Swami and Friends
by R.K. Narayan
(Formalistic Analysis)
I. Central Idea and Author
Swami and Friends is the first of a trilogy of novels written by R. K. Narayan (1906–
2001), English language novelist from India. The first book Narayan wrote, set in British
India in a fictional town called Malgudi is the story of the tumultuous friendship of
Swaminathan, his four childhood friends, and a new boy named Rajam.
Set in a fictional town in south India circa 1930, Swami and Friends is defined by the
pressures and complexities of British colonial rule over India. While the book’s events
revolve around common childhood trials and tribulations, the personal experiences of
the protagonist and his friends are colored by their political context, even when the
characters themselves have little understanding of it. By examining British colonial rule
through the lens of an ordinary boy’s relatable childhood, R.K. Narayan demonstrates
the pervasiveness and subtlety of this political structure’s power. Swami’s story shows
that the impact of colonial rule is present in every corner of Indian life during this era,
and that no individual’s personal life can be truly separate from colonialism’s profound,
sometimes contradictory effects.
Consequently, it also explores the theme of education and oppression. Difficulty within
educational settings is one of Swami’s constant conflicts throughout the novel. Rather
than simply depicting the ordinary childhood struggles of homework and unfair teachers,
Narayan uses these familiar obstacles to enact a smaller version of the colonial
oppression that suffuses the book. For Swami, school is a place of both growth and
restriction, where rigid rules come into conflict with Swami’s nuanced inner life.
Throughout, Narayan’s depictions of Swami’s school days add depth and specificity to
the book’s larger points about the intersection of the personal and the political.
Many of Swami’s most immediate experiences of oppression occur within school
settings. He encounters violence, humiliation, and requirements that quash his
imaginative and sensitive nature. All of these restrictions on Swami’s individual life
seem to mirror the dehumanizing nature of colonial power on India’s larger population.
Belongingness to a group is also central to the story and of Swami's life, says Adolph
(2020). The novel shows that belongingness is not an easy, smooth affair, but often
happens through exclusion, hierarchy, and competition. Swami feels confidently
established as the charismatic head of his friend group, but Rajam's arrival threatens to
displace him. Instead, Swami befriends Rajam, but then Swami's old friends feel
abandoned by his new friendship and start mocking Swami as Rajam's "tail."
Nevertheless, this is eventually resolved when Rajam proposes that they all form a
cricket team. Thus, they all belong together in one unified identity as a team, but their
sense of camaraderie is sustained through the exclusivity and competition of sports.
Another important theme evident in the story is innocence, family and growing up.
While Swami seems at first to embody the quintessential idea of a carefree child, his
growth over the course of the novel shows that even children of his young age are
burdened by serious concerns and real-world threats. Narayan demonstrates this
gradual loss of innocence in large part through his portrayal of Swami’s relationships
with the members of his immediate family, which grow increasingly complicated and
less protective over the course of the story. Moreover, Swami even experienced the
genuine danger of the world around him and, at the same time, come to realize the
limitations of his family’s ability to comfort him and keep him safe. Through this process
Narayan shows that Swami shares in the universal realities common to all coming-of-
age stories, even within the unique sociopolitical context of India under English colonial
rule (Sheldon-Dean, 2018).
One of the finest Indian authors writing in English, RK Narayan is a simple man from a
simpler age whose literary works continues to weave Technicolor emotions in the hearts
of his readers. He was drawn to writing and would contribute to a few English
magazines and newspapers before starting his own publishing company. In the year
1935 he begins his writing career with Swami and friends set in the fictional town of
Malgudi which would later be turned into one of more than India’s most cherished teddy
serials. His other works are The Bachelor of Arts (1973), The Dark Room (1938), The
English Teacher (1945), Waiting for the Mahatma (1955), and the Man-eater of Malgudi
(1961). He has presented the Sahitya Akademi award for The Guide in 1958 which was
later turned into the Bollywood classic by the same name. He was conferred the Padma
Bhushan in 1964 and nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1989. R K Narayan is not less
in proving his literary skills to the world and made many followers through his boundless
works that created a new rhythm for the writing field. His methodology is, being involved
more into the life of common people which grabs the attention of their simpler life and
making them the protagonist of his stories gives them extra happiness.
II. Plot
The story begins by introducing Swaminathan and his friends Somu, Sankar, Mani, and
Pea. Swami talks about how different all of his friends are from one another and how
their differences actually make their friendships stronger. Soon, however, a new boy
arrives, named Rajam who Swami and Mani absolutely hate. It isn’t until the three boys
confront each other that they realize they have a lot in common, and become fast
friends.
Later, a prominent Indian politician is arrested and Swami joins a mob of protesters. He
gets swept up in the fervor of the crowd and uses a rock to destroy school property.
When the crowd is broken apart, Swami is left to face the consequences of his actions.
Not only is Swami forced to switch to a more strict and rigorous school, but Rajam is
hurt by the actions of his friend, making their friendship unstable In order to fix his
friendship with Rajam, Swami must atone for his actions; he decides to partner with
Rajam to create their very own cricket team called the M.C.C. The two boys are
intensely passionate about the team, but tensions rise as Swami’s strict school and
intense workload get in the way of his commitment. Rajam threatens to never speak to
Swami again if he misses the match of the year.
Despite his best efforts, Swami is forbidden by his strict headmaster from leaving early
to go to his daily practices. In a rage, Swami throws his headmaster’s cane out of the
window. Then, terrified of the repercussions, Swami decides to run away from Malgudi
for good and never return. While fleeing, he becomes lost and wanders aimlessly until
he is rescued. He has missed the M.C.C. match he swore to go to. Already knowing his
best friend may never speak to him again, Swami finds out from his friend Mani that
Rajam is leaving the next morning to move to a new city with his family.
In a desperate attempt to make amends, Swami rushes to the train station the next
morning with a book he intends to give to Rajam as a way to make peace. He nearly
misses the train’s departure and looks at his best friend through the window, who still
refuses to speak to him. Mani must hand him the book, as he would not take it from
Swami. The story ends as the train pulls away and Swami is left wondering if his friend
will write and if he is forgiven.
III. Characterization
Swami ( or Swaminathan)
Swami is the central character of the plot. He is also the protagonist of the play. As a
child, he goes to school where he does not like studies and gets bored easily. He is an
honest boy of seven but, on the other hand, he also does not hesitate telling lies to his
father. He loves his granny's stories. He is good at cricket and is nicknamed "Tate." He
saw the revolution phase of Indian independence. Later in the course of the novel, he
became bolder and socially prominent.
Swami's Father
Swaminathan’s father is a lawyer by profession. He is stern and authoritarian, but
caring. He worries about his son’s studies and encourages him to study hard.
Sometimes he is overly strict, but later in the novel he also shows his concern for the
well-being of his son.
Swami's Mother
Swaminathan's mother is in charge of the house and cares for Swami both materially
and emotionally. She defends Swami in his arguments with his father. However, her
appearances are occasional. She is the character that Swami misses the most when he
runs away from the house.
Swami’s Grandmother
Granny is described as a sweet and sleepy lady whom Swami will often go to and tell
stories about his day. She is a religious woman. She tells Swami the stories of her past.
Her relationship with Swami changes throughout the novel.
Mr. Ebenezar
He is Swami’s scripture teacher at the Albert Mission School. He is a Christian fanatic
and degrades Swami’s religion, Hinduism, and considers Christianity superior to other
religions. Later, he is scolded by the headmaster of the school.
Rajam
Rajam is the new kid at the Albert Mission School and is Swami's rival turned best
friend. Rajam is good at studies, speaks English "like a European," and is the son of the
police superintendent, which gives him more attention and status at school. He is witty
and fearless in nature and naturally assumes authority in social settings. It is his idea to
start a cricket team.
Mani
Another close friend of Swami, Mani is described as the "Mighty Good-For-Nothing." He
is a bold and strong figure in his class. He is not good at studies and purposefully slacks
off, but he likes fighting and no one dares to challenge him, even the teachers. Mani
likes to dominate the whole class and also bully some of his classmates.
Somu
Somu is Swami’s school friend from the Albert Mission School. He is the monitor of
Swami's class and carries himself with an easy and confident air. Swami calls him the
“uncle of the class.”
Sankar
A classmate of Swami, Sankar is known as the “the most brilliant boy of the class.”
Swami admires Sankar's intellect and takes his guidance. Later, he leaves Malgudi as
his father is transferred to another town.
Samuel (or The Pea)
Also nicknamed "The Pea," Samuel is Swami's classmate and friend. Both Swami and
the Pea are close friends until the Pea changes his school. Both remain friends as they
both play cricket together. He is the only Christian friend of Swami.
IV. Setting
Malgudi, South India, 1930s
The majority of the novel occurs in the fictional town of Malgudi, in the South of India, in
the 1930s. While Malgudi is fictional, it is grounded in realistic details which give it a
sense of geography. For instance, at school Swami notes he is learning Tamil, which
gives the reader a better sense of where the book is. And the novel shows the political
and social climate of India in the 1930s, when resistance to colonialism began to swell
with support.
V. Point of View
Swami and Friends is told through a third-person perspective, and focuses mainly on
the point of view of Swami, who is the protagonist and titular character. However, the
narrative sometimes shifts for brief periods of time to other characters, including
Swami’s friends, his father, or other random adults around him. At times when Swami is
incapacitated, such as when he falls ill after being lost, the narrative is taken over
entirely by other characters, like Ranga the coachman or Rajam.
On occasion, the narrator makes a comment or presents information to indicate it as
being a separate entity, but the majority of the book is Swami’s story, told through his
eyes. And as Swami is a child, the narrative oft excludes information that he would be
unable to know or understand, or discusses it separately from Swami’s point of view.
VI. Symbolism
The Protest
The protest can be argued to represent many things, but first and foremost, it
symbolizes the frustration that exists in India because of the colonial presence of the
British who dominate the nation as a second-class society. The British represent the
broken forces that exist among closed-minded people with economic interests. Among
the problems is that India has become chronically poor because its resources are
drained by the British.
Swami's cap
Swami's cap represents his good but misguided and uninformed intentions, which often
lead him to trouble. He destroys his cap in a fit of anti-colonial anger, believing it to be
English-made. His father later corrects him, revealing it was actually an Indian-made
cap, leading to Swami getting in trouble with his father and later, with his school.
Cricket
Cricket is a symbol of Swami's friendships, especially with Rajam. Swami enjoys cricket
and works hard at it, just as he enjoys his friendship with Rajam and works hard to
maintain it, much in the way he devotes time to practice. When Swami misses the first
match, he and Rajam both take it as a personal slight, rather than one against the team
as a whole.
Reference
Adolph, K. (2020).“Swami and friends themes”.Gradesaver.
https://www.gradesaver.com/swami-and-friends/study-guide/themes
Adolph, K. (2020).“Swami and friends symbols, allegory and motifs. Gradesaver.
https://www.gradesaver.com/swami-and-friends/study-guide/symbols-allegory-motifs
Shears.8. (2019) . Book review – swami and friends by RK Narayan. Literary
Globetrotters. https://u.osu.edu/literaryglobetrotters/2019/04/23/book-review-swami-
and-friends-by-rk-narayan/
Sheldon-Dean, H. (2018).“Swami and friends themes: education and oppression ”.
LitCharts LLC. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/swami-and-friends/themes/education-and-
oppression.
Sheldon-Dean, H.(2018).“Swami and friends themes: The political and the personal
under British colonial rule”. LitCharts LLC. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/swami-and-
friends/themes/the-political-and-the-personal-under-british-colonial-rule.
Sheldon-Dean, H.(2018).“Swami and friends themes: innocence, family and growing
up”. LitCharts LLC. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/swami-and-friends/themes/innocence-
family-and-growing-up.
Varandhrajan, S. (2010).Swami and friends. Sandhya's Blog.
http://sandhya.varadh.com/2010/09/swami-and-friends.html?m=1
