“The Dark Room”

“THE DARK ROOM” BY R. K. NARAYAN - A VIEW POINT

“The Dark Room” written by R. K. Narayan portrays the endurance of a South Indian lady, Savitri, at the hands of her male chauvinist husband, Ramani. He thinks that married ladies should be placed inside the four walls to look after the domestic chores. Her freedom lies in visiting her friends, in going to the movies with them besides receiving gifts from her husband occasionally. She should obey her husband, dress up to his liking and keep the children disciplined.

It is a Man’s world where Savitri endures her humiliations in her long standing marriage. When her bullying husband goes too far, absenting himself from the house, she recognizes that her husband has more than a professional interest in Mrs. Santha Bai. Ramani, the Secretary of a British Insurance Company, employs a pretty woman, a divorcee to the post of an Assistant.

Savitri’s resentment is shown by confining herself to a dark room, whenever she sees her husband beating her children. She leaves the house when she finds out about her husband’s illicit relations with his employee. Savitri, in her despair, drowns herself in the river nearby, only to be saved by a blacksmith turned burglar, Hari. Ponni, Hari’s wife gives refuge to Savitri in her hut and forces her to drink, at least coconut water. She also finds some work for Savitri at the temple because Savitri was to eat only from her own earnings.

A night spent in the dark shanty attached to the temple reminds her of her children and as a result she leaves the temple and the temple job. After thanking Ponni for her help, Savitri rejoins her family.

“Narayan’s humour and compassion came from his heart. Few writers since Dickens can match the effect of the colourful teaming that Narayan’s fictional city of Malgudi conveys” says John Updike.

The author’s expertise in describing a spouse’s anger is superb. “Her mind was numb. Otherwise she would not have walked through the town at midnight. Nothing seemed to matter now; not even children. They are after all a husband’s ..... could not she go to the office, drag the other women out, gash her face with her finger nails”.

Above all “The Dark Room” revealed the woman’s heart, which was under suppression for long, only to find an outlet in her boycotting the husband.
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Every so often in life one comes to the Rubicon. Tradition denies one the right to cross it. If one remains on the left bank, one’s doom is sealed. “The die is cast” cried Caeser wading into the turbulent stream with his legions. You too should cast the die.

Hurdles only should whet the appetite for dynamic action.

-Editor