Representation of Marital Status of Woman in The Guide and The Dark Room by R K NarayanRepresentation of Marital Status of Woman in The Guide and The Dark Room by R K Narayan

‘WOMAN’ has been never given individual identity in Indian society. She has been always identified with a male either as a daughter or a wife or a mother or a sister. This treatment towards women is also mirrored in Indian Literature. Very few writers tried to break this barrier and focused WOMAN as the center of their writing. Indian English Writing that too fictions of both colonial and post-colonial India mainly picture Indian society, its people, their family, struggle, conflicts between Modernity and Traditions in a family etc. R K Narayan is one among such writers who sincerely attempted to portray Indian family particularly dwelling in Towns. Where Family comes there enters WOMAN. Family without woman is not whole at all. Even though the story is woven around male characters in the center Female characters peep out inevitably. Like this we can see the images of Indian women through the various female characters in R K Narayans fictions. R K Narayan was not really a feminist writer nor even did he seek solutions to the problems of Indian women in his writing. His realistic depiction of Indian society, whisper the inner voice of Indian woman, her disappointment, frustration, struggle for identity and liberty. Unlike the rural women of then India, women in Narayan’s fictions represent those women Indian urban areas, who could at least think of their deprived status and liberty. Just because a woman is learned, talented, living in city we cannot conclude she is happy. In a conservative, rigid society like India a girl is a born sufferer. Her suffering multitudes numerously when she acquires so called sacred position after her marriage i.e. WIFE