Plight and Suffering of Pre-Independent
Indian Women in R. K. Narayan’s The Dark
Room
Sahadev Roy
State Aided College Teacher
Department of English
Dewanhat Mahavidyalaya
Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India
&
Ph.D. Research Scholar
Department of English
O.P.J.S. University
Churu, Rajasthan, India
Abstract:
This paper will investigate the position of women in the
pre independence India. An attempt is made to find out the plight conditions of
women with fewer opportunities available in thirties. Narayan compares woman to
a bamboo pole which can’t stand itself or without any support. The Dark Room
presents woman’s life like that of dark room and the useless domestic things
kept there. Female protagonist Savitri is the victim of Indian patriarchal
society. Husband neglects and dominates her all the time. Married life serves
as a hell rather than protection and security. She protests husband’s affair
outside and warns him but it doesn’t work. She leaves home to oppose the
situation but has to return at most in despair. An attempt is made to find out
the hampered personal dignity of woman, her detest to any charity, her
adaptations to the emerging conditions and her adjustment in married life for
the sake of children and security and protection in the life.
Keywords: Adjustment in existing conditions; Attempt to liberate;
Plight Condition; Search for Individual Identity; Women characters
Pre-independence period witnessed novels with social
reformation in Indian English novels. Social problems and patriotic feelings
were at the centre. After independence, there were many challenges for Indians
in political, social, cultural and economic spheres which were reflected in
Indian English novels. It was a crucial time for emergence of many Indian women
novelist in English. Their area of interest was predominantly the portrayal of
plight conditions of Indian woman in family as well as patriarchal society.
They wrote about her predicament in society, existing moral ethics and social
norm, women’s whole-hearted sacrifice of individual happiness, unbothered for
self-comfort and their own sufferings.
R. K. Narayan is one of the three great Indian novelists
who fetched worldwide attention to Indian English novels. He deals with common
man and his problems in ordinary situations. R. K. Narayan portrays plight
condition of women in traditional patriarchal society. He doesn’t give her
female characters freedom like western females but presents the reality of
their predicament in patriarchal society. His early novels reveal females
confined in four walls, their belief in God, traditional, middle class females
with social values and their simplicity. However, his later novels shift the
image of stronger female protagonist, dominated by western culture and more
expressing.
It was a period was of drastically changes. Indian
freedom fighting was with full flow. British were gradually losing their grip
over administration of India and Indian minds were under the British control.
R. K. Narayan portrays this scenario of social system and social change in his
works. He presents problems of middle class and their plight conditions. He has
written 15 novel and many short stories. It supplies pre and post Independent
Indian scenario. He describes the social context through a fictitious town
Malgudi. Satish K. writes about Malgudi in his A survey of Indian English
Novel: “is the domain of Narayan’s
imagination. There is no such town in
any dictionary, almanac or atlas of the subcontinent.” (Tembhre 3)
According to Rajendra Kumar Dash and Namita Panda, R. K.
Narayan shows all types of female characters like pious, religious, females of
virtues’ like happy-go-lucky young females, house wives and modern females
through Malgudi. R. K. Narayan’s female protagonist sticks up to traditional
roles of mother, wife and sister and lays importance to their familial
responsibilities. His characters are not heroic but ordinary people. He deals
with various aspect of Indian life with realistic touch. He employs irony and
subtle humour and ends with words of wisdom. He always permitted his female
characters to be women in their thinking and behaviour but does not allow them
to follow westernization. He liberates them slowly, steadily and simply.
The Dark Room (1938) presents South Indian Society. Title aptly
symbolizes woman’s frustrated and tormented life. Female protagonist Savitri is
the victim of Indian patriarchal society. Husband not only dominates her all
the time but also neglects her. Married life seems hell for her. Her husband
has an affair outside. She protests it and warns him but it doesn’t work. She
compares her life with that of dark room and the useless domestic things kept
there. In order to oppose the situation and husband, she leaves house in a disappointment
but has to return in at most in despair.
The Dark Room is an account of traditional male dominated society and
struggle of female protagonist Savitri for her individual identity. She
undergoes everyday humiliation of tyrant husband Ramani. Less educated Savitri
finds unbearable with husband even after 15 years of their married life and 3
children. She realizes her personal dignity hampered and damaged by husband
time to time. She searches her independent identity in family and at the large
in society.
Protagonist Savitri could not bear husband’s beating her
son Babu after a whole house in complete darkness in Navratri festival. Babu
helps sister Kamala and Sumati in arrangement of the platform for the dolls and
in illumination show with the help of Chandru but misconnection of a bulb by
Babu creates failure of electric current in the house. Husband Ramani roars in
terrible temper, grumbles, curses the whole household and humanity. He twists
ears of Babu and slaps him. He doesn’t let Savitri protect Babu. Savitri
creates sentimental show after sobbing and sucks in the dark room on floor. She
refuses her guidance to cook and pay no attention to family and children. Her
depression of spirits is the sign of her failure in front of tyrant husband who
loses his head and heart during domestic affairs instead of solving the problem
with cool head.
Protagonist Savitri realizes her powerless authority and
helpless position to take any decision at home affair. She couldn’t keep Babu
at home after a severer fever. On other occasion, she wishes to take 3 children
to movie in a well-equipped theatre- The Palace Talkies. But husband denies
children. He doesn’t allow even younger Kamala. She reflects: “How impotent she was, […] she had not the slightest power to do anything at
home, and that after fifteen
years of married life.” (Narayan 5) She compares her position to Gangu
and newly married girls and feels her mistakes at the initial level after
marriage:
She ought to have asserted herself a little more at
the beginning of her married life and then all would have been well. There were
girls nowadays who took charge of their husbands the moment they were married;
there was her own friend Gangu who had absolutely tethered up her poor man.
(ibid)
Novelist illustrates the psychological pressure built up
for Indian housewife during husband on dining table. Most Indian male don’t
like this or that and they slip into cold war against wife. Protagonist Savitri
has to float between the cook and husband as “Ramani was eccentric and
lawless in his taste” (2).
Husband Ramani never grants the demand of protagonist
Savitri to inform the arrival of a guest well in advance for better and
unhurried food preparation. He considers them not “so down-and-out yet as
not to afford some extra food without having to issue warnings beforehand” (10). He doesn’t want to
understand the testing conditions for Savitri with sudden arrival of guest and
Savitri has to cope with great deal of messing about with oil and frying – pan
and stove and getting some extra dish ready in shortest time.
Husband Ramani utilizes the situation for insulting
protagonist Savitri. He is infuriated by her silence and while offer an
explanation, he commands her “Shut up.
Words won’t mend a piece of foul
cooking” (3). Ramani represents most men in traditional set up for his philosophy
regarding women:
Firmness was everything in life; that was the secret
of success with women. If they found a man squeamish they would drive him about
with a whip. (110)
Ramani grants some freedom to women like reading English
novels, playing tennis, attending All-India Conference and occasional movies
but women should complete their primary duties assigned by traditional set up.
He strictly expects from women “blind
stubborn following of their
husbands, like the shadow following the substance” (109). He provides
Savitri luxurious facilities at home but desires to dominate wife with the
privilege of it with his eccentric behaviour.
Protagonist Savitri never cares for her own comforts but
much bothered about husband’s displeasures, discomforts morning to night and
sometimes throughout the nights. She even avoids changing position on bed at
night so that his sleep will be sound. Novelist exhibits woman completely
engrossed in domestic responsibilities. Cooking the food and nursing the
children are unending responsibilities for women. Protagonist Savitri is
bothered of these unending chores. She thinks deeply:
The planning of the night dinner, and on and on
endlessly. Was there nothing else for one to do than attend to this miserable
business of the stomach from morning till night? (8)
The entry of Shanta Bai in office baffles the attention
of Ramani. He hovers about her and shows piece of excess curtsey. His behaviour
moves from formal to informal. He swells with importance and offers her a room
in the passage of office itself. He shifts domestic things like cot, bench of
Savitri, a chair and one or two vessels in office for Shanta Bai with the
pretext of arrival of an important guest and an arrangement of guest house.
Raman is impressed with her exquisite complexion. He promises her “I will see if the probationary period can be
cut down, and if the stipend can
be put up a bit. But that’s all by and by” (56).
Ramani’s accountant kantaiengar judges him best as a
woman- hunter. Ramani’s regular visit to Shanta Bai in late evenings,
expressing his unnecessary excuse for his stiff aloofness with her during
office hours, car drive round Race - Course Road and then to the river, dusting
seat with his handkerchief, taking her for movies with the risk to be seen in
public, much bravado for not caring public opinion and wife, chatting till
dawn, returning home late night i.e. two o’ clock or sometimes five o’ clock
prove him woman hunter. He does not share few words with good temper at home
with wife Savitri and children but offers many concessions to Shanta Bai prove
his double standard and affair outside.
Protagonist Savitri is well skilled to adjust with the
existing condition of traditional set up. She understands the mood of husband
from the horn blowing of Chevrolet in the evening. She takes her liberty with
him while he is happy. If he is agree, she tactfully switches their
conversation to his official matters and his business expertise skills in
profession. That inspires Ramani to expatiate his works, received offers from
other companies. She manages an escape from his eccentric moods. Ramani
compares protagonist Savitri with ancient epic women character like Seeta and
Savitri for familial responsibilities and sacrificing roles for family members.
She takes food only after husband has finished. She is devoted to family and
husband. She considers husband a sheltering tree like Vanitamami in Shashi
Deshpande’s That Long Silence.
Husband Ramani is strict and dominating house. His entry
in home spreads a dead silence. Children stick to their books and Savitri
retires in kitchen. His mild mood relieves the house. His aggressive kindness
allows the children and Savitri to take some liberty. He affects the house
atmosphere like any husband in traditional set up.
Protagonist Savitri is straight forward and doesn’t know
the activities beyond the four walls. She takes her husband fully engaged in
his account-books and business. Her friend Gangu informs Ramani’s presence in
talkies with someone. It sows the seeds of suspicion in her minds of his affair
outside. She tries to attract him in possible ways. She decorates herself
pathetically as per the choice of husband Ramani to attract his attention with
scented oil, face-powder, perfume and jasmine and red flowers.
Protagonist is full of unpleasant thoughts and it sapped
her energy but suffers in silence for the sake of re-establishing peace at
home. Protagonist Savitri dares for open confrontations on the issue of Shanta
Bai. She asks him: “This sort of thing
has to stop, understand?” (Narayan 85) and declines any compromise on
the issue firmly. She says: “I’m not
going to (bed), till you promise to come to your senses” (85). She denies his choices of love or kick,
she adds:
I’m a human being, […] You men will never grant
that. For you we are playthings when you feel like hugging, and slaves at other
times. Don’t think that you can fondle us when you like and kick us when you
choose. (85)
She denies to be soothed down. She sticks with the issue:
“Now, will you promise not to go near
her again?” (86) Protagonist Savitri decides to leave house with a
terrific indignation welled up in her. She wants to take children with her but
he denies doing so. He takes her to bed but she roars: “Don’t touch me! You are dirty, you are impure. Even if I burn my skin I
can’t cleanse myself of the impurity of your touch” (87). Ramani asks
her to get away the moment, she
expresses her determination:
Do you think I am going to stay here? We are
responsible for our position: we accept food, shelter, and comforts that you
give, and are what we are. Do you think that I will stay in your house, breathe
the air of your property, drink the water here, and eat food you buy with your
money? No, I’ll starve and die in the open, under the sky, a roof for which we
need be obliged to no man. (87-88)
This represents a suppressed voice of all female victims
of patriarchal system. It is a spark of rebellion for individuality.
Protagonist Savitri returns all her necklace to husband i.e. diamond earrings,
the diamond studs on her nose, her necklace, gold bangles and rings after an
eye-opener moment that a woman possesses nothing except her body. He doesn’t
allow her to touch children or talk to them. He asserts his right over them.
She says desperately:
Yes, you are right. They are yours, absolutely. You
paid the midwife and the nurse. You pay for their clothes and teachers. You are
right. Didn’t I say that a woman owns nothing? (88)
If woman cares for her self-respect and self-identity,
she has to live her home midnight and has to walk through the town at midnight.
P. S. Sundaram doesn’t feel Savitri’s revolt could change something but only
result in vanishing herself. He writes:
Refusing to be a discarded drudge, Savitri goes out
of the house, not dramatically banging the door like Nora, but fleeing like a
hunted animal…freedom is a fine concept but creatures like Savitri can do only
one thing with it …commit suicide. (Koperundevi 47)
The despairing hours make her conscious of importance of
education: “No one who could not live
by herself should be allowed to exist” (Narayan 93). She finds her inability to earn something her own
at the lack of education. She has to depend economically on husband. She thinks it big mistake to miss the opportunity of
taking formal education at the
proper age. She determines to give better education to her daughters Sumati and
Kamala so that they will not
hovel about somebody and not have to depend for their salvation on marriage.
Blacksmith of Sukkur village Mari rescues
protagonist Savitri from deep drowning in middle of the river and his wife
Ponni brings her home. Protagonist Savitri denies accepting any charity from
anybody. She says: “I am resolved
never to accept food or shelter which I
have not earned” (122). She denies the offer of food and place to live
and chooses lesser charity in temple. Her emphasis is on doing some work. Mari
finds out cleaning temple work for her after discussing with most of the men of
village. Savitri is happy with the work and the dignity of work never touches
her mind. She expresses her satisfaction:
Any work which will keep my life in my body, though
why it should I can’t say, is suitable for me. I don’t want to depend on any
one hereafter for the miserable handful of food I need every day. (131)
She hopes for a new beginning of her independent life. She determines:
She would dedicate her life to the service of God,
numb her senses and memory, forget the world, and spend the rest of her years thus
and die. No husband, home, or children. (132)
Protagonist Savitri has to face social humiliations. She
feels uneasy while old priest looks at her in his first meeting. He puts her
number of unrelated questions which afresh her wounds. He speaks sarcastically
to Savitri as if he is offering job as a very special charity.
Savitri is offered a dark, airless place with the iron
sheet and wooden boards, free space for rats, birds above with flapping wings
and a gilded pedestal in corner. It is not a place worth human being should
reside in. She is offered very less than her ability by priest in return of her
service in temple is a half measure of rice and only a quarter of an anna a
day.
Protagonist Savitri left home and children but she can’t
resist this temptation. She prays God for protection of children while her one
leg in hell. She spends night in temple all alone. Her mind is dejected by
oppressive air and monstrous shapes of the surrounding objects. She compares
herself to a bamboo pole and gets furious with her wretched condition and
weakness. A bamboo pole can’t stand its own. It needs support of any wall or
standing object. She contemplates:
What despicable creations of God are we that we
can’t exist without a support. I am like a bamboo pole which cannot stand
without a wall to support it…(146)
Protagonist Savitri compares her present worst condition
of fear and terrible state with homely comfort and security. Her terrible
growing homesick mentality compels her to accept defeat and to return home. She resolves to return home, to fulfill her
duties as a mother. Moreover, this acceptance is motivated by the tradition
which produces fears in people’s hearts. A heavy price has to be paid for this
acceptance in her life. (Koperundevi 22)
Protagonist Savitri returns home for nostalgia for
children, home and familiarized ease of surroundings. Her attempt to stand her
own on economical front is worth appreciation but bad treatment by priest
disappoints her. The alteration of set makes her realize the biggest security
in the life of woman is husband and home. She submits herself to husband and
avoids any clashes literally and diplomatically. She merely completes her
responsibilities with minimum talk with husband. She maintains a safe distance
from him. She avoids shouting for Ranga to open the gate after listening
hooting of his car and tells Babu to open it himself. She tells husband frankly
without any fear about her tiredness and feeling sleepy and can’t even stand
when he pleads for a little talk about half an hour. Protagonist Savitri
retires in more silence. It is an attempt to escape the struggle with husband
and lead a peaceful life. Hari Mohan Prasad (1981) says:
Savitri does not submit to Ramani: She submits to
her obligations. It may be a failure on the material plane, but spiritually she
comes triumphant …It is in keeping with both her character and her cultural
heritage. (28)
Prof. K. R. S. Iyengar doesn’t like Savitri’s passive
submission to existing conditions and husband. He criticized the ending of the
novel as: “cynical conclusion” (Devi
53) but R. Chitra Devi states in her thesis Feminism in the novels of R.
K. Narayan and Shashi Deshpande - A
Comparative Study and presents the reality:
Narayan has portrayed an Indian woman of thirties to
whom the options are less. As she is a semiliterate, the choice before her is
very limited. Her condition is worse. Her husband is more feeling and
indifferent. (53)
On the other hand, Ramani never imagined walking off by
Savitri. He only expected Savitri’s sulking in the dark room for a few days or
more than usual. Her walking off brings the revelation in Ramani of hard
responsibility of running the household and difficulty of managing children
with their moods.
Protagonist Savitri’s absence from home changes the
scenario of the home. Both Savitri and Ramani understand the necessity of each
other to run house and their life. It results into Husband Ramani’s accepting
protagonist Savitri without questioning.
Novel has other two female characters Pony, wife of Mari,
a blacksmith and Shanta Bai. Both belong to low class of Indian hierarchical
society. R. K. Narayan shows them independent with self identity and self
confidence.
Ponni dictates her husband Mari. He saves protagonist
Savitri and left on shore out of fear of her shouting and being caught. It is
Ponni who orders to bring her home and lends a hand to a helpless and unaided
woman.
Ponni controls husband Mari and restricts from his bad
company. She presents her philosophy to protagonist Savitri: “I can’t believe any husband is unmanageable
in this universe….” (Narayan
106) She doesn’t mind using any trick for it. She beats husband after
his drinking and sit on his back for a little while. Ponni rebukes him time to
time. She does not allow him to open his mouth and protest. She uses him as per
her requirement and doesn’t let him take more liberty. She commands him:
Don’t talk now, […] Don’t butt in when women are
talking. Stay under that tree. I will call you when I want you. […] Look here.
It is no use your standing here. We are not going to talk to you. You have
walked two stones. Rest under that tree. You will hear soon enough when you are
wanted. (105)
Ponni intervenes and stops priest for being more
impersonal to Savitri. She speaks him fearlessly and straightforwardly. She
even dares to threaten him when she finds priest is taking over benefit of
their friendship:
Send someone to fetch all the broken umbrellas and
rubbish you have sent for repairs. If you don’t send someone immediately I will
throw it all into the manure dump…(135)
She calls priest more learned and wise. She reminds him
he need not ask hurting questions because there are a hundred reasons to leave
home. She reminds him the benefit he reaps of their friendship but denying a
small favour. She opens the eyes of priest with her sharp talk and makes him
realize unnecessary of his asking questions thereby.
Ponny has her own philosophy of dealing with men and one
can realize its success in her case. She suggest to protagonist Savitri:
Keep the men under the rod, and they will be all
right. Show them that you care for them and they will tie you up and treat you
like a dog. (105)
Protagonist Savitri’s another friend Janamma is rotund,
elderly and rich. She is wife of a public prosecutor. She is matured with her
own philosophy of life. She offers her words of wisdom to protagonist Savitri
in the dark room during Navratri festival. She suggests her few words of wisdom
and to take better precautions diplomatically to avoid quarrels with husband.
She says:
I have never opposed my husband or argued with him
at any time in my life. I might have occasionally suggested an alternative, but
nothing more. What he does is right. It is a wife’s duty to feel so. (46)
Janamma has the faith of more worries and burden for men
in day today life. She thinks it is responsible for their constant changing
mood, one moment high temper and the very next moment kindness. Her valuable
suggestion to protagonist Savitri about children is: “Men have to bear many
worries and burdens, and you must overlook it if they are sometimes unreasonable.” (46)
Janamma believes in men’s treatment to children and their
inculcating good values and habits. She places some examples of peaceful
sacrificing wives:
…her own grandmother who slaved cheerfully for her
husband who had three concubines at home; her aunt who was beaten every day by
her husband and had never uttered a word of protest for fifty years; another
friend of her mother’s who was prepared to jump into a well if her husband so
directed her. (46-47)
Janamma grew up in traditional set up and her mentality
is prepared to carry out any reasonable order by husband. It results into her
submissive nature to husband and adjusting tone.
Another female character is Gangu. She is full of humor,
abundant frivolity and picturesque ambitions to become a film star despite
lacking acting ability and stariking figure. She also nurses many more
ambitions in life. She wants to be a professional musician, wants to be Malgudi
delegate for All-India Women’s Conference, to become a Congress leader and
wishes to be elected on municipal and legislative bodies. She lacks the required
ability for all ambitions but hopes to starve hard for them. She enjoys more
freedom of talking and wondering through the town assigned by husband.
Novelist R. K. Narayan has best portrayed the predicament
of women in Indian male dominated society during pre independent era. Women
were less learned and skilled in specific field. They had fewer opportunities
available. R. K. Narayan’s protagonist Savitri adapts herself to the situation.
She adjusts in her married life for the sake of children and largely for the
philosophy that husband is a sheltering tree and a big security and protection
in the life of woman. Simone de Beauvoir observes: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” (Singh 394) It is
sent percent true in traditional set up about protagonist Savitri and Janamma.
Women have to undergo many restrictions. It changes her behaviour, ideas,
expectations and dreams. It chokes her life inside house and finally creates
pointlessness in her life. R. K. Narayan quotes in his autobiography My Days
about the philosophy that works for the novel:
This must have been the early testament of the
women’s lib movement. Man assigned her (i.e. woman) a secondary place and kept
her there with such subtlety and cunning that she herself began to lose all notions
of her independence, her individuality, stature and strength. A wife in an
orthodox milieu of Indian society was an ideal victim of such circumstances. My
novel is dealt with this philosophy in the background. (Dash and Panda 3-4)
R. K. Narayan confirms the gloomy surface of marriage
institution in India. He provides evidence for the dominating image of father
in most of the household with anger cum love through Ramani. Novelist points
out the exploitation of woman is orthodox society and intends to smash
patriarchal supremacy through protagonist Savitri’s revolt against husband and
final divine success, Poni’s self-confidence, Shanta Bai’s independent
self-identity, Janamma’s diplomatic and well matured behaviour and Gangu’s
hopes for positivity.
Works Cited
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2008. http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/102029
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November 2010. http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/17554
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