Beyond Political Independence: Postcolonial Critique in R.K. Narayan’s Selected Novels

Abstract

The post-independence novels of R.K. Narayan (1906-2001) capture the fears, hopes, and complexities of a nation which is just emerging from its status as colony and coming into terms with its new identity and role. This study analyzes the post-independence novels of R.K. Narayan including The Financial Expert, The Vendor of Sweets, The Painter of Signs, and Waiting for the Mahatma through post-colonial theories in order to bring out the issues of freedom, identity, hybridity, the adaptation of the English language, and effects of westernization. The study uses historical contextualization to explain the socio-political context during the time of writing in relation to the post-independence novels of Narayan. The study shows that post-independence novels of R.K. Narayan exhibit the issues related to identity, cultural hybridity, and postcolonialism in an independent India.