Paper - Empowerment of Women through the character of Rosie
in R.K. Narayan's 'The Guide'
|
Home |
More Book Reviews
|
Paper On
Empowerment of Women Through The Character of Rosie in R.K. Narayan's
'The Guide'
The perspective of Indian
English novelists represents different levels of the Indian Consciousness,
Shaped by the tradition of Indian humanism and western enlightenment. The theme
of emancipation of women, a wide spread and genuine concern for the amelioration
of their condition for the first time became a social issue in the early
twentieth century. It shaped the creative consciousness of all the Indian
English writers including R.K.Narayan, George Lucas rightly points out.
"Development in India shows that socialism may figure among the forces working
against medievalism. The unusual character of this social evolution will no
doubt give rise to equally unusual literary developments not to be filled into
any of our abstract categories."
|
|
It is through the character of Rosie in The Guide, that Narayan truly
takes up and treats the concept of women's emancipation. She is artistically
inclined young wife of 'Marco' the eccentric art critic, who meets Raju- an
enthusiastic tourist guide at Malgudi Railway station and this meeting
gives a new turn to her life. Rosie's marital life with Marco was woefully
incompatible. In the initial stage, he aggressively defies the wishes of his
wife who desires to see a king-cobra. He snub her. "Don't expect me to go with
you. I can't stand the right of a snake-your interests are morbid." On the other
hand Rosie has a distaste for "Cold, old stone walls". She is perturbed by the
fact that her husband, whom Raju calls 'Macro' is more interested in books,
papers, painting and old art than in being a "real live husband". He is too
steeped in his zeal for archaeological studies, that he neglects his elegant and
fascinating wife. Not realizing the invaluable treasure his wife is, he is "like
a monkey frisking up a rose garland." |
Macro was incompatible and tedious so much so that Raju couldn't help marveling
at the glaring contrast between the two-one, full with promise of life, vibrant
and aglow whereas the other appeared a 'grotesque' creature, preoccupied with
dead and long lost things like cave walls "gazing, Raju thinks in horror". This
man would go on wall-gazing all his life and leave her to languish in her hotel
room. Strange man!" (p 63)
Rosie belongs to a family of professional dancing girls, devoted to the art, for
whom dance is a part and parcel of life. Seeing the cobra dance, she too
unknowingly sways, imitating it and for the shrewd Raju", it was sufficiently to
tell me what she was the greatest dancer of the century." She craves to dance
and longs to express herself through dancing. But far from encouragement. Macro
has compelled her to give up dancing in return for a respectable life. Marco's
only enthusiasm is for collecting and annotating ancient art, and his icy
temperament suggests an implacable malevolence towards love, warmth and life.
She becomes the victim of her husband's indifference and suffers psychologically
as his discontented wife. Macro is only interested in sculptured figures on
walls and stones and not in his wife. "who as dancer was the living embodiment
of those images." In this initial meeting with Rosie, Raju profusely praises her
art:
"I spoke my mind, I praised her dancing. I spoke out my love---- what a glorious
snake dance' oh, I kept thinking of you all night World's artist number one!"
(p.74)
|
|
Interesting, Rosie as she reveals to Raju, in spite of being born in a family
traditionally dedicated to temple dancing, came to be married off to Macro, a
rich bachelor of high social standing and academic interests, became of her
'university degree' and good looks." All the same, she did have written her the
seeds of a talented classical dancer. Raju realises with a touch of regret that
she could have risen like a meteor if only her husband had taken an interest in
building up her career. Unfortunately Macro, her husband, is so much a slave to
his self-chosen professional role as a scholar that he is incapable of playing
his other human and social role as a good husband, with serious repercussions on
the life of his wife. |
Finding encouragement from Raju, Rosie earnestly begins her dance practice.
"Plans! said the sleeper, awakening 'what plans? she smiled at this and said
'There you are always lying on the mat watching me or holding me in your arms. I
have now had good practice. I can manage a show of four hours, although with
accompaniments it would have been much more helpful. I'm here accompanying and
marking time for you. What other accompaniment do you want?"
"I need a full orchestra- we have stayed indoors long enough she said. I found
her so earnest that I had not the courage to joke any more. (pp 155-156) In all
fairness to Rosie though, R.K.Narayan tries to show how the instincts of a
faithful wife were not dead in her. Quickly realizing her mistake, a represent
Rosie tries to mend fences with Marco.
"I realized I had committed an enormous sin.......... My mind was greatly
troubled. I didn't want anything more in life than to make my peace with him. I
did not want to dance. I felt lost....." (pp- 133)
A gifted dancer Rosie was, she at the moment, wanted nothing more than her
husband's forgiveness. She sincerely apologizes to him, but in vain..
"I followed him, day after day, like a dog-waiting on his grace. He ignored me
totally. I could never have imagined that one human being could ignore the
presence of another human being so completely. I followed him like a shadow,
leaving aside all my own pride and self respect. I hoped that ultimately he'd
come round." (p. 134)
She even asks Raju to go away and leave them alone after his show down with
Marco at the Peak House. But Marco reacts by categorically disowning his wife.
"I'm trying to forget..... even the earlier fact that I ever took a wife you are
free to go and do what you please." (p.134)
After the break up of her marriage, Rosie comes back to Raju and takes up her
dance practice with a renewed vigour. Raju's mother, however, had her own
misgivings about having a dancing girl at home and frowned at Rosie's newfound
freedom. She failed to comprehend the real problem.
"After a few days she began to allude to the problems of husband and wife
whenever she spoke to Rosie and filled the time with anecdotes about husbands,
good husbands, mad husbands-- but it was always the wife, be her doggedness,
perseverance and patience, that brought him round. She quoted numerous
mythological stories of Savitri, Seeta and all the well-known heroines." (p.
137)
Raju's mother flies at Rosie and calls her 'a viper' and 'a serpent-girl' out to
wreak havoc on her son. With Raju's co-operation and her own untiring efforts
Rosie manages to build up a dancing career for herself. Soon she rose
phenomenally reaching new heights and became a public heart throb.
"With the attainment of a new name, Roise entered a new phrase of life. Under
the new name Rosie and all she had suffered in her earlier life was buried from
public new. I was the only one who knew her as Rosie and called her so. The rest
of the world knew her as Nalini." (p. 157)
The reverse of the well known adage 'behind every successful man is a woman' may
be applied in the case of Nalini alias Rosie. Blinded by the unprecedented
publicity and glamour Raju in a self congratulatory mood allows himself to
believe that Rosie owed her new-found status entirely to him and couldn't do
without him.
"She needed my inspiring presence (p.162)" I had a monopoly of her and nobody
had anything to do with her...... I resented anyone wanting to make a direct
approach to her. She was my property. This idea was beginning to take root in my
mind." (p.168)
Raju came to monopolize Rosie to the extent of disliking her enjoyment of
others' company.
|
|
"Apart from them, sometimes musicians or actors on other dances called on Nalini
and spent hours with her. Nalini enjoyed their company immensely, and I often
saw them in her hall. Some lying on carpets, some sitting up, all talking and
laughing, while coffee and food were being carried to them. I occasionally went
up and chatted with them-always with a feeling that I was an interloper in that
artistic group. Sometimes it irritated me to see them all so happy and
abandoned." (p. 169)
He grudged her any reprieve from a hectic schedule. |
"She never minded a chance to get a gathering of such friends whenever she might
be. She said "They have the blessing of Goddess Saraswathi on them, they are
good people. I like to talk to them." (p. 169)
"If I examined my heart I knew I had pulled her out became I did not like to see
her enjoy other people's company. I liked to keep her in a citadel. (p 172)
Raju had made a fortune out of Rosie's dancing career and liked to live lavishly
Nalini alias Rosie seemed to accept it all with a touch of resignation but she
was no longer has old happier self.
"We were going through a set of mechanical actions day in and day out- the same
receptions at the station, fussy organizers, encounters, and warnings the same
middle sofa in the first row speeches and remarks and smiles, polite
conversation, garlands and flash photos, congratulations, and off to catch the
train pocketing the most important thing, the cheque. Gradually, I began to say,
not I am going, to Trichy for a performance by Nalini.' But 'I am performing at
Trichy on Sunday on Monday I have a programme' and then 'I can dance in your
place only on...' "I demanded the highest fee, and got it if anyone in India."
(p- 172)
Rosie reminded Marco whom Roji had almost forgotten through the arrival of his
book. The cultural History of South India.' It seemed Rosie still cherished
fondness for her husband. He seemed to have gained in her estimation through the
widespread recognition of his latest scholarly achievement. Raju was alarmed
over Rosie's sudden mood savings.
"What were her moods? Was she same or insane?--- I felt bewildered her sudden
affection for her husband. I did my best for her. Her career was at its height.
What was it that still troubled her? .... I had been taking too much for granted
in our hectic professional existence." (p 180)
As things stand, once Rosie becomes a well-known danseur, she finds her newly
acquired halo as irksome as Raju finds his own. She gets tired of a circus
existence'. She tells Raju " The Thought of it makes me sick. I feel like one of
three parrots in a cage taken around village-fairs or a performing monkey." (p
181)
Raju forges Rosie's signature on a legal document in order to guard against the
possibility that her attitude to her husband might soften if she comes to know
about the generous gesture of Marco, offering her jewels, yet it is this very
act of his that ultimately leads to Raju's loss of Rosie.
It was in her hour of predicament. after Raju's arrest that the 'independent and
self-reliant' woman in true sense, rears her head writhen Rosie.
"A sudden activity seized her..... She sold her diamonds.... She sent him (Mani)
to Madras to pick up a big lawyer for me..... She went through her engagement,
shepherding the musicians herself." (p 198)
A dismayed Raju realies belatedly that Rosie had come of age and there was no
stopping her. He was no longer indispensable for her. She needed no Raju. "I
knew I was growing jealous of her self-reliance.... She would never stop
dancing. She would not be able to stop. She would go from strength to strength."
(p 199)
What Raju newly discovers about Rosie is also a trouble to the emancipated 'new
woman'. He realizes "Neither Marco nor I had any place in her life, which had
its own sustaining vitality and which she herself had underestimated all along."
(p. 199)
From the study of the character of Rosie which was undertaken on the problem of
female emancipation. It appears that the women owe their characteristic position
in society mainly to two factors-economic dependence and mute servility.
Intensifying this situation is the cumulative nature of gender inequality in
India-strikingly similar in the lower as well as the upper classes. The
condition in general of the misunderstood and hapless women, inspite of
occasional spooks of rebellious, does not undergo any significant change.
Work Cited
1. Narayan, R.K.- The Guide, Mysore: Indian Thought Publications. 2000.
2. Lucas, George- The Meaning of contemporary Realism, Merlin press, London.
1963.
3. Williams, H.M.- Indo-Anglian Literature 1800-1970- A survey Macmillan & Co.
Ltd. London.
Contributed By:
Dr.
Ram Sharma, Lecturer in English,
Janta Vedic College MEERUT, U.P.
dr.ram_sharma@yahoo.co.in
Liked this Book Review? Share
your comments - info@writershideout.net
|
|
