The Theme of Education in the Novels of R.K. Narayan

Abstract

R. K. Narayan is one of the most popular writers in the realm of Indian English Literature. He
famously created the fictional town of Malgudi and populated it with a variety of people whose
stories he narrated in his novels and short stories. He is a keen observer of life around him but
does not take up an active role of preaching any ideology. He burdens neither his characters
nor his readers with his views keeping a neutral authorial stance most of the times. And yet,
he expresses his strong antipathy to the formal education system in his writing without any
ambiguity. This is a recurrent theme to which he returns again and again. He voiced his
concerns, regarding the impact of educational practices on children, in the Parliament when
he was a member of Rajya Sabha. The present paper studies Narayan’s preoccupation with the
theme of education and his distaste for the oppressive English system of education. An attempt
is also made to investigate his personal experiences by juxtaposing the autobiographical
elements in his writing with his life.