Swami's friends

After writing my essay, I am beginning to notice something about Swami and Friends. It's one of those books that you know is about something deeper than what you originally read, but on the surface is just an entertaining read. It was hard for me to think about what the deeper meaning was behind this novel, until I picked a passage and read it closely. Now I am convinced that Narayan more than any other author we have read utilized punctuation, pace, syntax, and careful word choice to emphasize his subtle underlying points.

In an early post I made a comment regarding the idea that Swami's main interest in school comes from his main interest in his friendships, and now I think there's more to it. Not only is friendship what is driving Swami, it is also what is driving him away from colonial education. He tolerates it simply because he can see his friends at school but starts to rebel by going to M.C.C. practice instead of school. I think this decision defines him. At first he is torn by what his father wants for him and what he wants for himself. Similar to his participation in the protests, this is one of the few times Swami really shows his independence.