Write a note on the various themes in ‘The Guide’.

Ans.

Love, sex, marriage and money play an important role in “The Guide“. Love between Raju and Rosie presents the psychological reality of love. Other’s wife is wrested from her husband, this is not an ordinary them It seems delicate enough when we think of Indian culture and relationships. R.K. Narayan portrays love as a psychological reality which knows no barriers. He has dramatized if a entertaining manner. But it is soon got over by the social issues and emotions are overridden by the facts of life.

Love, Sex and Marriage

In ‘The Guide’ love has been treated in a very realistic manner. It begins, it ebbs and it dies. These three phases of this valued emotion have been made to express themselves in logical order. At first we find Raju falling in love with Rosie, the wife of Marco. He succeeds completely in winning her, even physically, the logical conclusion of love.

According to Soma Deva, ‘If Narayan gets hanlked anywhere in the sphere of art in this novel is where the question of sex arises. He dismisses things hastily. Since he is much of a realist in it, it is expected of him that he would touch sex intensely, but it does not happen. It is not the sex which receives his intention but society. The orthodox Indian sentiment denies the spectacle of sex play, which the modern novelists with all seriousness display realistically in the novels.’

thus love unifies hero and heroine. It shines because it is not traditional, hence it is romantic. Soon the romantic phase of love is ended of social natives. They still remain like husband and wife but their relation turns to be a routine and commercial. Even in the social barriers they carry on with courage.

In connection with the marriage R.K. Narayan has taken a fundamental view of the issue. There are grounds on which the nuptial relations of Rosie and Marco got disturbed. It is surprising that both are artists in their own fields, but lack of mutual understanding causes the destruction. Marco comes to know the affair of Raju, and Rosie, even then he leaves Raju there. It is something usual which happens with Raju and Rosie, and natural things tends to obstruct the dramatic sequence.

The irresponsible passion does not pay in life, and it is so in ‘The Guide’. The novelist has proved it at the end. The husband triumphs while he sees the seducer of his wife into prison. Thus the moral is established by the novelist.

Sex and Money

Sex and Money play an important role in “The Guide”. R.K. Narayan has treated love as a realist. Love between Rosie and Raju is psychological and the theme is not an ordinary one. To take other’s wife in possession seems to be presented as a psychological reality by the novelist; which knows no barriers of marriage. Different characters in the novel have different attitudes about love, marriage, sex, money, beauty etc. Sex and money are closely related with each other. Marco has no sexual relation with Rosie. He is busy in discovering something remarkable for earning money. Money is not so much valuable for Rosie. As a dancer she earns a lot of money and spends most of it. She even sells her jewellery to arran money for defence of Raju in the court. On the contrary sex and money both are equally important for Raju.

• Discuss Rabindranath Tagore as a poet.

• Write the critical appreciation of the poem No. 12 entitled Far Below Flowed.

• Write the critical appreciation of the poem No. 11 entitled Leave this Chanting.