Significance of the Titles of Three Indian English Novels

Significance of the title ‘Cat and Shakespeare’ by Raja Rao.

Cat and Shakespeare was first published in 1959 with the title ‘The Cat’ in Chelsea Review, New York. ‘Shakespeare’ was added in the revised edition in 1965 as an afterthought. The novel explores the relationship between Govindan Nair-a spiritual guide-and Ramakrishna Pai, his disciple. The relation between the two is parallel to the relation between a mother cat and kitten. As per Indian tradition, a disciple has to surrender himself or herself before the mentor in order to be guided by him. In this process, the disciple feels ecstasy just like a kitten experiences absolute joy when the mother holds it by the neck. Though modern man is suspicious of submitting oneself before another human, Indian tradition encourages such acts of obedience. The way a mother cat holds a kitten by the neck is different from the way a big cat holds its prey by the neck. In the first case, the kitten is completely safe whereas in the latter big cats tear off the neck of the prey. The second part of the title ‘Shakespeare’ may represent the mastery over the illusory life of the physical world. The understanding of the real nature of the physical universe as illusory is a key step in a disciple’s journey to realisation. Only spiritually awakened humans are capable of experiencing divine grace and forgiveness. In the last plays of Shakespeare such as The Tempest, the all forgiving Prospero reconciles with his brother who usurped his dukedom.  The ‘The Mousetrap’ episode and the soliloquy ‘to be or not to be’ in Hamlet also finds reference in the novel.

2.     Significance of the title Cry, the Peacock by Anita Desai.

The title of the novel Cry, the Peacock refers to the cry and dance of the bird. The cry of peacock implies intense act of love making and its tryst with life and death. Peacocks are believed to have involved in the dance of life in the end of which they die. Maya lingers on the prediction of the astrologer and is obsessed with thoughts of death. The death cry of the peacocks triggers thoughts of death and intensifies her passion for life.  It is believed that like bees, peahen kills peacock after sexual intercourse. The novel narrates the complex relationship between Maya and Gautam and at the end, Maya kills Gautam.

3.     Significance of the title Serpent and the Rope by Raja Rao.

The title of the novel is taken from a story narrated by Sankaracharya. The snake in the title refers to ‘illusion’ and the rope stands for ‘reality’. Just like we mistake a rope in the dark as a snake, common people mistakes this illusory physical world as real and fails to see the real nature of the universe. The novel narrates the journey of Ramaswamy to enlightenment which equips him to understand reality. One of the most complex and exquisite novels in Indian English novels, Serpent and the Rope is a metaphysical work in which Eastern philosophy meets the Western.

Summary and Analysis of Philosophy by Nissim Ezekiel

Introduction to the Author

Nissin Ezekiel (1924-2004) is a pioneer in modern Indian English poetry. His role as translator, editor, playwright and reviewer has contributed significantly in shaping modernist poetry in India. The modernist movement of 1950s and 60s was known for its precise use of language, well crafted images, ironic stance, treatment of sexuality and male-female relationship. Ezekiel is often described as father of modernist movement and he writes introspective, ironic and humorous poems of self exploration and self formation. He has brought out seven collections of poetry; they are A Time to Change and Other Poems (1952), Sixty Poems (1953), The Unfinished Man (1960), The Exact Name (1965), Hymns in Darkness (1976), and the Sahitya Akademy award-winning Latter-day Psalms (1982).

Outline of the Poem Philosophy

This poem is taken from The Exact Name (1965) and the poet speaks about a place he often goes. This is an involuntary journey on which the poet has no control over.  This place is away from the everyday existence and offers him clear vision over the chaotic physical world. Here, thoughts and ideas flow freely and he says that the ‘mills of God’ are never slow. This may refer to the pristine nature of the place which is not made impure by human intervention and rationality. The creation and growth of the place follows the natural (divine) rhythm. Ideas and thoughts are spontaneously generated.

In the second stanza, the post continues to emphasise the pristine nature of the landscape. Like language in its early stage, the landscape has not gained any fixed form so that it can accommodate all forms of life. From this vantage point, the poet is able to comment on the passage of time and how every historic passion of the humans is reduced to a blink in the sad eye of time. The poet is skeptical of the growth and progress of the species and the evolution of the planet.

In the third stanza, the poet narrates the degenerated condition of the present. He traces the residues of the pristine landscape in the chaotic world that he lives in. Instead of following the clarity of vision (light) offered by the ‘place’, he joins the struggles of the living creatures to attain a formula of light. It is crucial for a poet to give voice to the darker myths (emotions) of human life than offering a formula of light (explanation to life) which is believed to be offered by the philosophers. The poet realises the futility of offering clear explanations to the complexities of human passions and miseries and states that he too rejects the clarity of light which argues off the pangs of existence. This statement hints at his poetic sensibility and deeper understanding of the human nature. It also reveals that he prefers poetry to philosophy.

In the final stanza, the poet identifies the true nature of poetic language. He says that the narration of sensual experiences (mundane language of senses) also creates an interpretation of life which is different from the critical explanation philosophy offers. These sensual experiences are so momentary and transient that any argument against them will die of cold before the truth is brought in.

Eliot’s Theory of Impersonality

In his essay "Tradition and Individual Talent", Eliot elaborates his theory of poetic creation. He questions the existing romantic notion of creativity and suggests that poetry should not be an expression of poets feelings and emotions. The emotion of poetry is different from the personal emotions of the poet. The personal emotions may be simple or crude but the emotion of his poetry may be complex and refined. Eliot rejects Wordsworth’s theory of poetry having, “its origin in emotions recollected in tranquility“ and points out that in the process of poetic composition there is no place for emotion, recollection and tranquility. In the poetic process, there is only concentration of a number of experiences, and a new thing results from this concentration. And this process of concentration is neither conscious nor deliberate; it is a passive one. The difference between a good and a bad poet is that a bad poet is conscious where he should be unconscious and unconscious where he should be conscious. Eliot does not deny the role of poet's personality or emotion but s/he has to depersonalize his emotions. There should be an escape from his personality. This impersonality can be achieved only when the poet surrenders himself completely to the work that is to be done and the poet knows what is to be done, only if he acquires a sense of tradition, the historic sense which makes him conscious not only of the present, but also of  the present moment of the  past, not only of what is dead, but of what is already living.