THE WATCHMAN - R.K.NARAYAN

     THE WATCHMAN    - R.K.NARAYAN

OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY:

*INTRODUCTION

*THE WATCHMAN

*THE YOUNG GIRL

*THE FIRST MEETING

*THE WATCHMAN’S GUILT

*CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION: R.K.Narayan is a popular Indian English writer. He has authored a number of novels and short stories. He has a simple writing style and a fine sense of humour. He is known for his realistic and ordinary characters. The short story ‘The Watchman’ deals with a strange incident in the life of a watchman.

THE WATCHMAN: The Watchman is in charge of the village tank. Everyday before he left for home, he used to check the tank carefully. It was his duty to make sure no persons or animals were near the water in the tank. He made sure that all the people who had come for their evening walks had left. But he could not do anything about the stubborn angler who would never leave till he caught a fish.

THE YOUNG GIRL: There was a young girl, who was under the care of her stepmother. Her family wanted the girl to get married but she wanted to study medicine. She had failed to get a scholarship and did not wish to be a burden to her family. She knew her family could not afford to pay her fees. So she wanted to end her life by drowning in the tank.

THE FIRST MEETING: One night, the watchman was doing his usual survey. He found a shadowy figure coming down the steps. He could see that a letter had been placed on one step. Immediately, he started shouting at the person. From experience, he knew that the person was about to commit suicide. If that happened, he knew that the tank would have a bad name. He knew he could not allow that to happen.

In the lantern light, he saw that it was that young girl. She was in tears. He talked to her and tried to understand her problem. He felt sorry for her but asked her to go back home and live happily.  He suddenly recollects that he is the sole survivor in his family. The entire family had died from a sudden illness. He recalls how he had suffered at the hands of his father’s relatives who had driven him away from his home. Though he pleaded with her, the girl remained stubborn. She felt he could not understand her problems. It is then he told her that he had a family. He lived with his elder daughter. As the young girl was not at all listening to him, the watchman got angry and went home, leaving her there.

THE WATCHMAN’S GUILT: The next day, he came to the tank and found the letter on the steps. Tearing it to pieces, he threw it into the water angrily. He wondered what had happened to the girl. He felt guilty. He kept looking out for a dead body to float up. Sometimes dead bodies got caught deep inside the tank.

CONCLUSION: Many years passed. The watchman used to wonder what had happened to the girl. One night as he was about to leave the tank, a car stopped at the tank bund.  He wondered who it was, visiting at such a late hour. A family consisting of a man, a woman and children visited the tank. Though changed by years, he recognized the woman. He had a lot of questions in his mind and he waited eagerly with folded hands. But the woman just looked at him and looked away. Puzzled by this, he thought maybe he was mistaken, and that could be a different person. Thus the story reveals that most of the human beings easily forget the ones who helped them when they were in distress.