First of all I wanted to say how much I thoroughly enjoyed Narayan's chapter on Swami's exams. I found it really easy to relate to - I myself many a time have finished an exam too quickly, and then tried to stall by looking over things. Eventually, I found I had nothing more to write, and nervously left the place thinking I either was only given half of the test, I either bombed it or rocked it. I think it is a very average thing to go through when it comes to education, which places Swami in that exact realm as a student - average. He obviously cares enough about his exams to want to do well, regardless of whether that his all his own doing or his father's strict expectations. Plus, I was really amused when Swami lied to his friends about how much he wrote down to make himself feel better. I mean come on, who here hasn't done that!?
In any case, in my presentation I discussed Swami's need for constant approval by the people around him, from Rajam to his father. I see this as his quest to figure himself out, and his place in the world. This was especially explicit when he wasted time on his test to write the following on his paper:
Tamil Tamil
W.S. Swaminathan
1st Form A Section
Albert Mission School
Malgudi
South India
Asia
I kind of viewed this obsession with titles and locations and geography as a metaphor for Swami's personal search to figuring out his place in the world, or at least his own community and friends. Too much of a stretch?
I agree and I enjoyed Swami's narrative for he was truly the pupil that you could relate too. When finishing exams early, you panic because you feel you made a mistake or did not take your time. Swami was laid back and it did not bother him that he finished the test early, it bothered him that his friends wrote more than him so as a kid the best thing is to lie. The situation just reiterates more of why we love his childish antics. Again, Swami's life makes us evaluate our own and you wonder do I seek approval of those around me and it is true, we do but don't like to admit it. He is very much like a college student even though he is a young boy for we all look for things to assimilate with or find out what makes us unique or why we are even in college.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really great point, and I thought about some parts of that argument but what really got me thinking is the fact that writing that elaborate title down is a physical representation of Swami's quest. I don't think that's a stretch, and it reminds me of Stephen wondering what comes after universe. I can almost see Swami writing... the Earth... the Milky Way... the Universe. I think its a common thing for humans to wonder about their place in a vast world. This list is interesting because it doesn't start with his name, which one would assume would convey the largest amount of identity. Instead it starts with a language, as if Swami is wondering first if his language identifies him. Then he gets through the list ending with his location.
ReplyDeleteI think Swami is obsessed with acceptance, which he seeks through others, but in reality I don't think Swami has accepted himself, because he lacks understanding of his own character.
I agree with you. It is very easy for any student to related to this event in Swami's educational career. And you made a very interesting point with the "header" that Swami wrote on his paper. I hadn't thought of that before, but I guess everyone does go through a period where they try to 'figure out their place in the world'. This excerpt from the book, for me, is a great depiction of a child trying to do that.
ReplyDeleteI concur. To me, Swami's depiction as a student seems more real to me than most of the other students portrayed in the other novels we have read. He seems to have a lot of the same problems that a real life student would have and he approaches school life and the education in a very believable way. Perhaps this is why it is so easy to identify with him in the novel: His experiences seem familiar and similar to our own experiences in the classroom.
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