The+River

=What do I need to know about ... The River?=

Brief Description
The River is a very important symbol in R.K. Narayan's 'The English Teacher'. The river that is referred to runs seemingly through the fictional town of Malgudi, representing purity and cleansing in the Indian culture. The river also symbolizes peace, calmness and tranquility. The river could also represent changes and new beginnings: when Krishna decides to make changes in his life he often goes to the River. Susila moves in just afterward Krishna's first visit to the river and, in a sense, his new life begins. In contrast, it could also be said that the river, connected with nature, also symbolizes grief and regret after Susila's death.

On the day Krishna makes his resolution to change his lifestyle, after doing his exercise, he takes a brief dip in the river. This could represent a cleansing for him, or a rebirth, or both. The cleansing could be a preparation for future events; the rebirth would be the beginning of those events. Interestingly, that same day, he receives a letter from his wife informing him of her return, marking the start of his life

Key Quotations
‘//** I felt I had a new lease of life’ **// Pg 6 Clearly shows the changes he’s about to make or he could be referring to his rebirth. ‘//** There are subtle, invisible emanations in Nature’s surroundings **//.’ One with nature; in harmony with nature. ‘//** I must wash my feet in the river **//.’ Ironic because the water is meant to be cleansing and act as a protection, however, Krishna's wife Susila contracts the disease anyway and eventually dies from it.

They view visiting the river in different ways. For Krishna, his first visit is a planned outing and it was meant to be the start of a new routine (which was discarded very soon). In contrast, this quotation shows that for Susila, it was a random and pleasurable event (an example of reliability vs. unreliability). Krishna may not heed the spiritual connotations as much as Susila.
 * '...she pleaded recklessly ****.' (for a walk to the river)**

The river symbolises freedom. It suggests that the river continues to flow without stopping. It is important because it shows that Krishna has to move on and not look back to the past. Also it contrasts to Krishna as the river follows its own path while Krishna sticks to the rules..
 * 'The river flowed on against the night' **

This point contrasts with the idea of water being pure and tranquil. Here, it is used in association with death, perhaps showing Krishna's failure of being unable to find inner peace at this point in the novel. Furthermore, it could represent his frailty after losing his wife but merely it suggests his pathetic attempts of trying to communicate with her by himself and living life without depending on Susila as well as the grief he is going through.
 * 'I can only drown. I'm drowned and did not know it all these days'**

The word 'alone' could portray his regret and lonliness as he did share this river with Susila when she was alive. Before Susila's death, Krishna saw the river as a place to freshen himself up, and saw it as an inspiration to write his poetry for example. However, after her death, the only times he talks about rivers or water, he associates it with death and unhappiness rather than the contrary. Here, he is contemplating suicide, which contrasts with the idea of rivers being a symbol of freedom and purification.
 * 'I sat alone at a corner of the river..... - there are two thousand ways of ending this misery'**

Role in the Novel
The river represents new beginnings in Krishna's life, as he goes to the river and bathes when he is trying to break out of his old routine and aspiring for a "new lease of life". It is also a symbol of change because it is constantly flowing. The river also represents cleansing and purity as, most obviously, it is a place where the people in Malgudi go to cleanse themselves and, more symbolically Krishna goes to the river with the Headmaster and later on reflects on his life which is a way of cleansing himself. The river also represents moving on as a river keeps flowing, it can never dwell in one place, it has no choice but to keep moving. This can be linked to Krishna who must keep living despite the tragic loss of his wife. Finally the river suggests the idea of forging one’s own path through life as it, in a way, chooses it’s own path, which represents Krishna who must also do this in his own life. Although the Medium, the Headmaster, Susila and Leela are teachers to Krishna, he must take what he learns and make himself his own person, instead of striving to be exactly like his teachers in life. 