Mar 25, 2016 10:17 PM
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I have read this novel as a syllabus and here is my review or you may say my assignment work.
Introduction to the novel and novelist:-
R.K Narayan is a prominent writer of world literature, his full name is Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan he was born in madras, India, after teaching and journalism, he decided that he would be a fiction writer, Swami and friends is his first novel, Swami and friends was written in 1932 and later published in 1935 with the help of his friend and writer Graham Greene, who was so impressed with it, According to R.K Narayan “English is a very adaptable language. And it’s so transparent it can take on the tint of any country.”, His style is smooth and simple. His sentences are crisp, he writes about everyday occurrences, Narayan passes no judgement on anybody, he presents Swami for what he is and also the world around him for what it is.
Irony and Humour in the play Swami and friends:
Narayan started writing this novel with the words "It was Monday morning…" as the protagonist of the novel is Swami and Monday for him is as boring as for any other students or the reason may be the scripture teacher of Swami who always attacks and mocks Indian Gods in class, with the help of the character of Swami, Narayan let the readers to look the pre-independence days in India, Narayan does not directly attack or criticize the colonial system rather he writes ironically, there are four friends of Swami with whom he shares confidence and they are very close that they can laugh at anything but everything gets upside down with the entry of Rajam in the play and in the friendship, Rajam is the colonial superpower that R.K Narayan introduces, Rajam was a new comer, he was a paragon of western culture, he dressed very well, he was the only boy in class who wore socks and shoes, fur cap and tie, and a wonderful coat, he was good in English and everyone in class was influenced.
Swami and Friends is more than the story of a child. It is the story of a generation of Indians who are born and brought up in the shadow of the British colonial Raj and who inherit the confusions of the cultural and social conflict. This is best seen where Swami is seen alternatively admiring and envying Rajam: the rich boy who walks to school dressed like a'European'. Swami is caught between two worlds as represented by Mani and Rajam. Rajam who stands for all that is posh and urbane, smooth and unemotional, well educated. The other end is Mani who is rough, untamed, naive, emotional and yet loyal. The masterly irony is seen because these two characters not only meet but(in Swami's eyes) they also apparently get along well. To the end, Swami cannot understand the difference and hence the suffering in the final scene.
Humour in a situation depends neither on verbal means nor on characters, but purely on the situation that turns out to be funny, For Swaminathan life consists mainly of having adventures with his friends, avoiding the misery of homework, and coping as best as he can.
Swami's criticism of his class teacher's face was that his eyes were too near each other, that there was more hair on his chin than one saw from the bench, and that he was very bad-looking. when Swami's scripture teacher Ebenezar attacks Hindu God to glorify Jesus on this Swaminathan got up and asked some question and for that his ear was pinched.The teacher asks Swaminathan to stand up and questions him “What do you know about the Indian climate?” Swami answers, “It is hot in summer and cold in winter”, He was given the punishment of standing on the bench and he was glad to be punished, he classified the whole class according to their caps.
The excitement over the naming of the club is very interesting. There was no end of suggestions. Finally they decided on Malgudi, they were happy that they got recognition as founder members of the M.C.C., The firm has asked for an advance amount of twenty five percent, but the three friends failed to understand the meaning of words like „obliged?, „remit? and?25 percent?. They then decided that the letter had been sent to Rajam by mistake and hence it was returned with the following covering letter: “We are very sorry that you sent me somebody?s letter. We are returning this somebody?s letter. Please send our things immediately”. The whole episode is highly amusing and another tribute to R.K.Narayan?s knowledge and understanding of children?s world. The boys waited eagerly for days together. But there was no response, no bats, balls and stumps. Rajam made three bats out of the bottom of a deal wood case and also obtained three old tennis balls from his father?s club. A patch of ground adjacent to Rajam?s house was to be used as the field. Pea promised to bring the stumps but could not even after a long search. A part of the wall of Rajam?s house was marked as the stumps and so they began to play.
According to S.C.Harrex, Narayan “finds the child a natural medium for humour both because the child has an innate sense of fun and capacity for joy, and because the child is often unconsciously funny, particularly when it is being most serious or when it adopts grossly exaggerated attitudes”, the writer tries to understand the world of child their likes and dislikes etc, Even in the quarrel between Mani and Rajam, Narayan adopts a serio-comic attitude.
This novel is worth reading because it is the first novel of R.K Narayan.
