Short summary and analysis of "Man eater of Malgudi " a novel by R K Narayan

Characters of the novel 

Nataraj - a printing press owner.

Poet - friend of Nataraj

Sen - A journalist, friend of Nataraj.

Sastri - employee and friend of Nataraj.

Vasu - a taxidermist, the antagonist of the novel.

Muthu - a tea shop owner.

Kumar - an elephant which was brought from Mempi Hills by Nataraj, for medical treatment.

Rangi - a temple dancer and a prostitute.

Joshi - doctor who treats Kumar (the elephant)

Major Characters. 

Rangi 

Rangi and protagonist Nataraj's wife are two major female characters in the novel, The Man-Eater of Malgudi. Padma and the adjournment lawyer's wife are minor ones who appear for a short time in the narrative.

   Rangi belongs to a family of temple dancing women who are accorded a low and disreputable position in the traditional, caste-regimented social hierarchical order in the Indian society. She lives in Abu Lane. Her mother, Padma, is attached to the temple of Krishna as a dancer who dances before the idols of the gods. She has lived as a kept woman for many years in her youth in the house of a wholesale grain-merchant named Damodar. The other portion of the same house is occupied by Sastri who works as a machine-man in the printing press owned by Nataraj. Padma is described as an exemplary, traditional and dedicated dancer of the temple. But her daughter, Rangi, lacks all these good qualities of her mother. 

The ostensible certainty of Rangi's having established illegitimate sexual relations with Vasu uncontrollably infuriates Sastri - a diehard orthodox believer in the Hindu mythology and ethical code. He gives vent to his feeling of repugnant disapproval of Rangi's devious ways in these words:

Rangi is frank, bold, shrewd and straight-forward in revealing to Nataraj, at the very first available opportunity, the sacrilegious scheme in Vasu's mind. She pleads with him insistently that the innocent life of the elephant should be saved under any circumstances. She performs her ritual dance before the images of Krishna and Radha in the temple in the evening. 

Just after that, she thinks of nothing but of going to Nataraj's house in order to explore and to know what he has done thus-far for averting the imminent doom. Her earnestness and devotedness to this mission of mercy are abundantly illustrated by her courageous initiative in making a plan by herself for the purpose of steering clear of the threatened situation unscathed. She keeps the details of the plan safely close to her heart. She tells Nataraj that Vasu has visited her house in her absence. Vasu is in unprecedentedly furious mood against her as he has come to know of the leakage of his game-plan. He has left a message for her that she should come to him immediately otherwise he will set her house on fire. She is terrified, especially, because of the prospect of her blind mother getting burnt in the house on fire in case Rangi is not present there on such an eventuality.

Nataraj

The owner of a small printing press that is located in Malgudi, Nataraj is a father and a husband who is very much concerned with family affairs. At the start of the novel, Nataraj is a man obsessed with power. He enjoys his position as boss, so much so that he separates his press with a blue curtain, assuring that his customers will not see him lowered to a handyman position beneath Sastri. The blue curtain maintains his ego. Nataraj's blue curtain, as well as his ego, is slowly cast aside, and by the end of the book, Nataraj has lost the curtain and his ego. It is this change in character that qualifies the press owner as the only round character in The Man-eater of Malgudi.

Natraj is a prosperous seasoned printer of Malgudi. He has a small, cosy, warm world which there is his loving wife, his pretty son Babu, his dear friends, the poet sen and his sincere assistant, Sastri, a semi-scholar. He is some what timid hen pecked, religious, simple, gentle, modest, sensitive and intelligent. He is a simple, gentleman and the world in which he lives seemed to be gay and innocent. It is when he faces with Vasu, he realizes the raw realities of life. Natraj is temperamentally some what becomes timid to Vasu because he has developed  a fear phobia for him (Vasu). He has the weakness and so he always take his wife into confidence. It is his weakness which tortures him the most. His fear of Vasu remains until Vasu dies. His timidness admits his weakness.

Natraj is unworldly, he is blessed with touch of spiritualism. Though he is cheated by the lawyer and Vasu, Natraj is so gentle that he does not demand money from them. He does not find any difference between the employer and the employee and he works together with them -naturally very co-cooperatively. He helps Mathu in finding out a veterinary doctor for the treatment of Kumar. He has to undergo many hardships and hurdles. how amply he neglects his pressure business to celebrate the marriage of Radha and Krishna based on poem composed by the poet!.

Natraj’s love for Kumar knows no bound when he learns that Vasu plots to murder the elephants, he is consciously concerned. He lives no stone unturned in saving the life of Kumar. He is even prepared to neglect his business. The thought of murdering Kumar by Vasu never remain aloof from him. He thinks various plans and finally he risks his life when he enters in the attic of Vasu for checking him. He picks up the gun of Vasu so that he may not shoot Kumar. His love for his wife and son is very much tender and true. He is loveable husband and affectionate father.

Natraj’s character appears prominent if we contrast him with that of Vasu. William Walsh contrasts the “Passivity of Natraj with the violence of taxidermist hunter, Vasu who is not only a character but also an oppressive and destructive force”. Natraj is brought up in a family where he is taught never to kill animal, to feet the ants with sugar, to share his food with the crows and the sparrows, and to allow the squirrel and the sparrows deplete the granary. But, after Vasu’s coming Natraj’s establishment is turned into a charnel house.

Vasu

R. K. Narayan professes to set forth the eternal conflict between good and evil in ‘The Man-Eater of Malgudi’. There is no attempt at originality of thought, the novelist’s aim being mere to reinstate the triumph of good or evil. This he does by drawing upon a mythological tale in which Bhasmasur destroys himself. Vasu is the prototype of Bhasmasur who like this demon no wishes the illusion of becoming omnipotent. The placid world of Malgudi is beset with his deeds. The taxidermist plunge this world in disorder, as a result, the restlessness is large on his face. There is no respite in Vasu’s devilish activity until it completes the circle in his self-annihilation.

 is an epitome of Demonic power and mercilessness. His fist is strong enough to pulverize granite into small pieces. The matchless might and muscular feature of Vasu is an amazing achievement and a specimen of the skill of Suleiman and Pahalwan utterly callous to the positive aspects of a virtuous life. Vasu had no hesitation in kicking his master out. It was brazen ungratefulness but Vasu trampled all values displayed a wholesome disregard for the goodness of life. The attic of the press is rented out but no longer does he begin to live these, he back out from paying any farthing as rent devoid of all moral and ethical consideration, Vasu appears to personify all that restricts the flow of goodness in life. He is anti-life and anti-faith. The collection of money to celebrate the religious ceremony is duped by him. He stuffs dead animals for he rejoices in it. On the other hand, it is a means to quench the lust for lucre for the sensual excitement he being women of all reputation. Vasu is evil-incarnate and he is bent on defeating all that supports life. 

is anti-nature, anti-religion and anti-god. He believes in extinction and this deserts one and all to serve his purpose. He procures gun-license but betraying the bond of friendship to kills innocent wild creatures in Mempi forest. He lets loose a reign of terror in the immediate surroundings. Unfortunately, the world of Natraj is too good to resist his oheartless misdeeds. Thus, Vasu relishes in his trade and there is anarchy is Malgudi. A foul smell continuously emanates from the attic and the brute enjoys himself in the suffering of humanity. Being a bully, he reacts menacingly even at the slightest protest. Not only the law-protector but his benefactors also suffer humiliation at his hands and at times get thrashed. The blessed soil of Malgudi turns into a cursed place and the ordinary mortals are reduced to silent spectators. Vasu through a challenge even to God and kills ‘Garuda’ a mythical bird associated with Lord Vishnu. On being accosted by Natraj, he shows his blasphemy and says “I want to try and make Vishnu use his feet now and then.” 

Vasu is a wrecker of life, a pitiless messenger of death. On the day of a religious procession, he makes up his mind to shoot Kumar, the temple elephant.

Short summary and analysis of the novel. 

The plot revolves around the life of an Indian printer named Nataraj, who lives in a huge ancestral house in Malgudi, a fictional town in south India. He leads a contented lifestyle, with a circle of friends, including a poet, a journalist named Sen, and his sole employee, Sastri. One day, Vasu, a taxidermist, arrives in Malgudi in search of the wildlife in the nearby Mempi hills. Arriving at Nataraj's printing press, the first encounter between the two, he demands the printing of 500 visiting cards. Although Nataraj is unsure whether Vasu is a friend or an enemy, he dislikes his company due to his brazen behaviour.

Vasu is a bully, compared to a Rakshasa (a demon) by Nataraj and Sastri. Vasu takes up residence in the attic of Nataraj's press, convincing Nataraj that he will stay there as a self-invited guest for only a few days until he finds somewhere else to stay. Unknown to Nataraj, Vasu sees the place as very suitable for his activities as a taxidermist, and plans otherwise. As the story continues, Vasu encroaches on Nataraj's life, bullies away his friends and customers, shoots someone's pet dog and many other animals and birds near the residence, poaches wildlife from the Mempi hills, and creates a stench in the neighborhood through his taxidermy. When Nataraj questions him, Vasu files a complaint against Nataraj with the Rent Control authority as a self declared tenant, as well as entertaining women in the attic and disturbing the peace of Malgudi.

Nataraj’s poet friend holds a commemorative function for the release of a book of poetry on Krishna. Rangi informs Nataraj that Vasu wants to kill Kumar, the elephant which Nataraj brought from Mempi Hills to treat an ailment as a favour to one of his friends. Nataraj meets Muthu, the tea shop owner, under unexpected circumstances, and Muthu agrees to help him with Vasu. Nataraj learns that Vasu plans to shoot Kumar for his collection and business. Nataraj tries desperately to stop him, but fails. Nataraj decides to confront Vasu once and for all, but finds him sleeping. The next morning, however, he discovers that Vasu is dead.

The autopsy rules that Vasu was attacked on the head by a blunt weapon. The case is closed, but the reputation of Nataraj's press is ruined, and his friends and others start avoiding him. Nataraj later learns through his friend Sastri (who heard from Rangi) that Vasu was not murdered, but died in an attempt to smash a mosquito sitting on his head, damaging one of his nerves with his powerful hand and dying instantly.

The story ends with the message that all demons, devils and monsters bring downfall on themselves.

The Man-Eater of Malgudi is considered the best novel because it conveys a moral which is very beneficial for mankind. The novel conveys an important message that evil is self-destructive. Evil does not flourish. The Man-Eater is an ironical word. There is no timer Vasu, on the other hand was a mighty man who killed a large number of wild animals in the forest of Mempi. Due to his evil nature he committed horrible deeds. Ultimately he committed suicide. Thus there is a justification of this title. Vasu was a Man-Eater as he committed suicide by his single blow of hammer-fist. There is another gruesome event in the novel as Vasu wanted to kill Kumar. Muthu was very worried about the safety of the elephant. So in the novel we find both irony and allegory.

Significance of the Title The Man-Eater Of Malgudi by R.K. Narayan

The Man-eater of Malgudi is one of the most impressive novels of R.K. Narayan. In it, all the three important aspects of a novel namely plot, theme, and characterization have been successfully carried out. Round a somewhat, unusual story, the writer has a woman a highly serious ethical and spiritual thematic pattern. The choice of a taxidermist as the central character of the novel is in itself rather unusual. It is on the surface the story of a simple innocent and passive Natraj falling a victim to the crookedness and mischief of a deceitful, cunning, ungrateful and even inhuman Vasu.

Natraj runs a press and leads a peaceful life with his wife and his only child Babu. He is too good to think of doing any harm to anyone. He is also extremely generous, benevolent, and kind. But his peaceful and harmonious domestic as well as the profession is infringed by a wayward notorious and ungrateful taxidermist Vasu. He enters the press of Natraj as a customer, and just by the show of his physical strength lodges himself in the attic of Natraj’s house much against gradually his evil nature starts unfolding itself and spoils the name, fame, and peace of Natraj. As Natraj himself helplessly amidst “Vasu has destroyed my name, my friendship, and my world”. But the brute physical strength of which Vasu is so proud recoils on him and destroys him. He strikes his temple with his fist in sleep to drive away mosquitoes so forcefully that he breaks his skull and dies.

Title significance of ” The Man-Eater of Malgudi” runs around the negative character Vasu whom, the narrator has drawn in the panoramic vision of a common notorious person who thinks wrong, does wrong, and accept wrong all along. “The Man-Eater of Malgudi” a symbolic reference to the negative character Vasu who had entered into the life of Natraj like a disaster. He had brought an unhealthy atmosphere inter winded in the life of common novel class people like Natraj, Sastri, Mr. Sen, and Muthu. He is denoted the Man-Eater only because he always looked spoiling the sustained peace, quietness, and humanism like a rhetorical demon (Asur or Rakshasa). Indeed appearance at Malgudi looks like an appearance of the storm in the peaceful atmosphere of Malgudi. On coming at first he showed his unwanted rudeness in the peaceful life of Natraj and his peaceful family. Vasu’s ill-nature grew day by day ignoring the importance of humanism. At first, his personal occupation as a taxidermist is enough to entitle him the man-eater yet his ill behavior and spoiling attitude stubbed this through his ill and anti-humanistic nature. To kill innocent animals, to kill wild animals without permission, to distract and disturb Natraj and other gentlemen alone with his lawlessness behavior indicate him a complete man-eater, suddenly appear in the peaceful atmosphere of Malgudi.

This taxidermist went working with his ill and rude activity in the peaceful atmosphere of Malgudi. At first, he by force captured the house of Natraj without paying him any rent for this. The next he started to keep the skin of animals in the house of Natraj which was spreading dirty smell everywhere. Third, his rude behavior not only for Natraj and his assistance but also for the coming customer in the printing press of Natraj. It means all his rude behavior and activities strongly prove the appearance of Vasu as a man-eater of Malgudi.

R.K. Narayan has designed the title of “The Man-eater of Malgudi” to justify wrong thinking for a rude man like Vasu. Although the novel begins with a peaceful atmosphere in the house of Natraj but very soon the track of the novel gets a change when Vasu brook into the novel with all his negative activities and attitude. R.K. Narayan design this negative character like a wild behavior of a tiger who lives for self and acts for self without any emotional feeling for others for normal creatures. Vasu abnormality is similar to a wild man-eater so monograph of a novel moves around personage negativity of Vasu as a man-eater.