Depiction of Challenging World of Youth in R. K. Narayan’s The Bachelor of Arts

Abstract

R.K.Narayan is a pioneer and one among the trio novelists, has never confined himself to a particular theme or viewpoint. His perception towards life is wide and the same reflects in his multidimensional writings with multiple perspectives. R.K.Narayan is a man of worldly knowledge and studies the human mind with his keen sense of observation. His down to earth attitude and simple nature contribute to the realistic portrayal of characters and depiction of theme in his novels. Accordingly, his second novel, The Bachelor of Arts is the development of the first novel and it displays the blooming life of a youth. Youth is the phase for an individual to construct the self-concept. It is influenced by various factors like family, peers, society, life style, culture and working environment. The choice made during this period the future. Therefore, the period of childhood is contrast to the period of youth. The former is very innocent and leads a dependent life, whereas the later steps into the society and initiates the independent life. Such a challenging life of youth is depicted by R.K.Narayan in his novel The Bachelor of Arts.