I am slowly becoming an ardent fan of R.K. Narayan and his writing style. I have read several of his books, but this one turned out to be a very different book among the others. Though there are a few hilarious moments in the book, it is mostly about the male chauvinistic society, and how timid Indian women choose to stay with an arrogant husband than to come out of it and lead an independent life. It becomes nearly impossible especially when the woman in question has children and is meek minded.
The protagonist Savithri, accepts her husband's rudeness in all situations but bursts out her emotions when he is found guilty of an affair with a co-worker. She decides to come out during a mid-night quarrel with him in spite of her fearful timid nature. She tries to take the children with her, but her husband would not allow her to do so. She leaves her three children, Kamala, Sumathi and Babu and steps out of her house in an odd hour. She walks straight to the river and tries to drown herself, but is saved by a poor part-time burglar. Soon she finds herself in the company of the burglar's wife. She strongly develops the feeling of being independent and to earn for her living and refuses to eat anything unless she gets a job. Finally she becomes a care-taker of a temple. Her determination and anger lasts only for 3 days, after which she feels home-sick and wants to go back to her children. She leaves the job and returns home. She is received happily by her children and there is not much of approval or rejection from her husband. The couple exchange conversations as though things have been more than normal, the past three days.
I have an odd habit of reading the last chapter when I am in the middle of the novel. This book gave me a jerk when I read the last chapter when I was actually in the middle. In a single page the writer convinces the readers on how Savithri changes her mind to go back to her family.
The characters in the novel are very real in their own way. We can still see several Savithris living among us. Though the novel is set in late 1930s, the characters are not out-dated. Even after several centuries there will still be Savithris and Ramanis where the novel succeeds in winning time.
The protagonist Savithri, accepts her husband's rudeness in all situations but bursts out her emotions when he is found guilty of an affair with a co-worker. She decides to come out during a mid-night quarrel with him in spite of her fearful timid nature. She tries to take the children with her, but her husband would not allow her to do so. She leaves her three children, Kamala, Sumathi and Babu and steps out of her house in an odd hour. She walks straight to the river and tries to drown herself, but is saved by a poor part-time burglar. Soon she finds herself in the company of the burglar's wife. She strongly develops the feeling of being independent and to earn for her living and refuses to eat anything unless she gets a job. Finally she becomes a care-taker of a temple. Her determination and anger lasts only for 3 days, after which she feels home-sick and wants to go back to her children. She leaves the job and returns home. She is received happily by her children and there is not much of approval or rejection from her husband. The couple exchange conversations as though things have been more than normal, the past three days.
I have an odd habit of reading the last chapter when I am in the middle of the novel. This book gave me a jerk when I read the last chapter when I was actually in the middle. In a single page the writer convinces the readers on how Savithri changes her mind to go back to her family.
The characters in the novel are very real in their own way. We can still see several Savithris living among us. Though the novel is set in late 1930s, the characters are not out-dated. Even after several centuries there will still be Savithris and Ramanis where the novel succeeds in winning time.
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