Representation of Child life in Swami and Friends.

1. Representation of
child life in
Swami and Friends

2. R K Narayan 1906-2001
 Rasipuram Krishna Swami Narayan
 Indian English novelist
 Malgudi fictional town
 Awards:
 Sahitya Academy Award
 Padma Bhusan
 Padma Vibhusan

3. Famous Novels of Narayan
 The Guide
 Swami and Friends
 Waiting for Mahatma
 The Financial Expert
 The Man eater of Malgudi
 The Dark Room

4. Swami and Friends
 Novel
 Characters:
Swami, Mani, Rajam, Somu, Sankar,
Samuel, Swami's father, mother, granny,
Rajam's father, others.
 Major themes:
Political theme under the British colonial
rule, Education, Fluidity of identity,
Innocence-family-growing up.

5. Child Psychology
 Child's mind- blank slate
 Childhood experiences
 Reflection of writer's childhood
experiences
 Setting in small South Indian town
of pre independent India
 Feeling of nostalgia

6. Innocence
 Childhood- not only embodies fun,
laughter, purity and Innocence
 Self centeredness, snobbery, vanity,
cruelty and jealousy
 Innocence of Swami and his friends

7. Childhood as a black slate
 Child's mind-blank slate
 Development of a child
 Self respect of Swami

8. Social learning and cognitive
development
Swami
Family
Friends
Teachers

9. Tends to get Socially accepted
position
 Bully Swami and Rajam with
Kruppan
 At Rajam's home
 At Swami's home
 Importance of position more than
family

10. Distress, Anxiety, and Confusion
in children's behaviour
"Child is the father of man."
_William Wordsworth
 Realistic but strange behaviour of
Swami
 Swami's state of mind after escape

11. Ironic effect
 Swami's life
 Ridicule of Education system
 Irony: Swami misses Albert Mission
school after leaving Board High
School

12. A unique world of boyhood
"Narayan's work like that of
Chekhov combines realism with
elements of fantasy and a
melancholy vision of human
experience."
_Gauri Shankar Jha
Current Perspectives in Indian English
Literature

13. Thank
You