Volume 17, No. 4, 2020
A Study On Tradition Verses Modernity In R K Narayan's The Financial Expert
JUBIN NAHAR
Abstract
The conflict between tradition and modernity is most dominant in the fictional world of RK Narayan. His novels find a way of traditional values and modes of life amid the forces of new civilization and culture. But in the end it’s the old tradition that gains dominance over modernity, no matter that modernity has uproot the convention but it simply touches the outer fringe of society and could not penetrate into the soul of society. Reasons Narayan novels we experience a sense of Indianness mixed with his own taste and recognition of rich cultural heritage. The Financial Expert is one of the best creations of RK Narayan which gives us the picture of Indian culture and values and at the same time depicts how materialism affects and adds a new dimension to the Indian tradition. This paper attempts to examine the text with respect to its character's struggle for identity due changing society values and establish his own identity in new world, the world which is made up of materialistic people. Theory of colonialism and its effect in the post-independence era also kept in view to examine the text.
Pages: 156-160
Keywords: Modernity, Tradition, Materialism, Indianness, identity.