Journal of Positive School Psychology http://journalppw.

com
2022, Vol. 6, No. 6, 6564 – 6567

PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN R. K. NARAYAN’S THE DARK

ROOM

1G. Madhavaiah

1
Research Scholar, V.S. University, Nellore & Dr. V. Sri Rama Murthy, Research Supervisor,
Govt. Degree College Vidavalur.

Abstract
The most prevalent Indian writer Rasipuram Krishna Swamy Narayan Iyer, popularly known as R.K.
Narayan was born in a South Indian conservative Brahmin family in the Madras Presidency on 10th
October1906. Narayan has covered the lean of human seasons from boyhood to the old age. He has
depicted many varieties of characters with different ages and outlook. His characterization covers
different levels of age from childhood, adolescent and age. Narayan tried to portray the real south
Indian middle class society, their joys, sufferings, particularly of women. Narayan has shown his deep
concern for women representing the middle class community. He has written novels in English, which
is not the mother tongue of the characters. The approach is very realistic and genuine. Narayan has
very light approach towards life which is resembled in many characters of his novels. With his native
and fresh style of writing, Narayan has attracted the attentions of many writers like E.M. Foster,
Graham Green and William Walsh. He presents his characters very natural with simple thought
process which is easily understood by common readers. His characters speak in lucid English
language which is easily understood by common readers. This made him easy to connect with south
Indian middle class readers. They find themselves in the characters and own them. It’s one of the
reasons of Narayan’s success.

Keywords: Domestic violence, tradition and culture, middle class and domination.

Introduction system and other social inequalities. He quoted

in an article that the mood of comedy, the
Many novels of Narayan are around middle sensitivity to atmosphere, the probing of
class community, educated and semi-urban psychological factors, are the necessary
issues. Country side women are rarely depicted ingredients in fiction. Narayan strongly
in his novels. Since all the novels of Narayan believed that life is illogical and man always
take place in the imaginary town “Malgudi” tries to bring his fantasies into reality. Women
and it is a semi-urban locality, the people of of the society got adjusted to the patriarchal
Malgudi are also educated, cultured but Hindu society and they are unaware that they
innocent. As the time changes Malgudi was are losing their rights and freedom. The family
also updated with railway station, power and society have tuned women that they have
facility and educational institutions. Though to accept and tolerate all their burdens, just
Narayan is very realistic writer, he did not because they are women. The male dominated
touch the ugly side of reality. The situations are society imposed them all for many years and
not very problematic unlike the other they were not strange to them. Woman was
contemporary novelist, Mulk Raj Anand, always kept in a secondary place loosing
Narayan seldom touched the social problems individuality, stature and strength as shown in
like domestic violence, caste system, Hindu religious books. As the characters are
untouchability, feudal domination, dowry
6565 Journal of Positive School Psychology

from middle class community, Narayan tries to marital relationship of her husband with she
craft middle class women out of the old cries,
fashioned, who are home makers but
uneducated. Narayan also came from educated “Do not touch me, you are dirty, you
middle class family but he has broad thinking are impure.
towards women. Many female characters find Even if I burn my skin, I cannot
maximum space in many novels of Narayan. cleanse myself of the impurity of your touch”.
The Dark Room: The physical relation between unmarried
The Dark Room is the third novel of Narayan. couple is considered to be very impure and sin.
This is a special novel because it tries to up Savitri, who always bears all the pain in the
bring the domestic violence and women silence breaks out with her husband and shouts.
worries in Indian marital system. This novel Savitri tries to control herself and tells him why
was written in 1930. It deals with the she becomes like that. A family woman has to
contemporary social issues and challenges. The give birth to children and nurture them. She has
Dark Room was an inspiration by Isben’s “A to work for the house and family. She cannot
Dolls’ House” in which the heroine comes out follow trend and fashion. Just like a typical
of the house for self-education. The concept of Indian woman, who believes that her whole life
equality and education for women was a is her husband, Savitri jumps into a river. The
revolutionary concept. Savitri, the protagonist timely arrival of Mari, a blacksmith and burglar
of the novel tries hard for identity and freedom. who was crossing the river found Savitri
In 1930, the idea of questioning the family floating on the water. Mari’s wife Ponni tries to
conditions and cultural practices was a big comfort her. The other choice to Savitri was to
thing. The domination of male in the society go to her parent’s house and to live
and family was high in society. Savitri explains independently. But she doubts corning her
the situation, bread and butter,

“Men are impetuous. One moment they “If I take the train and go to my parents, I shall
will be all in temper and the next all kindness. be living on my husband’s earnings. What can I
Men have to bear many worries and burdens, do myself? Unfit to earn a handful of rice
and you must overlook it if they are sometimes except begging. If I had gone to college and
unreasonable.” studied, I might have become a teacher or
something”.
The above lines tell us the mood and
attitude of men of that age. The instability in The above lines tell us the woman position of
the mind set of men how they respond due to financial status. Due to the dependence over the
their worries and burdens. Though men face husband, they are forced to survive on their
outside problems, they enjoy certain domestic husband’s income. In the pre-independence
privileges. The society has given them many India, women had no financial freedom, no
duties and rights also. These rights are mainly right for education and marriage. RK Narayan
used to dominate women at home and in shows the contemporary woman problems and
society. Ramani, husband of Savitri gets tries to find out the traditional and modern
attracted to another woman at the office. thinking of woman. He ties to promote the
Ramani works for the Englandia Insurance status of women very consciously. It is a great
Company. Those were the days when men and achievement of RK Narayan’s creative thinking
woman started working out at offices. that he tried to portray Indian women and then
Obviously the attraction between the opposite way of life without hurting or damaging the
genders takes place. According to Indian soul of Indian tradition and culture. The typical
customs extra marital relationship is considered Indian woman is seen in the character Savitri,
as sin. If a man and a woman want to have when her husband got attracted towards another
physical relation it must happen only after woman, she tries to check herself and compares
marriage. That relation was restricted only to with Sanatabai in physical appearance
wife and husband. The strong ethical and “What is she like?”
marital system of India taught the same to the
society. When Savitri knows about the extra “I am not bad, am I”?
G. Madhavaiah 6566

“These strum pets with their power and responsibility shall be led by women in the
paint!” family. The treatment to women characters is
very assertive in his novels. We find almost all
“Has she as clear skin as mine without women characters as housewives and very few
her paint”? working with own self-image and desire for
When a husband is diverted to another lady, an emancipation. The married women are found
Indian woman feels envious because she could giving high respect to age-old traditions and
not manage to attract her husband as the other practices. The typical Indian women are
woman does. orthodox, submissive, docile, meek minded and
follow age-old traditional, cultural and
Looking at the mirror Savitri says, religious practices in the male dominated
society.
“Perhaps I’m not good enough for
him”.
“Let me admit my completion has become Conclusion:
rather sooty, and these dark rings under the
eyes”. The women characters are very realistic and
very close to reality. The mindset and ideology
“I am getting careless about my hair, is apt to the contemporary religious, cultural
and braid it any how”. and social conditions. The impact of rich Indian
culture, influence of epics, Indian philosophy
Instead of finding fault from the husband side
and the Hindu Dharma play a vital role in the
Savitri finds fault with herself. That’s how the
thinking behaviors and decision making. The
society has impact on the woman mind set and
Hindu philosophy has made lot of impact on
made her think that the problem and the root
the ideology of Indian woman and in their
cause are taken and blamed herself. At the
lifestyle. In every stage of their life the
end of the novel, Savitri decides to give up her
reference of Hindu religious characters are set
life to stop all these social and marital
as an example. The women are traditionally
problems. But she gets a very brave idea, why
good, carried the reputation of the family and
can’t I live and survive on my own. Instead
more responsible for good and bad in the
loosing life I can live away from him and lead
society. Responsibility is the main
life. She also thinks off her children who would
characterization of Indian woman social
become orphans, if she dies. The women of
outlook, following strong believes and having
1930s, 1940s, their thinking and the women of
patience is generally made ornaments to
1980s and their thinking can be clearly
woman. The characters of Narayan also have
observed in his novels. The first generation
all the above mentioned qualities. The women
women were very loyal to the old social
of the era are found with very good tendencies .
customs; they strictly followed them without
The supreme and divine qualities of love,
any hesitation and questioning. The second
sacrifice and courage are found in the woman
generation women are educated and matured,
characters. Women are not supposed to rise
unlike their parents and grandparents, they are
above man and lead them. The contemporary
assertive and modern. It was the time the
constrains of social and cultural practices are
western women started raising their voice for
strictly followed by the women. Sufferings and
their rights too, but Narayan did not try to bring
struggles commonly appear in every woman’s
the transformation in the Indian women
personal life and they are meant to bear with
abruptly, it was slow and gradual within the
them.
limits. The beauty in Indian marriage system is
family. When a male and female get married, Women are made responsible for all social and
they make a family. In any society, family is family circumstances. They never had the
very important and backbone to society. For a feeling that they were equivalent to men.
strong society, we need strong family system Supremacy of man over woman is very natural
which develops human and social values and general thing. The trend got same change
needed to survive in society. Family system in the late 70s and 80s. Women have to accept
develops relationships, affection and concern life and society as it comes. R.K. Narayan’s
among family members. The complete writing style and supports and represents the
6567 Journal of Positive School Psychology

same in his novels. Narayan has originally [9] Kundu, A.K. Vedanta and Myth: A Study
depicted the original tendencies and realistic of R.K. Narayan’s Novels. New Delhi:
nature of society, because the characters of Neha Publishers & Distributers, 2009.
Narayan are very original and natural, so they [10] Mohod, Veena. Social Realism in R.K.
accept and respond to the situations so Narayan’s Novels. Jaipur: Book Enclave,
normally. Imagination is not permitted in his 1997.
characters. Illusion and revolutionary ideology
are not seen in the behaviors of the characters.
In his long writing career, Narayan has
presented the changes in the society and
conditions of women accordingly. They
behaved and responded to the contemporary
conditions. Narayan never portrayed them
responding contrast to the contemporary
mindset. He never tried to be a reformer or
improver but just presented the conditions of
the women as natural as they are without
addition or obliteration. Narayan’s natural and
genuine characterization stuns the readers and
takes them to Malgudi. It would have been
better if Narayan had brought some awareness
or criticism on the contemporary evil practices
like domestic violence, dowry system and
equality through his characters. But, Narayan
showcased the conditions to the readers and
constrained himself as a presenter.

References
[1] Narayan, R.K. The Dark Room, Chennai:
Indian Thought Publications, 1938.
[2] Bhargava, Rajul, Indian Writing in
English: the Last Decade, Jaipur, 2002.
[3] Bhargava, Rajul. Indian Writing in
English: The Last Decade. Jaipur: Rawat
Publications, 2002.
[4] Bhatnagar, Manohar. Twentieth Century
Literature in English. New Delhi: Atlantic
Publishers, 1996.
[5] Biswal, Jayant K. A Commitment to Life:
a Study of R.K. Narayan’s Major Novels.
New Delhi: Nirmal Publishers &
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[6] Biswal, Jayant K. A Critical Study of the
Novels of R.K. Narayan. New Delhi:
Nirmal Publishers and Distributors, 1987.
[7] Dayal, B. A. Critical Study of the Themes
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M.R. Anand, R.K. Narayan and K.A.
Abbas, Ranchi: Jubilee Prakashan, 1985.
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Delhi: Sarup and Sons, 2001.