Guru Nayak. Astrologer stabs guru nayak and throws him in a well. So, in order to not to get prosecuted he left the village. He feels that his hand is filled with blood and has committed a crime. He feels a great load on his chest. The burden is felt not out of pity for Guru Nayak, however out of self—interest. Even when the astrologer meets Guru Nayak, he doesn’t feel guilty of the crime he committed. One must appreciate astrologer's shrewdness, commonsense and spontaneity in handling his customers. The astrologer is married and blessed with a child. Astrologer reveals his past to his wife only on the day he meets Guru Nayak in the marketplace. He is greedy too. He abuses Guru Nayak for paying him only 12 annas instead of 1rupee he promised.
Character of Dasa
Dasa is a gardener, and a snake is found in the garden. Dasa first finds reasons for finding the snake in the garden. When he is asked to catch the snake, he makes a half-hearted effort and later claims to have seen the snake go away. It is made clear to Dasa that he has the responsibility to catch the snake. If anything he is being blamed on the snake’s appearance in the garden due to the fact that the garden is overgrown and Dasa has not maintained it. Even though Dasa suggests he had previously asked for a grass-cutter everybody in the story still considers Dasa to be responsible for catching the snake. Dasa is also threatened with being fired should he not find the snake. If anything there is a sense that Dasa may be lazy. There are many ways to cut grass without a grass-cutter yet Dasa is focused only on obtaining a grass-cutter rather than actually exerting himself and cutting the grass another way. As the family in the story do when they are searching for the snake. It is also noticeable that Dasa’s efforts at searching for the snake are half-hearted. He doesn’t really put much effort into his actions. Which again would suggest that Dasa may be lazy Dasa is also untrustworthy and extravagant,
Symbols in the stories :
An Astrologer's Day :
The Astrologer’s Garb and Equipment
The astrologer’s garb and equipment including cowrie shells and mystical looking charts—represent the artificiality of religious practice and, in turn, the ability to take advantage of people’s fear of God. The astrologer’s costumes and wares exhibit people to believe him unconditionally and not being skeptical. Because of the holy nature of appearance, people blindly follow his words. The astrologer’s garb portrayed by Narayan, reflects mystics and holy men in India and the position religion holds in the Culture.
The greatest shame of the astrologer’s garb is that it portrays a figure of divinity and purity to the customers. Nobody questions the integrity of the holy man in India. On the contrary, the astrologer just like any common man is prone to the same ills that he identifies with his customers like marriage, problems of money and twisted human affairs. The astrologer’s garb, as a symbol, reminds the reader that they are all human in character---greedy, selfish, revengeful, as anyone else and petty.
The Marketplace Lights
The market place lights represent the illusion of enlightenment from which astrologers benefit. Customers believe that astrologers possess cosmic and prophetic intelligence. The fluctuating lights and swaying shadows in the marketplace represent a mystical, enchanting ambience that supplements false credibility of the astrologer. All the vendors
have lights, gas lamps or flares except astrologers who have none. He depends on other vendors for lighting. He starts his business by midday, when the crowd is large and light is enough.
When Guru Nayak arrives in the marketplace there is a small shaft of light left. Guru Nayak was skeptical about the astrologer's prophecy. However, Guru Nayak challenges an astrologer to prove his mantle. Later on, Guru Nayak strikes a match to light his cheroot, due to the light his face is illuminated. Light originates for the first time from an astrologer's place. It is a symbol of an opportunity for the astrologer to accept his crime and undergo punishment. On the contrary, he evades his recognition by Guru Nayak shrewdly.
A Snake in the Grass :
Snake
This story has only one symbol: it is a snake. We have different dynamics towards snakes. For many, many years, different cultures and religions around the world have used snakes as symbols.
Websites such as History.com and Encyclopedia Britannica tell us about snake symbolism in ancient cultures. They say the image of a snake meant fertility and rebirth for some native American groups, as well as people living in ancient Greece and Egypt. In This story we can see the Snake as the symbol of fear. People have different points of view towards Snakes. Story set in the Fictional town of R.K.Narayan. People have a religious approach here.
Moral Of the stories :
An Astrologer’s day
Lesson to be learned from "An Astrologer's Day" is that there are many indigent and ignorant underprivileged people living everywhere in the world with hidden talents. If given an opportunity all of them can exhibit their talent and blossom in their chosen profession. Because of imaginary crime the astrologer left his village without any pre-meditated plan or thought. Had he continued in the village he would have carried on his forefather’s profession: tilling the land, living, marrying and living in his ancestral home. But that was not in his fate. The astrologer is quite an interesting and admirable character. He arrives in a big, strange city without any backing except a small sack of clothes. He had no education and specific skill to live upon. But as fate had it, he became an astrologer on an impulse to make a living. Soon he discovered that he has talent for the new profession. As he was “street smart”. He acquired a small home, married a woman and had a child. Now his children would grow in the city. Though the astrologer didn’t have any plan. He impressed his customers with his “professional equipment”. He was
well—versed and worldly wise. He has gone through life—threatening ordeals to survive. At last, he survived without any plan.
A Snake In the Grass
A snake in the Grass is a blend of hypocrisy, superstition and reality. This is one of the Narayan’s masterpieces and depicts some humble elements of a middle class house has been the fairest one and the author’s creative energies are flamed with unprecedented brilliancy. The imaginary situation has become as original as ever done for a literary text because of his talent which is indispensable to art worthy of fame. He propagated the logic of lingual artfulness to arrest the reader’s attention. He believed in inspiration unreservedly and vehemently accepted the value of referring to the ordinary business of life for his material in order to make the piece interesting. Imagination, passion, inspiration and working of the mind are the most interesting materials in it. So the piece is one of the valuable works of the author. It is short and a few occasions are arranged but interesting for its placidness and reality It bears the credit of well-readability. Dasa, the old but clever servant, tricks his employers-a mother and her four sons- into thinking that he has caught a cobra for which the family has been searching in the garden all day. Earlier in the day, the family had accused the servant of being lazy and not cutting the grass. They had spent the entire afternoon frantically searching for the snake.
The irony comes from the servant, who is probably very lazy, amusingly tricking the family into thinking that he has done what they spent all afternoon trying to do. In addition, he saves his job because the family had threatened to fire him if the snake was not found. Shrewdly, he has outwitted them all with his pretense of the snake in the jar. The irony at the end of the story is that the family is planning to reward Dasa when he has in fact lied and endangered them, thus deserving no reward and thus making himself the "snake in the grass" who turns on them.
Dasa has supposedly caught the snake in a water pot, which is sealed with a slab of stone. Dasa claims that he caught the cobra in the pot and is taking it to the snake charmer. The old servant claims that he saw the cobra peering out of the pot, and he sealed up the pot before the snake could get out. Read More The family believes that they have misjudged the old servant, and now, they have to compliment and reward him for finding the snake and trapping it. Quite proud of himself, he tells the family “Don’t call me an idler hereafter.” The mother is satisfied, and Dasa, the old servant, becomes the hero of the day. As he leaves to take the snake to the charmer, the family decides to give him a reward.
Conclusion :-
It was suspenseful till the end of the story. When the astrologer reaches home and confides with his wife the reasons for his running away from home, married her and settles there. So far, all these years he has been thinking that the blood of man was on his hands. When he was young, he was in bad company and always drinking and gambling. One day he was involved in quarreling with a man and stabbed him and threw him in a well. He thought that the man was killed but to his surprise the man was seen alive and he spoke to him. Thus, a great load was relieved off his
Chest. This was the reason why the astrologer left his village without any plan or preparation. As a result, this was how the astrologer could talk correctly of Guru Nayak’s troubled past.Thus story ends with an incredible twist:” a murdered man turns up to consult his “murder”, who is now an astrologer, regarding when will he be able to take his revenge;
the “murderer” recognizes the “murdered” in the matchlight when the former had lit the cheroot but he couldn’t identify his old enemy in the garb of an astrologer. The client is astonished to be told about his past history by the astrologer and modestly agrees to give up his search for his enemy declared to have been crushed by a lorry four months ago in a nearby town. Thus, convinced that his assailant had been dead under the lorry months ago, Guru Nayak would not dare to venture out of his village as he was warned not to risk his life. Thus, secrecy begins to fall in place and the suspense unfolds into an interesting story.
RK.Narayan’s short story ‘ A Snake in the Grass’ is centered around a Cobra which had entered a bungalow on a sunny afternoon. Upon hearing the news of cobra’s entry into the compound, the family members, consisting of the mother and four sons in a great agitation, wake up their old lazy servant Dasa. Dasa tries to dismiss the matter but the family rebukes him for searching for the snake in the bushes. Dasa cleverly counters them for not providing a grass cutter for months. While all are busy cutting bushes and creepers to find the snake, the college boy of the house gives an elaborated statistics of snake-bite deaths.
An old beggar at the gate tells the mother that God Subramanya has come to visit her. The beggar words remind the mother about her forgotten promise of Abhishekam to Lord Subramanya. A snake charmer appears before them and shows his skills in catching the snake. He gives his address to call him whenever they find the snake. The members of family and neighbours are tired as they have been searching for snakes since afternoon.At five in the evening they sit in the veranda to take rest. Dasa,the tricky man, appears before them carrying a sealed water pot and claims that he has put the cobra in the pot. Dasa, feeling himself like a champion ,goes outside to leave the snake . After a while a cobra is seen by the youngest son . It crawls under the gate and disappears along the drain. The family are in a state of confusion that whether there are two snakes or Dasa has deceived them. Deceitful Dasa, in order to retain his job, and to impress the family, cheats them cleverly. The author leaves the ending to the imagination of the readers.
Narayan, R. K. "A Snake In the Grass." An Astrologer's Day and Other Stories . 1947.
Narayan, R. K. "An Astrologer's Day." Malgudi Days . 1947.
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