International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426

Exploring The Themes in R. K. Narayan‟s The

Vendor of Sweets
Dr. Sheelu Singh Bhatia
Former Professor, Jazan University

R. K. Narayan is undoubtedly one of the front ranking Jagan is a prosperous house holder, who pushes wealth, the
novelists of pre- independent India. His choice of interesting Purushartha proper to the Grihastha. When called upon to
themes, narrative skill, use of natural and lucid expression justify his amassing of wealth, he takes recourse to The Gita:
and smooth and powerful language have made him an “I don‟t accumulate it, it grows naturally….. What can I do?
extremely popular novelist, especially among the middle Moreover, I work because it is one‟s duty to work” (The
class society which he himself hails from. In the whole Vendor of Sweets, 18). His reliance on traditional wisdom
range of Indian English fiction, “he is a phenomenon,” often in an attempt to rationalize his natural instincts and
writes Uma Parameswaran, “and in his work whole is very impulses, is shared by others in his community. For
much greater than the sum of the parts.” His genius is that of example, this is evident in the scene where the bearded man
fantastic wonderment, which challenges intellectual and other customers in Jagan‟s shop discuss his
elucidation and critical analysis. It is an art which does not extraordinary measure of reducing the prices of sweet
startle after effects. It spontaneously sinks into the reader‟s packets drastically.
sensibility. Warren French, in the "Preface," places Narayan
among other contemporary novelists and says Narayan, like I can help you to get the supplies if you like. As
Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Thornton Wilder, is a humanist; Lord Krishna says in The Gita, it is all in one‟s
Narayan sees the fragmentation of society but creates an hand. Make up your mind and you will find the
artistic order that transcends fragmented society.( Atma object of your search. „The bearded man sitting
Ram, ed. PERSPECTIVES ON R.K. NARAYAN. Atlantic on the platform butted it to remark, „Ah, The Gita
Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press, 1982. Pp. xxxii + 222.) is a treasure, truly a treasure house of wisdom.‟ „I
never spend a moment without reading it.‟ „One
In R. K. Narayan‟s novels, quest for identity, greater reality can go on reading it all one‟s life.‟ „The Gita also
and self realization seems to be the major theme. He is rich says everyman must perform his duty in the right
in handling the quest theme through real life situations. His spirit and the right measure‟. (The Vendor of
hero usually sets out in quest of self identity in keeping with Sweets, 21)
certain psycho- spiritual assumptions which form the very
matrix of his fiction. The central concern in The Vendor of The fact that Jagan throughout his transaction uses The Gita
Sweets is the journey in to the self. The novel bears a more as a decoy rather than a religious authority accounts
uniform quest pattern in the narrative structure and motif for the controlled irony in the passage, but it does not prove
explication. The quest is pursued on two planes: on the that Jagan‟s relationship with The Gita is self deceiving. The
physical plane and on the spiritual plane. same is true of his practice of Gandhian principles and
precepts. When he decides to fight his son‟s designs on his
In The Vendor of Sweets, Jagan is the protagonist. The theme money, he draws his moral authority from The Gita, the
of the novel is best unraveled through its protagonist. He is a value to fight at the proper time. “Narayan seems to suggest
maker and seller of sweets. He is not intellectual as the other the BhagwadGita ideal of life renunciation and acceptance,
characters of R. K. Narayan. Ha has not read the ten impersonal sympathy and detached action for human
principles of Upanishads. The Gita provides him with all the happiness and progress,” but the weapon he used is the
wisdom he needs. Yet, he is fully conscious of traditional Gandhian Satyagraha. The ideas, Satyagraha and Karma, are
goals prescribed for human life by the Hindu religious here misused by Jagan, but it cannot be denied they have a
thinkers and traditional ordering of life in terms of tremendous hold on his consciousness.
Ashramas. The novel opens with a brilliant definition of
Jagan‟s nature for comprehensive Hindu wisdom, “„Conquer The Vendor of Sweets derives its core from the
tests and you will have conquered the self,‟ said Jagan to the transformation which Jagan undergoes in the course of his
listener, who asked, „Why conquer the self?‟ Jagan said, „I action: his passage from the Grihastha Ashram to the
do not know, but all our sagas advice us so.” (The Vendor of Vanprastha Ashram and his rejection of Artha in search of
Sweets, 7) new values. The conversation between Jagan and the
bearded man which takes place at the crucial moment in
Jagan connects the self with the control of one‟s senses. He Jagan‟s life, dully supports this critical formulation. This
is a kind of Karma Yogi, that he has abandoned taking up takes place in Jagan‟s first visit to the Big Master‟s garden
salt because, „One must eat natural salt‟. For Jagan sagas are across the river Sarayu:
a real presence. He looks at the stars and wonder: “Who
lives in these? We are probably glimpsing the real heaven God knows I need a retreat. You know, my
and don‟t know it. Probably all our ancient sagas are looking friend, at some stage in one‟s life one must uproot
down at us.” (The Vendor of Sweets, 34) oneself from the accustomed surroundings and
Volume 9 Issue 2, February 2020
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20215003916 DOI: 10.21275/SR20215003916 1114
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426
disappear, so that others may continue in peace. It never felt more determined in life,‟ he tells his cousin (The
would be in the most accredited procedure Vendor of Sweets, 74). This is the moment of his triumph.
according to our scriptures – husband and wife He is ready to reject the burden of the unrequited love.
must vanish „into the forest at some stage in their
lives leaving the affairs of the world to younger He plans to retire across the river where the statue of a
people‟. (The Vendor of Sweets, 21) goddess is being fashioned. At the end he tells his cousin, “If
I don‟t like the place, I will go away somewhere else. I am
In the first phase of his life, Jagan is shown to be a man of free man” (The Vendor of Sweets, 80). He triumphs over
frugality. He is satisfied with the few worldly things of life. himself by accepting the inevitable loneliness voluntarily.
He leads the life of an ascetic in the world of multifarious Giving an insight into this loneliness Meenakshi Mukherjee
activities. Jagan is a fit character chosen by Narayan for writes:
expanding and analyzing his quest theme. The important
phase of Jagan‟s life begins with the straining of his And if this is spiritual feet, its reference is entirely to
relations with his son. Jagan does everything possible to give this life and its problem, and we are grateful that
his son proper education. But his son leaves his studies and Narayan recognizes the fact that spirituality is not
plans to go to America. He returns three years later with a altogether a matter of the life to come. Jagan‟s
half American and half Korean girl friend. This time Jagan becoming a self possessed-self involved neither
is greatly taken aback to learn that his son is unwilling to superhuman powers nor willful renunciation. Its
pursue his studies further. He fails to find his identity in his purpose is to live one‟s life in this world with some
son Mali. The father- son relation becomes central in The measure to tranquility by shaking off emotion when
Vendor of Sweets. “Underneath its simple surface,” writes emotion has become false in substances and faltering
Som P. Sharma “the protagonist Jagan is unconsciously in effect.
questing for a new relationship with the world. This new
relationship with the feminine is embodied in his Jagan‟s contact with the mediumistic man China Dorai, in
relationship with Grace, his son‟s Mali‟s Korean- American the third phase of his life, plays a significant role in the
girl friend, and by revealing through flashbacks his realization of his self. He voluntarily decides to reduce the
relationship with his wife and mother.” price of his sweets, which create a real turmoil in the
business of Malgudi. Others in the trade come to see him
The old man Jagan leads a very limited existence; his and along with them come China Dorai a bearded sculptor
existence may be divided into two parts. A part of his life is who tells Jagan about the idea of retiring to a secluded, with
spend in running his confectioners shop. Outside his a blue lotus in it.
involvement in terms of time and energy with the ship,
Jagan is passionately involved with his son Mali. However Jagan‟s experience in this place is a strange one. He feels as
there is hardly any communication between the father and if he were “on the verge of new Jamma.” China Dorai stirs
the son. the deepest chords within Jagan‟s heart, when he tells him,
“We should not let the body deceive us to the true nature of
Jagan is a very kind and graceful father and strives hard for our being. One is not really bone of meat.” (The Vendor of
an understanding with Mali, and even adapts to the situation. Sweets, 86). He feels that his identity has undergone a
He accepts Grace as daughter-in-law. She also behaves change and that he is being pushed across the threshold of a
respectfully towards Jagan. But the cracks appear in the new personality. He is a different man at this moment; an
relationship not only between Mali and Jagan but also internal transformation has taken place in him. He is no
between Mali and Grace. Perhaps this was due to Jagan‟s longer the father of Mali, the maker of sweets and gatherer
refusal to liberally provide handsome amount for Mali‟s of money; he gradually becomes something else, perhaps a
project of establishing a story writing machine. It is too supporter of the bearded sculpture.
much for Jagan when he learns that Mali and Grace are
living together without formally marrying. The ever growing Jagan decide to take a final leave from his house so that he
tension of father-son relationship reaches its climax when could retire into his chosen retreat. He hands over the bunch
Mali is caught red-handed, breaking the prohibition law. of keys and his business affairs to his cousin and tells him
that he will always be available for guidance. The news of
Jagan finds domestic life tiresome and irksome. He loses the his son‟s imprisonment for breaking the prohibition law
peaceful joy of reaching his own house. He feels pushed disturbs him in the beginning but later on the reconciles. “A
unpleasantly to his old days and the ancient house. The great dose of prison life is not a bad thing. It may be just what he
loving father who once was prepared to sacrifice his all for needs now” (The Vendor of Sweets, 90). The novel
his only son Mali and who ever craved for his look, is now concludes with Jagan finding a new life or new life in his
afraid of meeting him face-to-face. He is a lovely man, retreat.
though his inner shyness prevents him from accepting the
fact. He fees utterly shattered and broken. His cherished The existential circumstances aided and abetted by Mali‟s
notions of marriage and moral, all seem to count for nothing. incomprehensible behavior paves the way for Jagan‟s final
Then there comes n Jagan a moment of self-realization and transformation and retirement to a secluded place. Jagan is
also of decision. He manages to break away from Mali and sad in his solitariness. His wife is dead. His son cannot
his scheming and vicious world, which he cannot approve. understand him. His other relatives and acquaintances look
He escapes from the chains of paternal love. He leaves home upon him as an outcast:
and becomes indifferent to his son; „I am free man. I‟ve
Volume 9 Issue 2, February 2020
www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20215003916 DOI: 10.21275/SR20215003916 1115
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426
His decision to retire from the world, to detach him [2] Biswal, Jayant K. A Critical Study of the Novels of
from a set of repetitions performed for sixty years in R.K. Narayan: The Malgudi Comedy. New Delhi:
order to spend the rest of his life being a mystical Nirmal Publishers, 1987.
stone-mason to carve a pure image of the goddess for [3] Holmstrom, Lakshmi. The Novels of R.K. Narayan.
others to contemplate…” It is of course a decision in Calcutta: Writers Workshop, 1973.
the classical Indian line…..But is also pushed into it by [4] Iyengar, K.R.S. Indian Writing in English. Calcutta:
his personal circumstances.(Vendor of Sweets, 149) Asia Publishing House, 1973.
[5] Kain, Geoffery.ed. R.K.Narayan: Contemporary Critical
The transformation of Jagan manifests itself from the Perspective. East Lansing: Michigan State University
renunciation of three spheres of life by him. First, the steady Press, 1993.
encircling routine of the community of Malgudi which [6] Mukherjee, Meenakshi. Twice Born Fiction- Themes
confirms his identity; second there is his work as a and Techniques of the Indian Novel in English. Delhi:
proprietor of n establishment making and selling sweets. Pencraft International, 2005.
Then, there is the ambiguous and dangerous ground of his [7] Ram, Atma. ed. PERSPECTIVES ON R.K.
relations with his son- the sullen westernized Mali, whose NARAYAN. Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: Humanities
contemptuous explanations to his bewildered father separate Press, 1982.
the two of them. [8] Suryanarayanmurti,K.V." The Theme of Salvation:
Treatment by Mulk Raj Anand and R.K. Narayan",
The transformation of Jagan conforms to traditional Hindu Tribeni.(vo134) Waltair: Andhra University,l965.
ethics. The novel derives its form, the transformation which
Jagan undergoes in the course of his action, his passage from
Grihastha ashram to Vanprastha ashram and his rejection of
Artha in search of new values. Jagan records each step of his
progress towards renunciation. The multitudinousness of life
and miscellaneous-ness of human motives and activities in
Jagan is entirely different from the other characters of
Narayan. Jagan‟s transformation is totally based on Hindu
ideology and way of life. The Gita provides him with all the
wisdom he needs. His transformation takes place in the last
phase of his life, when his son Mali returns from America
with his girl friend, Grace. Jagan without asking Mali takes
Grace as his daughter-in-law. His relationship connects
through flashback to his mother and wife. His sorrows and
sufferings due to his son Mali are transformed into living
realities of life in which he lives.

R. K. Narayan tries his best to take Jagan to the final stage

of spirituality but he leaves in the half state of spirituality.
Something holds him back from renouncing this life
completely. When he moves out of his house towards
spiritual realization, he is careful in taking his cheque-book
along with him. He does not renounce his stingy nature
either. He wants to help his son through legal aid to save
from the punishment for violating the prohibition laws, yet,
he is not prepared to part with the money for the sake of his
son.

Narayan presents the quest theme in his own characteristic

way. He knows the shadow which falls between the reality
and superficial but he would not deny the reality, because of
the problematic gap. The novel describes the effect of
double alienation. Jagan is not only separated from his
Americanized son but also from the orthodox members of
his family and community. Narayan‟s novels do not attempt
a philosophical exposition of life, but his involvement with
Indian values and norms is undeniable.

References
[1] Bhatnagar, M.K. New Insights into The Novels of R.K.
Narayan. Delhi: Atlantis Publishers, 2002.

Volume 9 Issue 2, February 2020

www.ijsr.net
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: SR20215003916 DOI: 10.21275/SR20215003916 1116