In this Presentation I described how and in which ways Astrologer finds difficult to find his identity. Astrologer's Identity according to himself is different and the real one is different in front of other people or customer.
1. Identity Crisis of
Astrologer in 'An
Astrologer's Day'
Paper 201: Indian English Literature – Pre-
Independence
Presented at:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi,
Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar
2. Personal information
● Presented by:- Pooja Anilbhai Bhuva
● Enrollment Number:- 4069206420220005
● Email:- poojabhuva2002@gmail.com
● Batch:- 2022 - 2024 (M.A. Sem 3)
● Date:- 16 October, 2023
● Subject Code:- 22406
● Roll Number:- 15
3. R. K. Narayan
● Full Name:- Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer
Narayanaswami
● Born:- October 10, 1906
● Died:- May 13, 2001
● Swami and Friends
● The Bachelor of Arts
● Malgudi Days
● An Astrologer's Day and Other Stories, etc.
● Throughout his career, he wrote fourteen novels,
more than two hundred short stories, a memoir,
two travel books, so many essays, and two plays.
(Ramanan)
● In his works mostly one can find Universal Themes
like Education, Myth, Culture, Appearance vs
Reality, etc. (Ramanan)
4. An Astrologer's Day
● Written by:- R. K. Narayan
● Published:- 1947
● Main Characters:-
○ The Astrologer
○ The Astrologer’s Wife
○ Guru Nayak
● "An Astrologer's Day" is a suspenseful thriller in the form of a short story.
Although it had been previously published, it took on the role of the title
story in Narayan's fourth collection of short stories. (Fallon)
● It served as the opening chapter in the internationally renowned collection
of stories known as "Malgudi Days." (Narayan)
● Fallon, Erin, et al described this story as,
"A model of economy without leaving out the relevant details." (Fallon)
5. What is the role of Astrologer in the Story?
● The role of the astrologer in the story is important for advancing the plot and
for exploring themes such as fate, identity, and deception.
● In the story's start, the astrologer is shown as a fake fortune teller. He pretends
to be a wise astrologer to make money. He tricks people who believe in his
abilities to make a living.
● The astrologer's job in the story helps us think about fate and what's meant to
happen. He thinks he can predict people's futures using astrology. But he didn't
expect to meet someone from his past, and that changes what's supposed to
happen in his own life.
● The astrologer's character adds excitement and mystery to the story. People
reading it are curious about what the astrologer will do and if someone will find
out he's not a real astrologer.
● One can assume that the character of the astrologer somehow represents the
psychology and point of view of people living in the society.
6. The Astrologer's Identity Crisis in 'An Astrologer's Day'
● Identity in Past vs Present
● Cloak of False Identity
● Emotional Escape
● Social Psychology & The
Astrologer
7. Identity in Past vs Present
● The identity of the astrologer changes twice in his lifetime.
● He was a normal person who was working in the farming fields for
food and doing hard work.
● After the incident happened with him to escape his crime he became
an astrologer.
● Even though with his changed identity he is still suffering mentally.
● In the Past even in the Present he was not satisfied or happy with his
life.
● In the end, he got relief after he got rid of the thought that he
murdered Guru Nayak and his false claim about his own death gave
him a chance to know his true identity again.
8. Cloak of False Identity
● The astrologer wears the typical clothes of an astrologer, including a
turban and a sign that tells people about his services.
● This clothing helps him hide who he really is and what he did in the past.
● He gives predictions that are not very clear and can be understood in
different ways by his customers.
● He does this on purpose to make people think he has special abilities and
wisdom, making it seem like he's someone he's not.
● The astrologer's fake identity shows he wants to change who he is. He
thinks that by pretending to be an astrologer, he can forget about his dark
past and begin a new life as a real astrologer.
● These all points play an important role as a cloak of false identity.
9. Emotional Escape
● Astrologer seems to be emotionally broken and by immersing himself
in this new persona, he temporarily avoids facing the guilt and fear
that haunt him.
● The Identity which he fabricated provides an emotional turmoil
associated with his criminal past and it allows him to create a logical
and emotional separation between his old life and his new one.
● It is also one can assume that this Identity gives him temporary relief
from the pain of murdering someone.
● It's like he's putting a wall between his old life and his new one, and
this helps him feel a little less upset inside.
10. Social Psychology & The Astrologer
● Mentioned in Laboratory Experiments in the Social Sciences, Social
identity theory, developed by Henri Tajfel and John Turner, is a
fundamental framework in social psychology that explains how individuals
categorize themselves and others into social groups. (Webster)
● In this story interaction with Customer can be considered as an important
part to understand how he thinks.
● His way of telling about Customer’s future without hesitation - even
though he doesn't know about it - is a notable skill in Psychological way of
thinking.
● Talking to people helps him deal with the new way he pretends to be,
even if it means lying.
● It signifies his ongoing struggle to maintain this fabricated identity and this
can be considered his skillful play with the psychology of Customer.
11. References
● Fallon, Erin, et al., editors. A Reader's Companion to the Short
Story in English. Taylor & Francis, 2013.
● Narayan, R. K. Malgudi days. Heinemann, 1982.
● Ramanan, Mohan. R.K. Narayan: An Introduction. Foundation
Books, 2013.
● Webster, Murray, and Jane Sell, editors. Laboratory Experiments
in the Social Sciences. Elsevier Science, 2014. ScienceDirect,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124046818/laborator
y-experiments-in-the-social-sciences.
