English Literature GCE A/L Made easy-novel

THE END

The last chapter of The English Teacher reveals Narayan's belief in supernatural existence. The protagonist Krishna's desire being "harmonically groomed to search the spiritual sources." His indifference to British rule with the impressions that love, sympathy and humanity fleeing away from the Indians as a result of British educational style.

Krishna moving away from the material world and entering a spiritual world, believing that his loving wife Susila belongs to heaven and her ardent love towards him inspiring to come to him in all her glory, giving him the pleasure of being in her company, the fragrance of the flowers he had experienced during her existence.

"How well you look! "Her complexion had a golden glow, her eyes sparkled with a new light, her saree shimmered with blue interwoven with light, as she had termed it. How beautiful!"

The effect of leaving the material wealth and his final satisfaction "We stood at the window gazing on a slender red steak over the eastern rim of the earth. A cool breeze lapped our faces. The boundaries of our personalities suddenly dissolved. It was a moment of rare immutable joy a moment for which one feels grateful to life and death."

Narayan's simplicity of diction, enticing presentation, thought provoking and pleasant expression outshine most Indian writers of his time rousing humour in the most appropriate manner. "Mr. Gajapathy there are blacker sins in this world than a dropped vowel." Narayan has balanced the for and against arguments in patronising western medical treatment. "The contractor said, "May I say a word about it" "Go on by all means".

"Never trust these English doctors. My son had typhoid. The doctors tried to give this and that and forbade him to eat anything but he never got well though he was in bed for thirty days. Afterwards somebody gave him a herb and I gave him whatever he wanted to eat and he got well within two days."

The writer balances the facts for and against western treatment but has carefully avoided his opinion. Thus his ability to express and present his ideas excel most of this contemporary writers.

Nandan Datta - a writer based in Florida says "Narayan being a talented writer flexibility, adoptability and elan of English he uses the language of Bible, Shakespeare and American constitution to an amazing effect while dealing in subjects vastly removed. Narayan represents the synthesis that is English, a language evolving through the synergy of civilizations known and unknown a language in continual quest". R. K. Narayan passed away. Malgudi lives on. And so is his writing".

Mrs. C. Ekanayake, Retd. Specialist Teacher Eng lit., St. Anne's College, Kurunegala.