The English Teacher

The English Teacher is a 1945 novel written by R. K. Narayan.. This is the third and final part in the series, Narayan preceded by Swami and Friends (1935 1935)) and The Bachelor of Arts (1937 1937). ).

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This novel, dedicated to Narayan's wife Rajam is not only autobiographical but also poignant in its intensity of feeling. The story is a series of experiences in the life of Krishna, an English teacher, and his quest towards achieving inner peace and self-development. [1] Plot introduction

Krishna is an English lecturer at the Albert Mission College. For several years he has enjoyed a bachelor's life, but this changes when his wife, Susila, and their child, Leela, move in with him. Krishna's life expands to include the happy domesticity of living with his wife and child: nearly half the novel focuses on the mundane joy of his day-to-day d ay-to-day experiences with his family. However, one day Susila contracts typhoid after visiting a dirty lavatory and dies from the illness. Krishna is destroyed by her loss but receives a letter from a stranger indicating that Susila has been in contact with him and wishes to communicate with Krishna. Plot summary

As an English teacher at Albert Mission College, Krishna has led a mundane and monotonous lifestyle comparable to that of a cow, but this took a turn when his wife, Susila, and their child, Leela, come to live with him. With their welfare on his hands, Krishna learns to be a proper husband and learns how to accept the responsibility of taking care of his family. He felt that his life had comparatively improved, as he understood that there's more meaning to life than to just teaching in the college. However, on the day when they went in search of a new house, Susila contracts typhoid after







Susila's illness, keeping his hopes up by thinking that her illness would soon be cured. However, Susila eventually succumbs and passes away. Krishna, destroyed by his loss, had suicidal thoughts but gave them up for the sake of his daughter, Leela. He led his life as a lost and miserable person after her death, but after he received a letter from a stranger who indicated that Susila has been in contact with him and that she wanted to communicate with Krishna, he became more collected and cheerful. This leads to Krishna’s journey in search of enlightenment, with the stranger acting a cting as a medium to Susila in the spiritual world. Leela, on the other hand, goes to a preschool where Krishna gets to meet the Headmaster, a profound man who cared for the students in his school and teaches them moral values through his own methods. The Headmaster puts his students as his top priority but he doesn’t care for his own family and children, eventually leaving them on the day predicted by an astrologer as to be when he was going to die, which did not come true. Krishna gets to learn through the Headmaster on the journey to enlightenment; eventually learning to communicate to Susila on his own, thus concluding the entire story itself, with the quote that he felt 'a moment of rare immutable joy'. Literary significance and criticism

The synopsis at the back of 'The English Teacher' by Indian Thought Publications say, "Never has the magical storyteller of imaginary Malgudi woven tragedy and humour so deftly together."







Narayan as he is widely known was born during the British colonial rule in India. In his obituary Barbara Crosette writes about Narayan and Malgudi thus: 'In the 1930's, he (RK Narayan) created a town in South India that he called Malgudi and populated it with characters who could be fussy, tricky, harmlessly harm lessly rebellious or philosophical - but who were always believable. Mr. Narayan would return again and again to Malgudi in many of his 34 novels and hundreds of short stories. His books accurately portray an India that hovers between the unchangingly rural and the newly industrial and that is still filled with w ith individualistic, often eccentric personalities that recall his imagined universe.' This novel is however more autobiographical than others. It recounts Narayan's own happy days with his wife Rajam, who died after contracting typhoid. They had only 5 short years before she passed away. He sincerely and truly loved her, and after her demise Narayan plunged into a period of 'darkness' and was obsessed by the thought of communicating with her. One of the glaring facts that meets the reader's eye is the restrain with which the married couple express their love so unlike the demonstrative love that is seen today both in real life and the media.

Dialogues

Krishna the central character of the novel is an English teacher at the same college he attended as an under graduate student. Krishna's wife Susila is with her







mother, and the midwife still takes precedence over a hospital, a doctor or nurse). When the story opens we see a very nervous and anxious Krishna expecting the arrival of his wife and daughter to Malgudi where he is an English Teacher in the Albert Mission College. His visions of the misfortunes that would befall on mother and child on their train journey are almost comical to the point of being preposterous. However, as the days go by Krishna learns that his love for his wife and child surpasses everything he imagined previously. The early years of marital bliss and the deep bond that develops between the husband and wife becomes the center of Krishna's life. He feels Leela, his daughter completes his perfect world. But as all good things must come to an end, so does his, with the mysterious ailment that comes over Susila. In the days before antibiotics were discovered, it was wa s not until late that a proper diagnosis was made as to the exact nature of the ailment, which they later learned was typhoid. After a long period of o f illness she finally dies bringing nothing but sorrow and misery to Krishna. His grief was boundless and infinite; Krishna almost sank to the depths of melancholy and desolation. He then decided to put all his love and zest for life to bringing up his daughter who in her innocence did not know or question about her mother. He became both mother and father to the child and did not wish his parents to bring her up. Although eventually after a period of time relents and decides that the best course of action is for his parents to bring up Leela. Events take an unexpected turn when he is able to







with her during the weekly 'sittings' as a s he calls them. It is unknown why Narayan included an episode such as this, full of the fantastic, to an otherwise 'believable' story. However it is a known fact that he was obsessed by the thought of communicating with his own wife, in his misery. This puzzles the reader, especially the Western reader, who is brought up with a solid disbelief of anything from the nether world. Though to the Indian reader, and most importantly to Narayan, who actually experienced this tragedy and wrote after it, the communication between his dead wife and himself was nothing out of the ordinary, but a means of achieving solace and reconciling life and death as we see at the end of the novel. From a man dependent on his wife and daughter for happiness, and later the medium he becomes selfreliant and realizes that happiness- or in his case peace of mind and equanimity comes from within. He strives to achieve this sense of peace, very unlike the effervescent one he experienced with his wife and daughter, through meditation and 'withdrawing from adult world and adult work into the world of children.' But this serenity, the 'inner peace' that so eludes him at first comes to him when he least expects it, in the middle of the night when he has given up everything cleansed himself of all worldly possessions, his wife, his daughter, a good income in the form of a respected job and salary. He truly transcends life and death when he is finally able to communicate with Susila his wife, and now his mentor. Narayan explains it thus: "The boundaries of our personalities suddenly dissolved. It was a moment of rare, immutable joy - a moment for









While literary critics argue about the exact nature of this 'meeting' stating that it is real, unreal, unbelievable & dreamlike; it is more appropriate to view in terms of Krishna's inner self-development. He has finally reached that stage of self-reliance, where he is able to be whole by himself, to find happiness within, where he believes his dearest wife, his companion in life, is with him always.

From predictability to unpredictability.

Krishnan repeatedly finds himself being drawn out of situations which ought to have been predictable and ordered by events which are spontaneous and unpredictable, and it is clear that he finds spontaneity and unpredictability to be stimulating and lifeenhancing, while predictability and order, although providing a cushion of comfort and security, is ultimately stifling and deadening Susila, his wife, brings unpredictability into his life at every turn. For example when they go to look at a house she wants to make a long diversion to walk by the river and bathe her feet, where w here the rational orderly Krishnan would have naturally taken the most direct route, and it is clear that he finds her unpredictable







The futility of clinging to the belief that life can be orderly, predictable, and knowable is shown in two central, and symmetrical, predictions which occupy a prominent place in the novel. The first is the doctor’s assertion that typhoid, which Susila has contracted, ‘is the one fever which goes strictly by its own rules. It follows a time-table‘ and that Susila will be well in a few weeks. But in spite of his further assurances that her attack is ‘Absolutely normal course. No complications. A perfect typhoid run' Susila dies. The other prominent demonstration of the futility of believing that life can be knowable and predictable is seen in the headmaster's belief in a prediction made by an astrologer, 'who can see past present and future as one, and give everything its true value' that he will die on a given date. But although (just as the doctor had asserted that Susila's typhoid was 'A perfect typhoid run') the headmaster has found that his 'life has gone precisely as he predicted', the headmaster lives. Both of these episodes show the limitations of man’s ability to know and predict the world. The truth is that we cannot know, and cannot predict, and any view of life, whether deriving from modern western science, or ancient eastern mysticism, which disregards the unknowable and sees only what is supposedly known, and supposedly predictable, is hopelessly inadequate.







In coming to terms with the death of his wife literature, philosophy, and rationalism, are no use to him. They are all illusions, and the journey he is on involves leaving illusions behind. The truth Krishnan wants to discover cannot be found in Shakespeare, Carlyle, or Plato, it is found only among real people leading real lives, it is 'the law of life'. From adulthood to childhood

Children are very much in evidence throughout 'The English Teacher', and are important guides for Krishnan on his journey. The children who help to show him the way are the younger children, his own daughter, Leela, and the children at the nursery school she attends. The most prominent character in the novel, after Krishnan and his family, is the headmaster of Leela's school. He is a champion of childhood, having devoted his life to children since receiving the prediction that he would die, and believes they are ‘angels’, ‘the real gods on earth’, and employs what he calls ‘The Leave Alone System’ in his school. In the second half of the novel Krishnan’s discovery of children as an effective countermeasure against ‘the curse of adulthood’, and the opening of his mind that he is experiencing through meditation, pave the way for his resignation from his old job and the adoption of







practises western scientific medicine, and by a Swamiji Swa miji who uses mystical methods of healing. The Swamiji is summoned by Susila’s mother, representing an older generation than Krishnan himself, who believes the ‘Evil Eye’ has fallen on her daughter, and it is notable that Krishnan feels ‘ashamed’ that the doctor finds the Swamiji in the house, showing that he is alienated from, and embarrassed by, the native culture of the older generation of his own country. The final stage of Krishnan’s journey takes him further from the from the western intellectual frame of mind, inherited from the British, in which he was embedded at the opening of the novel, and further towards native Indian spiritual practices. To reach his goal of ‘a harmonious existence’ he takes up his deceased wife’s psychically-communicated challenge, which he receives initially through a medium, to develop his mind sufficiently to communicate with her psychically himself, and bridge the gap between life and life-afterdeath. Although initially he had been bemused by his wife’s devotional practices, mocking her with ‘Oh! Becoming a yogi!’ he now relies on her to guide him, from beyond the grave, in his ‘self-development’. In the final chapter the issues of the novel come to a head with Krishnan’s resignation from his post as English teacher and his psychic reunion with his wife. In







“The English Teacher”, written by R.K. Narayan tells a story of an English-teaching college professor, namely Krishna who leads a mundane, routine hostel life, even though he had recently been married and has a kid. The story pulls off by when his immediate family at Malgudi advise him to settle down in a rented home with his wife (Susila) and his girl infant (Leela). Though initially, the new state of affairs does do es scare him, with time, his love for his wife and kid deepens and like any other small closely-knit family, the three of them become inseparable. All’s well when one day Krishna and Susila set off to find a new place for themselves and quite unpredictably, Susila gets terribly bitten by unknown species of insects after which she develops an incurable bout of typhoid which results in her untimely death on bed. Krishna’s life thereafter, is in pieces as he finds that with Susila, has gone his loveliest part of life. Depressed, saddened, Krishna becomes a person with a soul gone astray; a hardened receptacle of condolence and sympathy, when one day he receives a letter. What follows is a series of unbelievable supernatural accounts, which will have you hooked till the climax. What is in that letter? Is Susila still alive? Does Krishna become successful as a single parent? For all these answers, you have to read the book. You might get a taste of what happens next in my review further, but I have tried to keep k eep the suspense part in









relegated to the background, with Krishna, Susila S usila and Leela hogging all the limelight as the principal characters here. The style of narrative is life-like and light in the first pages, and becomes heady and over bearing in the second. Ample relief comes in the form of Leela’s character who tugs at your heart everytime she interprets something vaguely with her naviety and innocence. The story pulls off neatly with w ith Krishna adjusting himself to the daily chores. With sly bits of humour and an ample doze of domesticity being thrown in, the first few pages are a delight. The author masterfully sets the mood where the reader is transformed into a small, beautiful world of Krishna’s family, and by giving chunks of description of their daily chores, make the characters instantly identifiable and likeable. What follows then is a heart-rending description of Susila’s deterioration, which is so vividly deciphered, that it lingers on for days after you have read the book. Of course, the meatiest and probably the most fruitful







made him more developed as a human being and is not just there to instigate cheap thrills or horror. Besides, the descriptions of the after-life and the other world are so well penned, that they leave you speechless. What also astonishes is the way the novel progresses. The story doesn’t seem to be authored, but merely transcribed by the bounds of fate (as in real life), making it look more autobiographical (I read in R.K. Narayan’s autobiography—My Days, that this book is actually semi-autobiographical, and that the experiences mentioned are true, and date back when he lost his real wife—Rajam). Characterisation: ***** Brilliant is the word. All the characters in the book are so wonderfully fleshed out and presented in such a crystalline manner, that each of them leaves a lasting effect. Be it the plethora of emotions that Krishna goes through, or the helplessness of Susila in her last days, or for that matter even Leela’s purity and innocence as a child, every character is extremely well-etched.







positivity in the supernatural second half, a fabulous flow is thoroughly maintained with an inexplicable blend of subtle humour and strained tragedy. Vividity in language is also in full form, which makes the book highly page-turning. SOME FINAL WORDS.... Even though I had loved R.K. Narayan’s other works, this one will always hold a special place in my heart. For it displays love in its purest form. The love that binds Susila to Krishna to Leela. So pure is their love, that even mortality doesn’t snatch away any of its dewdrop freshness and in turn make it eternal. The characters or the scores aren’t settled. Their feelings, their desires are dissolved, recycled and restated...and in a very novel way, the story shows how love can make a person...a better human being

Book information







Sampath - The Printer of Malgudi · The Financial Expert · Waiting for the Mahatma · The Guide · The Man-Eater of Malgudi · The Vendor of Sweets · The Painter of Signs · A Tiger for Malgudi · Talkative Man · The World of Nagaraj

Short The World of Malgudi · Under the Banyan Tree story and Other Stories · The Grandmother's Tale collectio and Selected Stories ns

Short stories

"Dodu and Other Stories" Stories " · "Cyclone and Other Stories" Stories" · "An Astrologer's Day and Other Short Stories" Stories " · "Lawley Road and Other Stories"" · "A Horse and Two Goats" Stories Goats" · "Malgudi Days"" · "Under the Banyan Tree " · " The Days Grandmother's Tale" Tale" Next Sunday · My Dateless Diary · My Days ·

The English Teacher

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