Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark Room
In The Dark Room , the children - Kamala, Babu, and Sumathi - play a pivotal role in shaping the protagonist Savitri’s decisions. While the novel explores themes of patriarchal oppression and female agency, it is ultimately Savitri’s emotional bond with her children that compels her to return home a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)
2025-07-01
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| Series: | RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.rudn.ru/literary-criticism/article/viewFile/45340/25163 |
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| author | Sundar Singh Roland Rencewiggn P Pressila Daissy S |
| author_facet | Sundar Singh Roland Rencewiggn P Pressila Daissy S |
| author_sort | Sundar Singh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In The Dark Room , the children - Kamala, Babu, and Sumathi - play a pivotal role in shaping the protagonist Savitri’s decisions. While the novel explores themes of patriarchal oppression and female agency, it is ultimately Savitri’s emotional bond with her children that compels her to return home after leaving in protest of her husband’s infidelity. Thus, the children serve as emotional anchors, reinforcing the theme of familial obligation and the societal expectations placed on women, particularly mothers, in traditional Indian households. Through the lens of childhood interactions, the paper illuminates Narayan’s perspective on family structures, traditional values, and the developmental roles assigned to children, particularly in relation to parental authority and social expectations. This study provides a critical perspective on how Narayan uses children to subtly critique societal norms, portraying them as both products and critics of the family’s internal dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cd42c5e5b6c74e45b2cbd9460cfbf60d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2312-9220 2312-9247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism |
| spelling | doaj-art-cd42c5e5b6c74e45b2cbd9460cfbf60d2025-08-20T03:23:28ZengPeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism2312-92202312-92472025-07-0130231032010.22363/2312-9220-2025-30-2-310-32021132Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark RoomSundar Singh0https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9196-5634Roland Rencewiggn P1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4686-1557Pressila Daissy S2https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0971-8963SRM Institute of Science and TechnologySRM Institute of Science and TechnologySRM Institute of Science and TechnologyIn The Dark Room , the children - Kamala, Babu, and Sumathi - play a pivotal role in shaping the protagonist Savitri’s decisions. While the novel explores themes of patriarchal oppression and female agency, it is ultimately Savitri’s emotional bond with her children that compels her to return home after leaving in protest of her husband’s infidelity. Thus, the children serve as emotional anchors, reinforcing the theme of familial obligation and the societal expectations placed on women, particularly mothers, in traditional Indian households. Through the lens of childhood interactions, the paper illuminates Narayan’s perspective on family structures, traditional values, and the developmental roles assigned to children, particularly in relation to parental authority and social expectations. This study provides a critical perspective on how Narayan uses children to subtly critique societal norms, portraying them as both products and critics of the family’s internal dynamics.https://journals.rudn.ru/literary-criticism/article/viewFile/45340/25163children characterfamily dynamicsindian english fictiongender rolepatriarchychildhood representation |
| spellingShingle | Sundar Singh Roland Rencewiggn P Pressila Daissy S Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark Room RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism children character family dynamics indian english fiction gender role patriarchy childhood representation |
| title | Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark Room |
| title_full | Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark Room |
| title_fullStr | Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark Room |
| title_full_unstemmed | Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark Room |
| title_short | Child and Family: A Perspective on R.K. Narayan’s The Dark Room |
| title_sort | child and family a perspective on r k narayan s the dark room |
| topic | children character family dynamics indian english fiction gender role patriarchy childhood representation |
| url | https://journals.rudn.ru/literary-criticism/article/viewFile/45340/25163 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sundarsingh childandfamilyaperspectiveonrknarayansthedarkroom AT rolandrencewiggnp childandfamilyaperspectiveonrknarayansthedarkroom AT pressiladaissys childandfamilyaperspectiveonrknarayansthedarkroom |