RK NARAYAN'S SHORT STORY 'A SHADOW'
Points to Remember before and after reading the story entitled A Shadow penned by RK Narayan : 1) The story, set in the village namely Malgudi, deals with Sambu, an adolescent boy who lives with his mother. 2) Sambu’s father, a film-star and a script-writer, died six month ago. He was reading a newspaper when his wife left him alone. And later, he was found lying back (dead) in the chair with sheets of the newspaper over his face. This loss has deeply affected both Sambu and his mother. 3) Throughout the story, Sambu is seen trying to sustain his intimacy with his dead father, through his father’s film. Whereas, Sambu’s mother is seen trying to save herself from an emotional collapse, she feels, she will undergo if she watches the film. 4) The story begins with Sambu who asks his mother for: (i) four annas to watch the film next day, (ii) her company to watch the movie, and (iii) a logical explanation of her denial to watch the movie together. 5) Sambu’s mother allows him
