PLOT CONSTRUCTION
The plot of the novel can easily be divided into four
parts, with each part marking a distinct stage in the growth of Chandran as a
character. When the novel begins, Chandran is a cheerful, confident, and ambitious
college student who has his own set of prejudices, choices, middle class
snobbery, and dreams. He is smart, intelligent, and a laborious student. His
college life and its adventures, which ru up to first five chapters, form the first part of the novel.
The
second part, which
consists of five chapters, is all about Chandran’s first brush with love and
its trauma. He falls madly for a girl called Malathi and waits for her every
evening at the banks of Sarayu. His intensions of marrying the girl cause
tension and conflict with his parents, particularly his mother who believes in following
all the customs and traditions as well as in the idea of supremacy of the groom
and his family before the bride’s. Chandran’s father tries hard to get the
alliance materialize for the sake of his son, but for the rigid attitude of Malathi’s
father who is not willing to risk his daughter’s life for a good alliance. Chandran’s
frustration and contempt for rigid societal norms and customs knows no bounds.
He is not able to take the blow of celebration of Malathi’s wedding
announcement, and falls ill. His father advises him for a change of place and
arranges to send him to Madras. Chandran leaves for Madras.
The
third part of the novel is
the most important part from the point of view of plot construction. This part
can be said to be the structural center
of the novel. Though there are only two chapters in this part, this is a
significant landmark in Chandran’s growth as an individual. Kailas is an
embodiment of all the temptations that the world has to offer. But Chandran is
able to resist the temptation of women and wine because of his fine upbringing.
Chandran renounces everything and becomes a sanyasi, begging for alms and
avenging himself upon the world for its cruelty and heartlessness. For eight
months he sleeps on footpaths, loiters about from one village to another
surviving on charity. Finally he realizes the futility of this rebellion and he
understands that the nature of his renunciation is altogether different from
the renunciation of sanyasis who give up the world to attain salvation whereas
he has adopted it as an alternative to suicide. He realizes that he has cheated
people who helped him because of his garb of a sanyasi. He comes to terms with
his life and decides to return to the place where he would be always loved –
his home.
The
fourth part is about
Chandran’s homecoming, and it consists of six chapters. He realizes his
mistakes, and feels sorry for causing immense worry to his parents. He feels
grateful for their love, care and concern. He also feels that now he should become
financially independent instead of living off his father’s wealth. He acquires
the Malgudi agency of Daily Messenger and uses very innovative ideas to
increase its circulation. He marries the girl his parents suggest for him.
Though the plot looks loose and incoherent initially,
but there is thematic unity in all the parts and Chandran is the unifying
factor of all the parts.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS
All the three novels in this trilogy, Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts, and The
English Teacher have autobiographical elements in them. For this novel,
Narayan borrows heavily from his own college experience. He was a student of
Mysore’s prestigious Maharaja’s College that had many British professors and a
great English teacher and scholar J. C. Rollo as its principal. The character
of Professor Brown bears a close resemblance to Prof Rollo. Narayan has created
Albert Mission College out of his experiences as a student of BA in Maharaja’s
College , Mysore.
Though Unlike Chandran, Narayan was not a bright and
hardworking student, his favorite pastime was to sit on the college stairs and
discuss everyday matters with his close friend Ramachandra Rao aka Ramu. Chandran’s
friend Ramu is actually Narayan’s friend Ramu in his fictionalized avatar.
Narayan’s younger brother was also named Seenu and he would accompany Narayan
on many of his adventurous outings with Ramu.
Narayan, at the age of twenty eight, fell in love with
an eighteen year old girl Rajam the moment he beheld her. He approached the
girl’s parents with a proposal for marriage who were outraged at the
unconventionality of the proposal. Narayan’s and Rajam’s horoscopes did not
match and her family was not ready for the alliance. It took Narayan a lot of
effort and time in convincing them. Finally, the marriage took place and
Narayan spent some happiest years of his life with Rajam. But this happiness
was short lived as Rajam died soon after giving birth to their daughter Hema. The
character of Susila bears a resemblance to Rajam.
Chandran’s falling in love with Malathi at the first
sight, and the ensuing conflict and tension is fictionalized version of Narayan’s
own experiences.
Also, Narayan worked for a newspaper called The
Justice for some time. Chandran’s choice of career for himself is based on
Narayan’s own experience as a city reporter for this newspaper.
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