Conflict and Resolution In The Selected Novels Of R K Narayan

Abstract

R.K.Narayan is one of the most celebrated novelists newlineamong the Indian writers in English. His name has virtually newlinebecome synonym with Indian English literature. Narayan s newlinesense of humour, his unassuming understated but highly newlinemeaningful presentation, his irony, his rootedness in religion newlineand family relationships give a rare warmth and authenticity to newlinehis writing. As a novelist he is primarily concerned with the newlineinterplay between the individual and the circumstances in newlinewhich they happen to find themselves. His novels embody a newlinemoral universe which is defined by its own limits and the newlineindividual with all his winds and vagaries has to abide by these newlinelimits. There is occasional mismatch between the individual newlinecharacters and their surroundings or the values inherent in these newlinesurroundings stand in the way of the individual s ambitions. newlineThis is the major source of conflict in the novels of R.K.Narayan. newlineThere comes moments in his novels where reconciliation newlineappears to be impossible. At such moments, the moral universe newlineasserts itself and forces the characters to come to term with it. newlineThus Narayan s fictional imagination creates a familiar newlinepattern of conflict and resolution as it has been embodied in the newlineIndian myths and legends. The core of Narayan s vision and art newlinelies in an awareness in which illusion and reality, the mundane newlinePage | 7 newlineand the spiritual, the cosmic and the human, the tragic and the newlinecomic easily exchange the places and what matters is only a newlinechange in the mode of perception. When the doors of perception newlineare cleansed life becomes immense and holy. newlineThe present study comprises five chapters and a detailed newlinebibliography. Here a humble attempt has been made to newlineunderstand the fact that Narayan s novels do embody a value newlinesystem and his delineation of man s ambience in the light of newlineIndian value system lends richness to his comic and affirmative newlinevision. newlineThe first chapter of the thesis is introductory in nature. An newlineattempt has been made to define conflict. The major sources of newlineconflict in the novels of R.K.Narayan is t