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 to watch the movie, denies to accompany him, and tries but fails to make him understand how unbearable will it be for her to watch her husband ‘alive’ on screen.

6) The movie Kumari, which is being released the next day in the nearby theatre, is a Tamil movie. Sambu was told the plot-line of the film by his own father when the film was in making. The film deals with the struggle and eventual success of Kumari, the title character who refuses to marry at fourteen and decides to study in a university so to earn an independent living. Sambu’s father plays the role of Kumari’s (stern) father in the film.

7) After obtaining permission from his mother, Sambu is excited to watch his father back to life (reel-life). At school, he tries to persuade his friend to go come with him and watch his father’s film: (i) Sambu tells his friend how novel and different the film is than the other Tamil films his friend dislikes, & (ii) how unusual it is that his father was paid Rs. 10,000 for writing the script of the film, and for acting in it! But all in vain. He goes all alone to watch the movie.

8) In the theatre, Sambu sits eagerly in the darkened hall to watch his father onscreen and at last – after a long period of time – he sees his father: same attire, same appearance, same occurrences. Sambu starts likening his reel-life father with his real-life father. He compares and contrasts himself with Kumari, and accordingly distances himself from her and, dislikes her.

9) The movie ends, and so ends the joy of the boy Sambu. Back home, he shares his joy with his mother, tells her how the cinematic experience was exactly like the real one!

10) He hates silence of his mother and wishes to watch two shows of the film everyday for a week. Sambu is allowed to watch one show everyday on a condition that his lessons won’t get affected.

11) Everyday, Sambu is delighted in the company of his father for three hours and he gets depressed everyday at the end of the film. For him was everyday a meeting and separation!

12) It was the last day of the film as the next day will be the screening of another film. Sambu succeeded in taking his mother to the cinema-hall to watch the last evening show of the film. Reluctant and running scared, Sambu’s mother collects all her courage to sit in women’s class waiting for the film to begin. The film starts: everything is same. Hear heart beats fast making her nervous. And the scene – of her husband sitting in the chair & reading a newspaper – proves to be unbearable for her and she faints.

13) The screening is paused, Sambu hates it but then leaves with his mother, the people in auditorium resume their seats and the film is played.