THE GUIDE

FROM WIKIPEDIA:-
Railway Raju (nicknamed) is a disarmingly corrupt tour guide who is famous among tourists. He
falls in love with a beautiful dancer, Rosie, the neglected wife of archaeologist Marco. Marco
doesn't approve of Rosie's passion for dancing. Rosie, encouraged by Raju, decides to follow her
dreams and start a dancing career. They start living together, but Raju's mother doesn't approve
their relationship, and leaves them. Raju becomes Rosie's stage manager and soon, with the
help of Raju's marketing tactics, Rosie becomes a successful dancer. Raju, however, develops
an inflated sense of self-importance and tries to control her life. He wants to build as much
wealth as possible. Raju gets involved in a case of forgery and gets a two-year sentence. After
completing the sentence, Raju passes through a village where he is mistaken for a sadhu (a
spiritual guide). Since he doesn't want to return in disgrace to Malgudi, he decides to stay in an
abandoned temple, close to the village. There is a famine in the village and Raju is expected to
keep a fast in order to make it rain. Raju confesses the entire truth about his past to Velan, who
had developed a complete faith in Raju like the rest of the villagers. With media publicizing his
fast, a huge crowd gathers (much to Raju's resentment) to watch him fast. After fasting for
several days, he goes to the riverside one morning as part of his daily ritual, where his legs sag
down as he feels that the rain is falling in the hills. The ending of the novel leaves unanswered
the question of whether he died, and whether the drought ended.

Pages: 220 pp
Publisher: Viking Press (US); Methuen (UK)
Author: R. K. Narayan
Publication date: 1958

SHORT SUMMARY
When Raju is released from prison after serving two years for forgery, he
goes to the temple located on the Sarayu River in his hometown of
Malgudi. He thinks prison is not too bad a place, and he is wondering what
to do next with his life. Then a villager named Velan shows up and, taking
Raju for a holy wise man or guru, consults with him about his sister, who
refuses to marry as the family wishes. Well aware that he is not a guru,
Raju is evasive, but Velan brings his sister anyway, and after their meeting
she conforms to her family’s wishes. So begins Raju’s life as a holy man.

He recalls his boyhood in a poor family; his father, who kept a very small
shop; and his mother, who often complained of their life. Meanwhile, Velan
returns with others from his village after work. No matter what Raju says, or
even if he says nothing at all, they bring him food and beg him for words of
wisdom. They feel the need for a spiritual adviser, so they make one out of
a very unlikely prospect.

Raju then reflects on his father’s small stall at the railroad station and on
how he built up the business himself after his father’s death. His memories
are interrupted periodically when other villagers come to seek his advice.
Almost by accident, Raju finds himself appointing an old man to run a
school at the temple for the village children. This increases his fame, and
Raju begins to bask in the light of his own glory.

Later, Raju recalls, he became known as Railway Raju, and people began
to ask for him when their trains stopped at Malgudi. Before long, he had
become a guide, even though he knew relatively little about the historic and
scenic sites in the area. He simply learned from what he heard others say.
He called on old Gaffur, who had a car, to act as chauffeur, and soon he
was prospering.

One day he met a beautiful traditional dancer named Rosie—an odd name
for an Indian—and when he took her to see a cobra and watched her do a
snake dance he was charmed himself. Rosie’s husband was a cold, distant
art historian named Marco, and it was obvious to Raju that she had married
him only for social status and financial security. Marco refused to allow
Rosie to dance, and he ignored her for his scholarly research. Raju
remembers the day he became romantically involved with her.
The Guide is the most popular novel of R.K. Narayan. It was published in 1958, and
won the Sahitya Akademy Award for 1960. It has also been filmed and the film has
always drawn packed-houses.

It recounts the adventures of a railway guide, popularly known as ‘Railway Raju’. As

a tourist guide he is widely popular. It is this profession which brings him in contact
with Marco and his beautiful wife, Rosie. While the husband is busy with his
archaeological studies, Raju seduces his wife and has a good time with her.
Ultimately Marco comes to know of her affair with Raju and goes away to Madras
leaving Rosie behind. Rosie comes and stays with Raju in his one-room house. His
mother tolerates her for some time, but when things become unbearable, she calls
her brother and goes away with him, leaving Raju to look after Rosie and the house.

Rosie is a born dancer, she practices regularly and soon Raju finds an opening for
her. In her very first appearance, she is a grand success. Soon she is very much in
demand and their earnings increase enormously. Raju lives lavishly, entertains a
large number of friends with whom he drinks and gambles. All goes well till Raju
forges Rosie’s signatures to obtain valuable jewellery lying with her husband. The
act lands him in jail. Rosie leaves Malgudi and goes away to Madras, her hometown.
She goes on with her dancing and does well without the help and management of
Raju, of which he was so proud.

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On release from jail, Raju takes shelter in a deserted temple on the banks of the river
Sarayu, a few miles away from Malgudi, and close to the village called Mangla. The
simple villagers take him to be a Mahatma, begin to worship him, and bring him a lot
of eatables as presents. Raju is quite comfortable and performs the role of a saint to
perfection.

However, soon there is a severe famine drought, and the villagers expect Raju to
perform some miracle to bring them rain. So he has to undertake a fast. The fast
attracts much attention and people come to have darshan of the Mahatma from far
and wide. On the twelfth day of the fast, Raju falls down exhausted just as there are
signs of rain on the distant horizon. It is not certain if he is actually dead or merely
fainted. Thus the novel comers to an1 abrupt close on a note of ambiguity.
The last pages of Narayan’s best novel, The Guide, find Raju, the chief protagonist,
at the end of a lifetime of insincerity and pain. As a professional guide to Malgudi’s
environs, he invented whole new historical pasts for bored tourists; he seduced a
married woman, drifted away from his old mother and friends, became a flashy
cultural promoter, and then tried, absentmindedly, to steal and was caught and spent
years in jail, abandoned by everyone.

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His last few months have been spent in relative comfort as a holy man on the banks
of a river: a role imposed on him by reverential village folk. But the river dries up after
a drought and his devotees start looking to him to intercede with the gods. Raju
resentfully starts a fast, but furtively eats whatever little food he has saved. Then
abruptly, out of a moment of self disgust, comes his resolution: for the first time in his
life, he will do something with complete sincerity, and he will do it for others: if fasting
can bring rain, he’ll fast.

He stops eating, and quickly diminishes. News of his efforts goes around; devotees
and sightseers, gathering at the riverside, create a religious occasion out of the fast.
On the early morning of the eleventh day of fasting, a small crowd watches him
quietly as he attempts to pray standing on the river bed and then staggers and dies,
mumbling the enigmatic last words of the novel, “It’s raining in the hills. I can feel it
coming up under my feet, up my legs….”

Characteristically, Narayan doesn’t make it clear whether Raju’s penance does

actually lead to rain. He also doesn’t make much of Raju’s decision, the moment of
his redemption, which a lesser writer would have attempted to turn into a resonant
ending, but which is quickly passed over here in a few lines. What we know, in a
moment of great disturbing beauty, is something larger and more affecting than the
working-out of an individual destiny in an inhospitable world.

It is and the words are of the forgotten English writer William Gerhardie, on Chekhov,
but so appropriate for Narayan that sense of the temporary nature of our existence
on this earth at all events…through which human beings, scenery, and even the very
shallowness of things, are transfigured with a sense of disquieting importance.

It is a sense of temporary possession in a temporary existence that, in the face of the

unknown, we dare not overvalue. It is as if his people hastened to express their
worthless individualities, since that is all they have, and were aghast that they should
have so little in them to express: since the expression of it is all there.
Another summary:-
The novel focusses on the life and growth of Raju. Born in Malgudi, Raju
was the son of a sweet-shop owner. Raju learns how to run his father’s
shop and continues their family business after his father passes away. Raju
is a very adaptable person and becomes whatever people and life want him
to become.

With little to no professional training, but owing to his knowledge of local

landmarks and buildings, he soon becomes a tour guide at the railway
station in Malgudi. Raju’s pleasing personality and his interpersonal skills
allow him to win the trust and admiration of those who meet him at the
station, hence earning the nickname “Railway Raju’’

Tempted by the material pleasures like money and comfort, Raju soon
finds himself drawn to another source of pleasure – Rosie. Rosie is the wife
of Marco, an archaeologist obsessed with ancient art forms. Marco and
Rosie visit Malgudi and meet Raju as a guide.

Rosie’s and Marco’s marriage is an unhappy marriage. Marco seems to be

unfriendly towards Rosie and dismisses her passion for dance, calling it a
shallow profession for harlots. Raju realizes that Rosie must’ve married
Marco only for his money. Taking advantage of this weak marriage, Raju
uses his tempting words on Rosie and starts a love affair with her.

He appreciates her dance. Rosie becomes a famous dancer in

cosmopolitan circles because of her talent and Raju’s impressive marketing
skills as her manager. They both start living together. Raju’s mother does
not approve of this and she ultimately leaves the house to go live with her
brother. However, greed takes over Raju, which leads to his fall. Marco
sends jewelry for Rosie, tempted by which Raju forges her signature –
thinking that no one would be able to catch him. But Marco recognizes this
forgery and Raju is jailed for 2 years.

After he’s freed from prison, Raju is reluctant to go back to Malgudi

because he’ll be disgraced there as a former prisoner. He spends his time,
confused where to go, in a village called Mangal, where a simpleton named
Velan mistakes him as a spiritual guru. Velan is fully convinced of Raju
being a guru, even when Raju reveals his entire life story Velan’s sister,
who has refused to marry as per the family’s wishes, is brought to Raju.
Raju successfully convinces her to marry as per the elders’ wishes and
hence furthers the idea of him being an enlightened personality.
Mangal villagers soon ask Raju to perform a fast to end the famine that has
been severely affecting their village. Since they believe he is a guru, the
villagers think that if Raju fasts as a ritual to appease the rain gods, it will
surely rain and hence the famine will be over.

Accepting this responsibility, Raju begins the ritual. Each day, although he
remains hungry, he finds within himself a new sense of fulfillment. His body
grows weaker day by day, to the point where he can’t even walk without the
villagers’ support, but this bodily impoverishment is accompanied by an
emotional delight. Raju’s death is bittersweet and the ending of the novel is
not a definitive one but is rather open to interpretation. Raju asks the
villagers to take him to the river, where he used to visit daily as a part of his
ritual, and there he utters his final words,

“Velan, it’s raining in the hills. I can feel it coming up under my feet,
up my legs.”

And then Raju droops down. The ending is confusing because the reader
cannot understand whether it actually rains or was Raju’s final
“observation’’ just a hallucination – something that was not happening in
reality but was just a vision perceived by Raju. Regardless of the reality of
the rain, Raju’s death certainly marks his journey from being a tour guide in
Malgudi to a spiritual guide in Mangal.

Character analysis
 Raju

Raju, the protagonist and at times the narrator, the son of a poor
shopkeeper from the village of Malgudi. His character undergoes various
transformations as he goes from shopkeeper to guide (“Railway Raju”), to
lover, to impresario (manager of Rosie’s career as a dancer), to prisoner, to
impostor (fake guru), to perhaps genuine swami or mahatma (the highest of
the Hindu spiritual leaders). Raju is clever, and although he succumbs to
the temptations of luxury when Rosie succeeds as a dancer, he does offer
her the chance to do what she has always wanted, and his love for her
appears to be genuine. On the other hand, his forgery of her name, even if
it is not for profit but to sustain their relationship, is unwise, and his initial
willingness to assume the role of a guru simply to be fed suggests he may
be just another con man. Readers must decide for themselves about the
reality and depth of Raju’s transformation by the end of the novel.
Raju’s mother

Raju’s mother, a traditional Indian woman who defines herself in terms of

her domestic role. She is developed more fully as a character than is her
husband, about whom she complains frequently. Her initial, albeit reluctant,
acceptance of the low-caste Rosie into her house and Rosie’s affection for
her indicate that she is a positive character. Raju’s failure to heal their
relationship or to build her a new home when he becomes wealthy tends to
undercut his character. When she calls in her imperious brother to deal with
Rosie, she reveals the weakness of the traditional Indian woman, who
relies on domineering males to resolve problems.

A Study of the Character Rosie in the Novel “The Guide”

by R.K. Narayan
Rosie is one of the main characters of the novel “The Guide” by R.K. Narayan. R.K.
Narayan portrays the character Rosie as a typical Indian woman who loves her husband
despite his entire fault and always feels proud of her husband. Though she belongs to a
dancer family, she is highly educated and is influenced by her husband and her
background. She is presented in the novel as a beautiful dancer, of the Devadasi variety
of temple dancers.

As a Wife

Rosie is an attractive young wife of 'Marco'. . Her marriage has been like a curse in
disguise to her as Marco is totally engaged in his career and is totally apathetic and
unemotional to her. She is very passionate about dancing but her husband does not
allow her to dance

She is like a traditional Indian wife. Her husband is like God to her. Marco calls her
dancing skills as street acrobatics and compares it to monkey dance. Despite all these
insults she continues to be his wife. When Marco came to know about the intimacy
between her and Raju he became very upset and didn’t talk to her and completely
ignored her presence. She sincerely apologizes to Marco. Rosie explains to Raju, "I
followed him, day after day, like a dog-waiting on his grace” She tries to persuade her
husband and bears all the insults. But Marco reacts by categorically disowning his wife.
"I'm trying to forget..... even the earlier fact that I ever took a wife you are free to go
and do what you please."
This incident shows her tremendous tolerance power and her optimistic attitude. She is
basically kind and loving towards her husband’s. She appreciates the fact that he gives
her freedom, security and does not kill her for her betrayal. That she is emotionally
attached to him at the last is evident from the fact that she cuts his picture from The
Illustrated Weekly and pastes it on her mirror.

Human Desire and Liveliness

Rosie was a dreamer and human desire is visible in Rosie’s character. Rosie tells Raju
``I`d preferred any kind of mother in law, if it had meant one real, live husband”. But
Macro on the other hand is only interested in “dead and decaying things” not in his wife
"who as dancer was the living embodiment of those images."

Complete Devotion to Dance

When she was left by Marco in Malgudi and was living with Raju she devoted herself
completely to dancing. She loves dance and that is what matters to her. She woke early
in the morning and practiced hard for three hours regularly. She is always willing to talk
about dance and even tries to teach Raju some tips of it. In the end, though she loses
her husband and her lover, she continues to dance. Dance is her life whatever comes to
her way. According to Raju “ Neither Marco nor I had any place in her life, which had its
own sustaining utility and which she herself had underestimated all along”

Religious by nature

She is religious by nature as she believes in Goddess Saraswati and has the bronze
image of Nataraja in her office.

Passionate Nature

Her success doesn’t gets to her head as she remains a down to earth person even after
becoming very successful in her dancing career. Once Raju became very upset because
Rosie spent lot of time with different artists and not with him. He came to her and said
that these artists come to her because they are inferior to her .She replies to him saying
that she doesn’t believe in superior and inferior .She doesn’t discriminate people on the
basis of their financial status. On one hand when Raju prefers to meet people who are
very rich and influential in the society Rosie doesn’t care much about these people.
Being herself an artist she respects art and likes to be in the company of artist and other
music lovers.

True to Her lover

Rosie is also true to her lover. In spite of the forgery, Rosie does not desert Raju.
Though Rosie comes to know about every treacherous and fraud activity of Raju, she
compromises with the situation. Instead of punishing Raju for his deceit, she is
determined, like a true beloved, to spend every penny that she is arranging a capable
defense for Raju although she has earlier decided to give up dancing as a profession.
She signs fresh dancing contracts to raise more money for this purpose.

In fact, her dignified and noble behavior brings out our sympathy. She embodies the
“Feminine Principle” of ideal woman-hood.  

Plot summary
The Guide is powerful story about spiritual transformation and self-realization. The narrative
itself is both fantastical and comical, as the path the main character, Raju, takes to
understanding is not intentional. In essence, Narayan’s story shows how a man intent on
deception, including self-deception, comes to find clarity based in large part on his life of
deception.
Raju lives in a quaint village called Malgudi. In Malgudi, Raju aspires to be whatever other
people want him to be. As such, he is a chameleon of a character, always becoming
someone based on someone’s current need. One such example of Raju’s malleability is
when he begins managing a shop at the Malgudi train station, and is known by the village
people as “Railway Raju.” In this role, Raju bills himself as an expert guide, and professes to
be able to obtain any and all items a person is searching for.

Raju also meets Rosie, a gorgeous dancer, and becomes her lover. He also becomes Rosie’s
guide, and aids her in making the decision to become a professional dancer. His advice pays
off, and Rosie soon becomes famous on account of her dancing skills. With this new
opportunity, Raju becomes “Raj,” an influential man with an elevated social standing, thanks
to Rosie. Things seem to be looking up for Raju, and yet complications soon arise.
Raju eventually ends up in prison because of his machinations. While there, Raju again
changes his persona and causes others to not only respect him, but to like him and come to
his aid if need be. The reader can see by this point in the novel that Raju has an uncanny
ability to effect change in other people, as well as in himself, and yet he does not realize the
extraordinary power he holds. He sees his ability as a survival mechanism and nothing
more.

Raju is finally released from prison, but is unsure where to go or what to even do with his
life at this point. He does not want to return home to Malgudi because he does not want to
deal with all the gossip and rejection he is sure will be there waiting for him. Instead, Raju
takes shelter in an abandoned temple. In this holy place on the banks of the Sarayu River,
Raju is able to think a bit more and give himself time to come up with his next plan.

While hiding out in the temple, Raju meets a strange man named Velan. The two begin
talking and discussing life, and after a time, Velan actually thinks of Raju as a holy man. With
his talent for becoming whatever is beneficial to his circumstances, Raju picks up on Velan’s
mistake and plays along with the ruse. When Raju is later forced to admit that he is not a
holy man after all and subsequently must reveal where he is from and who he really is, he is
somewhat shocked to find that his admission and guilt, which he initially thought would free
him from the burdensome role of a holy man, actually has the opposite effect he was
looking for.

His revelation of the truth actually propels him further into the role of a holy man, thus
making Raju’s malleability a path that has brought him to this point, the true incarnation of a
“Swamiji,” a holy man. The reader sees in the narrative that, at this point in Raju’s
transformation, he is finally able to overcome his previous need to be whatever people
wanted him to be. He no longer needs to be everything to everybody, and has come to a
place where he genuinely serves others from a place of selflessness. At this moment, his
past endeavors, including his ties to Malgudi, prison, Rosie, and fame, all peel away. Raju
sees himself for what he truly is, just another individual. With this clarity, he is now able to
help others without an ulterior motive. His path has become clear, and he follows it
selflessly.

Raju’s transition from conman to holy man is both comical and didactic. Narayan’s narrative
shows how people can be destined for great things without even realizing it. At the same
time, it shows how people’s pasts are not entirely what defines them. People can change
and do good in life. They can go from self-centered individuals to people of character, like
Raju. Ultimately, perhaps, the narrative shows that there are often greater forces at work
than what mankind perceives in a moment of choice, whether a good choice or not. There is
hope for mankind, despite outward appearances. Raju’s journey is testament to this hope.