THE VENDOR OF SWEETS - R.K.Narayan

The novel The Vendor of Sweets is a fictional reality and give a fairy-tale feeling. The novel is written in 1967. It illustrates the conflict between modern culture and traditional Indian culture. The western society may object the Jagan’s (the protagonist) believes of a “free man” by moving away from his work, son and acquaintances for the sake of calmness and detachment. Yet, Narayan is writing wholly from an Indian perspective, not Western.

The novel centers on the relationship between Jagan and his son, Mali. Jagan is a sweets vendor (seller) and strictly follows the asceticism of Gandhi, however, Mali denies his father’s beliefs and values and favors liberal western ideas.

When the novel begins, Jagan is fifty-five years old man, living a strict life of asceticism. He eats only wheat, green vegetable, and honey and cuts sugar and salt from his diet. He thoroughly follows a core Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita of simply the Gita, as referred by Gandhi his spiritual dictionary.

Previously, he was an active politician and indeed has been jailed during a demonstration of Indian Resolution. Yet, currently, he lives a peaceful life as a widower and a popular businessman. He has a strong faith in naturopathy and has written a book on it (though the publication of the book was overdue by the printer).

Due to the insistence on treating with natural remedies, Ambika, his wife, dies long ago. Nonetheless, he follows asceticism personally, yet makes his business by spoiling others with the desires of sweets. Moreover, he showcases his gluttony by accumulating away a portion of his profit before giving taxes.

Mali is the only son of Jagan. He was born ten years after his marriage after a long pilgrimage to the temple of Santana Krishna at Badri Hill pursue blessings for conceiving. Instead of using modern techniques and facilities, Mali has observed his father attempt to cure his mother who has suffered a brain tumor with natural remedies. Mali blamed his Jagan for his mother’s death.

Mali, now a grownup man, resolute to become a writer. To attend a writing program in America, Mali, without consulting his father, drop out of the school and steals his father money.

 Jagan, being hurt by his son rejection of his way of living, begins vain about his son. Jagan receives a quite impersonal letter from America in the next few years. In America, Mali distances himself from his father’s culture. Even in one of his letters to his father, Mali confesses his act of eating beef without any guilt, clearly rejecting his father’s culture of Hinduism.

Mali, after three years, writes a letter to Jagan informing him about his return to India with another person. He returns with a graceful, half Korean, half American lady, Grace, whom Jagan assumes as Mali’s wife.

Apparently, Jagan is shocked, yet he likes the lady as she is a wholehearted lady, kind to Jagan in many ways that his son is not. She begins to take up the responsibilities of a conventional Indian daughter-in-law, for instance, cooking, cleaning etc. she changes the house to western cultures and transforms it to such an extent uncomfortable for Jagan.

Mali desires to start his factory producing publication and printing machines. The machines will automate the writing process, ultimately increasing the literary output of India to challenge the west. To start the company, Mali asks Jagan for the loan. The idea shocked him as he believes in connection to God for great writing. For Jagan, Mali’s attempt to produce a machine will cut off this connection with God. Furthermore, he also suspects Grace’s warmness, friendliness, and attention are indented efforts to win his money.

Initially, Jagan tries to avoid the issue or declines it through Gandhi’s non-cooperation non-violent arguments, yet Mali and Grace insisted for an answer. Jagan, instead of giving Mali Money, offers him to take over his business and be a vendor of sweetmeats that Mali declines.

While processing the strange business schemes of his son and his rejection of conventional lifestyle, a sculptor, Chinna Dorai, visits Jagan to seek aid to complete the sculptor of goddess Gayatri. Chinna Dorai brings Jagan to the isolated place where he isolated himself to work.

Over there, Jagan feels that his own business, money, and problems are blurred. Dorai asks if he could aid him buying the grove and support his work, Jagan initially resisted, yet eventfully agrees as he feels to depart himself from the world. He tells him that every person at one stage of his life must depart himself from others for the sake of others’ peace.

To his great shock, Jagan in his discussion with Grace, soon discovers that Mali and Grace are not married at all. He feels hurt for they have contaminated his ancestral home.

 He senses a disconnection with his home and smeared by his son’s ethical negligence resolves to give up work and leave his home and trade and run away to the grove. By this, he will fulfill the Hindu tradition of Vanaprastha, i.e. withdrawal from the materialistic world and hand over the responsibilities to others.

Soon Jagan prepares to leave, a cousin of him arrives to inform him that Mali has been arrested by the police for drunkenness and violating the state laws. Jagan still resolves to unchanged his decision for departure and asks his cousin to ensure Mali’s imprisonment for a long time. Moreover, he hands over the keys and business to him, while setting aside some money for Grace to buy a ticket for her return and departs for the grove.