Parental Anxiety and Stress in the Novel, The Vendor of Sweets

Abstract

The novel graphically captures the challenges of the generational gap and the related parental anxiety and stress in R. K. Narayan's The Vendor of Sweets. This Indian novel, published in 1967, also explores the multiple dimensions of the interface between traditional and Western ideologies. The objective of this paper is to find the novelist’s creative exploration for the solution of this postcolonial situation. This research paper adopts a cultural theory methodology. The study examines how the social, historical, and political forces of the postcolonial era shaped the novel's creation. Gender and racial roles are also pondered. The key findings are recorded after the deep textual analysis. “Conquer taste, and you will have conquered the self” (Narayan 1). The very first line of the novel, said by the protagonist, Jagan, prepares the readers about the central issue of the novel: the fundamental search of everyone, the self-realisation and the question of identity. As a single parent, Jagan sacrifices his self-interest for his only son. However, Mali, without realising his father's sacrifice, hurts his emotions by quitting school, flying to America, and bringing his girlfriend, Grace, to his home in India without marrying her. These cultural shocks tear away Jagan's attachments, and he turns toward spirituality.