UNIT 25 :A TIGER FOR MALGUDI

25.0 Objectives
25.1 Introduction
25.2 Is A Tiger for Malgudi an Allegory?
25.3 The Prose Style of Narayan
25.3.1 His Indianness
25.3.2 Narrative Techniqw
25.3.3 language
25.3.4 Satire. Irony. and Humour
25.4 Let Us Sum Up
25.5 Answers to Exercises
25.6 Suggested Reading

25.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you should be able to
describe A Tiger for Malgudi as an allegory;
explain the prose style of Narayan.

25.1 INTRODUCTION

In the previous units, we have discussed the plot of the novel and Narayan's art of
characterization. In this unit, we shall dicuss some of the techniques employed by
Narayan to create the overall effect of A Tiger for Malgudi.
Creative writers make u$e of a variety of literary devices and techniques. These are
intended to embellish the language; to further the meaning of a passage or the
argument of the author; or to produce certain artistic effects. In this unit we shall
discuss some of the devices and techniques used by Narayan in writing the present

25.2 IS A TIGER FOR MALGUDI AN ALLEGORY?

Allegory is a device which may be used in any literary form or genre. We may define
an allegory as a narration in which the actors (characters) and action, and sometimes
the setting as well, are described not only to make sense in themselves, but also to
signify a correlated order of concepts, events, persons, or things. For example,
Bunyan's fie Pilgrim's Progress ia a moral and religious allegory in a prose
narrative; Spenser's The Faerie Queene is a religious, historical and political allegory
in verse. Fable and Parable are special types of allegory. We may define a fable as a
short allegorical tale conveying a moral thesis or a principle of human behaviour; the
characters are animals who talk and sometimes, act like human beings.

Keeping before us these definitions of, an allegory and a fable, let us analyse the
novel as a piece of allegorical writing. As soon as you start reading the novel, you
would come to know that the protagonist (Raja) is an animal and that he narrates
the story. The stpry, at the surface level, reads as follows:

There is a tiger who reigns over a forest; he cohabits with tigress and begets four
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cubs; he gets caught and then gets tamed and trained in a circus; he kills the circus
manager inadvertently while trying to knock the dreadful cietal weapon out of his
hand and becomes free; he comes under the influence of Yogi who helps him in
raising himself to the higher levels of existence. But. if v lerplv analvse the stom
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The Novel : A T i l a you will understand that some of the characters, places, and events have meanings
for Malpldi (Study Guide) and implications beyond the literal.

Now yo11 go through Section 18.2.1 before reading the discussion that follows : In
section 18.2.1 you have read that there are four distinct stages in Raja's life. Let us
now analyse these four stages from a different angle.

In the forest (as described in Stages I and 2) Raja leads a carefree and yet dignified
life. He never employes devious methods in attacking other animals. If it comes to a
fight as it happens with th'e tigress-Raja fights boldly.

In contrast, a number of human beings wielding spears brutally attack the helpless
tiger (Raja) and this gesture makes the tiger exclaim, "I never know that human
beings could be so devilishw.(p. 27)

Later, Raja shows a lot of patience in understanding the ways and requirements of
the Captain, adjusts himself to the rigorous discipline of the circus life and succeeds
in becoming the main attraction of the Grand Malgudi Circus. (on the film set),
while experiencing severe pain caused by the Captain's whip and the electric shock
the (disciplined and humane) tiger (before raising his forepaw to knock the eltctric
metal gadget) wants to scream loudly:
"Oh, Captain, don't be foolhardy. Your life is in danger, go away, leave me before
any calamity befalls you".

In contrast, the behaviour of the human beings, during the film shooting and after
the death of the Captain, smacks of indiscipline. When the tiger moves off from the
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set and gets into town, much confusion and pandemonium follow. Finding human
beings fleeing like a herd of deer, the tiger wants to assure them:
"Don't fear, I am not out to trouble you. I'm not out to kill ...

In the school scene, even the teachers become panicky and indecisive about the
course of action.

As the Master and the tiger pass through many villages (as described in Stage 3),
they come across different scenes. In some places, crowds that are normally noisy
look intimidated and subdued at the sight of the tiger. This makes the Master
remark :

disciplined."
\

At another place, they see people abandoning God's chariot and running for safety.
In some other place, a rioting mob, after seeing the tiger, disperse swiftly. This again
makes the Master remark:
"If I find you fighting again, I'll be here back to stop it ....You s1'1ou1d not need a
tiger to keep the peace."
As earlier, the tiger's behaviour is in great contrast to that of human beings during
stage 3 and stage 4 also. The tiger takes the guidance of the Master and disciplines
himself by listening to the Master's discourses and by voluntarily controlling his
desires. As a result, the tiger raises himself to higher spiritual levels.
To recapitulate: the tiger stands for discipline and dignity where as human beings
lack these qualities. That's why the author suggests through the title that the people
of Malgudi in particular and the people (of India) in general need a tiger like Raja to
teach them discipline and dignity.
Don't you agree with me now that the prescribed novel is an allegory and
particularly a fable?

25.3 THE PROSE STYLE OF NARAYAN

In this section, we shall analyse the various aspects of Narayan's prose style as
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 A rigu for Matycti I 1

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His writing is a distinctive blend of western technique and Eastern material, and
he has succeeded in a remarkable way in making an Indian sensibility at home in
English art.

Let us first look at Narayan's 'Lndianness'.

:25.3.1 His Hndianness

'While reading the novel, you must have noticed the Indianness of Narayan with
regard to the themes, motifs, etc. Narayan's work is deeply rooted in the Indian :
Inode of living. So we shall first study the Indianness in Narayan's style:
I) The'main theme of the novel-the trai~sformationof a tiger-is typically Indian.
(As you know, Indians in general believe in the existence of the soul and its

1 ) The motif of a Guru or Yogi leading his disciple to higher levels is also Indian.
In the present novel, Raja, the tiger raises himself to the higher levels with the
help of a Yogi.
3) There are many references to Indian concepts and scriptures like Karma, the
Bhagavad Gita, etc.
4) Fantasy is always present in traditional Indian epics and stories like The
Ramayana, ?he Mahabharara, The Panchrrtantra, and The Jataka t a h .
(Fantasy may be defined as something which is hardly possible in life.) Despite
the realistic descriptions of the forest vie, the circus lie, and the cinema shooting
scenes, fantastic elements like a tiger possessing a soul and who follows the
, discourses of a Yogi and elevates himself are woven into the fabric of the present

5 ) Narayan, sometimes, uses Indian English expressions such as "all your blessing
and cooperation".

25.3.2 Narrative Techniques

1x1 the present novel, Raja, the protagonist tells his story to the visitors to the zoo.
So the mode of narration is autobio8raphical. The narrator (Raja) directly appeals t o
the visitors that he possesses a soul within the forbidding exterior, welcomes them to
came in and listen to the story of his life. Immediately he switches back to the past
and n a p t e s the story in the first person singular ('1'). The narration moves forward
chronologically, each succeeding episode or event being linked with the previous one.
There is no looking backward or forward and no probing of the subconscious or the
ur~conscious.In the narration, most of the scenes are 'shown'.

2!i.3.3 Language

Niirayan's language is simple and readable. As V.Y. Kantak says, "it can always
subtly convey the flavour of Indian speech in an Indian setting without any of the
aurkwardness of translation.
Hs does not attempt to find words equivalent to that delicious Indian vocabulary of
abuse, of bawdry, of endearmentn. To this statement the description of the collector's
oflice scene, the school scene, and the domestic squabbles between the Captain and
his wife amply testify. Indeed, as William Walsh says, "Narayan's language is
ber~utifullyadapted to communicate....an Indian sensibility".

Let us now discuss another three elements of Narayan's style : Satire, Irony, and
Humour, (Remember : these three elements are interrelated). Taking about Narayan's
work, Walter Allen says: "What distinguishes his work is a seemingly all embracing,
all compassionate acceptance of the absurdities, pathos, frustrations ...of everyday

(From the jacket of Mr. Sampath, London, 1949).

I The Novd :A Tigm
for~ ~ l p (Sfudy
d l Guide)
With the help of the devices such as satire, irony and humour, Narayan translates
the human qualities (referred to by Walter Allen) into the staple of his writing. We
shall examine the way he does it:
, Satln :It is the art of diminishing a subject by making it appear ridiculous. In Narayan's
work, satire occurs in a certain character, situation, or passage of commentary on some
aspect of human nature. I
I1
a) Human beings think that they are superior and that animals are inferior. But,
Raja, the tiger passes the following satirical comments on human nature :
"Human beings have their own theories, and it is always amusing to hear them
think about us. Such ignorance and self-assurance." (P.25)
"For one used to the grand silence of the jungle, the noisy nature of humanity
was distressing." (p.44)
"Tigers attack only when they feel hungry unlike human beings who slaughter
one another without purpose or hunger". (P.1 17)

Similar are the following satirical comments made by the Master:

"Never use the words beast or brute. They are ugly words coined by man-in his
arrogance. The human beings think all other creatures are 'brutes'. Awful
,word." (P. 118)
"He is no brute ....no more than any of us here." (P.130)
Notice the human situation in the scene at the collector's office. Narayan satirises the
behaviour of the officials who d o not take prompt action but insist on official
formalities. This scene is replete with satirical remarks. The following piece b a
sample :

"The collector observed them for a moment and said, 'Have you brought your
petition in d i n g ? ' They looked terrified, having no notion of the world of
letters. The co@ktorfelt compassionate and said, 'I can't take action unless there
is a written petition. Go to a petition writer ...Get the petition on a stamp paper of
one rupee and fifty paise and leave it with my clerk at the office. Then I11 fix a
date for inspection and take action'." (p.30)

In the school scene also, there are satirical remarks on the overemphasis o n official
formalities. While discussing the ways to get rid of thq tiger, some teachers remark:
"We can't buy even a cane except through the D.P.I.'s sanction." (P. 127)
On the rampant corruption in government offices and on co;rupt officials, Narayan
makes satirical comments as follows: "Every time we come, we bring him some
offering: cucumbers or sugarcane, pumpkih, melon, or anything else. Never see him
bare-handed, and yet he is unhelpful." ( P 40)
In the school scene, the chairman of the local chapter of the Save Tiger Project-
who first does not allow Mr. Alphonse to shoot the tiger-declares the tiger a man-
eater and gives written permission to Mr. Alphonse after accepting a substantial
bribe from the latter.
From the above instances you can see that Narayan's satire is mild, and not bitter.
I
Irony: It is a statement in which the literal meaning of a word or statement is the
opposite of thbt intended. Dramatic irony involves a situation in which the audience
shares with the author the knowledge of which the character concerned is ignoring.
When the Captain proposed a trapeze act through a ring of fire, his wife- Rita
opposes it and says:
"I'm not prepared to spare any of my girls to set fire to myself just to please your
fancy. I'm not a n orthodox wife preparing for sati." (p. 58)
Ironically, Rita commits suicide (Sati) after her husband's death.
There is another ironic situation-on the film set, the Captain first refuses to use the
whip or eIectric metaI gadget on the tiger whom he loves; but the same Cgptain,
. having been avercome by the greed for money, uses the electric shock on the tiger
 ~ U m o u r :It is defined as the amused perception of the incongruities of life and the A Tlga- for Malpdl
artisitic expressions of such perception. The following conversation between the
-Captain and his wife are humorous :
a) "All our animals ...are in excellent condition", he boasted at breakfast. "Yes"
mid his wife, "they are tended better than your family".
"You must say something unpleasant-otherwise you are never happy."
"Your beloved animals may also have something to say if they could speak."
b) "While your wit and eloquence are reserved only for the tiger and the rest. I
suppose". "Yes, they need introduction not you; why are you always talking
like this? Something wrong with our horoscopes ..."
"Your horoscope and the tiger's see'm to be better matched." she would say.

You must have noticed that satire, irony. and humour are inter-related: sometimes
irony is present in satire and humour is present in satirical comments and ironical

Cheek Your Progresa I

( A) i) Write briefly about the Indianness of Narayan's style (about 50 words).
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ii) "Narayan believes in showing, but not telling." Justify the statement by citing
examples from A Tiger for Malgudi.
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iii) "Narayan's satire is mild, and not bitter." Justify this statement by citing
examples from A Tiger for Malgudi.
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iv) What is ironfl Cite two ironical situations from A Rger for Malgudi?

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v) Cite a humorous incident from the present novel (which is not referred to by

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The Novel :A Tiger .............................................................................................................................
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for Malpdi (Study Guide) ............................................................................................................................
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vi) "A Tiger for Malgudi" is an allegory. Justify the statement.
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B) Match the items in Column A with their meanings in column B.
A B
i) devious fast, prompt
ii) wield strict
iii) rigorous -not straightforward
iv) intimidate have and use
v) swift repeat
vi) recapitulate frighten

25.4 LET U S SUM UP

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A Tigerfor Malgudi is an allegory, and especially, a fable, Raja, the tiger is nat only
the protagonist, but the narrator as well. The narration contains deeper meaning:
I
Narayan's language is simple and readable. His Indianness is clearly reflected in his
present work. The narrator uses the first person singular (I) and the narration moves
foi ward once the narrator switches back to the story of his past. The narration is
replete with satire, irony, and humour.

25.5 ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

Check Your Rrogress I

A) i) Refer to.Section 19.3.1.
ii) Refer to Section 19.3.2.
iii) Refer to portion on satire under Section 19.3.4.
iv) Refer to portion on irony under Section 19.3.4.
v) Refer to novel.
vi) Refer to 19.2-write the definition of allegory. highlight the allegorical
features of the present novel.

B) i) devious . - not straightfonvard

ii) wield - have and use
iii) rigorous - strict
iv) intimidate - frighten
v) swift - fast, prompt
vi) recapitulate - re peat

25.6 SUGGESTED READING

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