Write a note on 'Plot construction of The Guide'.

Write a note on ‘Plot construction of The Guide’.

Ans.

The plot of ‘The Guide’ consists of two stories-1. Raju as Guide, and 2. Raju as swami. The first belongs to the early life of Raju. He recalls the memories of his past life. His father had a shop in the village and he was fond of talking to the customers. Raju, the tourist guide became famous as railway Raju. He met Rosie and fell in love with her. Raju’s love affair with Rosie and his help in establishing her as a famous dancer is the climax of that story. Raju’s greed for money inspired him to forge Rosie’s signature. The act of forgery proved to be the cause of his fall. Finally he was found guilty and was awarded two year’s imprisonment.

In the second story, after his release from the jail Raju had taken shelter in a deserted temple on the bank of river Sarayu. When Raju got shaved, the barber remarked that he looked like a Maharaja, Velan, a villager of Mangala comes to Raju and he is very much impressed with him. One summer there was complete failure of rains. Due to a misunderstanding of Velan’s half witted brother Raju had to undertake a fast. The people felt proud of swami ji and compared him to Mahatma Gandhi. In the end Raju collapses while standing in the shallow water of the river and praying for rain.

Plot of ‘The Guide’ has a unity of design and it is designed in the style of a biography. The plot is closely knit and there is no looseness in it. We see a little about Rosie and Marco. they have just been mentioned. In all the episodes the hero is present essentially. The canvas is of small size but there a logical order and a dramatic sequence follows. Organic quality of the novelist can be observed when he incites earlier events in the later episodes. R.K. Narayan has prepared a realistic and suitable atmosphere for the plot.

Situation in particular

The time consumed by the plot is tremendous. There are shifting scenes i.e., the shop in the village, the shop at railway station. the canvas etc. from one place to another. The plot of ‘The Guide’ does not possess the quality of an epic like Fielding’s ‘Tom Jones’. But there is consistency and that makes the plot an organic whole.

The Unity of Design

R.K. Narayan adopts present-past technique in the novel. When we look at the whole plot we find that there is a unity of design. It has a beginnings, a middle and an end. The novelist acquires this unity through the compulsory presence of the hero. Raju is the main spring in the mechanism of the novel.

The Foundation of the Novel

R.K. Narayan creates ‘The Guide’ after the design of Fielding, Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. But he unnecessarily enlarged the early life of Raju. There are multiple foundations in relation with the specific character. Velan proves to be the foundation of Raju as swami episode, while in the character of Rosie there lies the foundation of romance and tragedy of Raju and Rosie herself.

Logical order of the plot

There is logical order in plot. All incidents ran one after another close at the heels of previous event. There may be complication but it is in the fortune of hero and not in the event. various dramatic sequences are placed in a regular style and that forms a logical order. Life of the hero is described from the very childhood. He grows into a young man, meets a woman and falls in love with her. They advance towards fame and prosperity. Due to his extreme he is sent to jail. Then he is raised to the status of a holy man. In this way the dramatic elements make the story interesting.

Organic Quality of Plot

Narayan is conscious of the plot. It is well organized by the craft man. The events are well connected. Although, in the course of novel one can feel a split in the plot, it proves to be unified at the end. The organic quality of the plot is acquired through the right handling of char acter in relation to their dramatic sequence. Narayan has been able to handle the characters in the events.