R.K. Narayan’s “The Dark Room”: The Indian Women’s Perspective.
A woman has held a very strange place in Indian society. She has been revered for being ‘sati’ and at the same time she has been hated and loathed for being a widow or for not bringing dowry. Stories of women are in abundance in the ancient literary texts. However, with the progress of time the woman of Indian society changed and she started making herself noticed by fathoming all areas which were until now the arena of men. In literature too, the role of woman was given a certain distinction. In this league R K Narayan writes about characters like Savitri and Shanta Bai in The Dark Room and shows the various perspectives of the Indian woman.
The Dark Room is the story of Ramani, the Branch Manager of the Engladia Insurance Company, his wife Savitri and his mistress Shanta Bai, the probationary insurance assistant. The story revolves around these three characters. Ramani and Savitri have a happy married life with three children Babu, Kamala and Sumati. Life is moving on smoothly with the occasional agitations and angers. Savitri gets upset at times by Ramani’s behavior and sulks in the dark room, “a musty unlit store-room”1 next to the kitchen. But life is still pleasant and happy. One day Shanta Bai joins Ramani’s office and soon they develop a relationship. Savitri comes to know about the affair and tries to stop Ramani. He refuses, so Savitri leaves the house to end her life. However, this could not happen as she is saved by a low caste blacksmith Mari. He and his wife Ponni take care of Savitri but after a few days of hardship and loneliness she returns to her home and children.
Narayan’s novels have many a female character but most of them are traditional Indian women who live a life within the confines of their home. The character of Savitri in the first half of The Dark Room is an apt example. Despite the rude nature of her husband, Savitri performs the duties of a mother and wife uncomplainingly. She takes the frequent harshness with indifference. She behaves or talks only after judging his mood. She is the quintessential mother, wife and homemaker. She is the humble, patient, loyal wife mentioned in the scriptures. Savitri is such a humble and down-to-earth person that after hearing about her husband’s affair, she does not believe it. Later she feels Ramani is not to be blamed. Perhaps, she is not beautiful anymore and hence Ramani got attracted to Shanta Bai. In her innocence she starts paying attention to her looks. Once again she dresses up not only to look good but in the manner in which Ramani likes. . Narayan comments on the status of Savitri in her home where he says that she was so impotent even after fifteen years of marriage. And, the progress of Savitri’s character shows that she had the essence of feminism in her but it had been suppressed for all these years. The mental torture that she has been going through draws out her inner strength and that gives her the courage to talk back.
Besides Savitri, there is Shanta Bai, the educated, manipulative seductress who knows how to use a woman’s charm to win the man. She is the cunning, clever type who makes every right move to trap her prey. When he visits her home for the first time, her style of talking is conspicuous of her intention of enticing him.
Another character, though a minor one but plays a major role in the turn of events in the novel, is Ponni, Savitri’s saviour who is the dominating type. She does not talk to