➡️ Assignment- Paper No: 201
This Blog is an Assignment of paper no. 201 : Indian English Literature – Pre-Independence . In this assignment I am dealing with the topic : "Deception and Survival: The Astrologer as a Symbol of Human Adaptability"
🔷 Personal information:
Name: Gohel Dhruvika G.
Paper no: 201 Indian English literature - pre Independence
Subject code: 22406
Topic name: Deception and Survival: The Astrologer as a Symbol of Human Adaptability
Batch: M.A sem 3
Roll no: 04
Enrollment no: 5108240012
E-mailaddress: dhruvikagohel252@gmail.com
Submitted to: smt, S.B Gardi Department of English MKBU
🔷 Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. The Astrologer’s World: Context and Background
3. The Duality of Deception and Survival
4. The Symbolism of the Astrologer
5. Narayan’s Vision of Indian Society
6. The Encounter with the Stranger: A Turning Point
7. Psychological Dimensions of Adaptability
8. The Astrologer as Everyman: Universal Human Traits
9. Philosophical Reflection: Truth, Illusion, and Existence
10. Conclusion: Adaptability as the Core of Human Experience
11. References
🔷 About author:
(R.K Narayan)
R. K. Narayan (1906–2001) was one of India’s most celebrated writers in English, best known for his simple yet profound portrayal of everyday Indian life. He created the fictional town of Malgudi, through which he depicted the hopes, struggles, and humor of ordinary people. His works, including Swami and Friends, The Guide, and Malgudi Days, are marked by gentle irony, realistic characters, and deep human values. Narayan’s clear storytelling style and universal themes made him a pioneer of Indian English fiction and earned him prestigious honors like the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Deception and Survival: The Astrologer as a Symbol of Human Adaptability
1. Introduction
R.K. Narayan’s short story “An Astrologer’s Day” captures the ordinary man’s extraordinary struggle to survive in a world shaped by uncertainty, deception, and chance. At first glance, the story appears to center on an astrologer who makes a living by predicting others’ futures. However, beneath this simple surface lies a profound commentary on human adaptability. The astrologer’s reliance on deception is not merely an act of cunning; it is a manifestation of human resilience and the instinct to survive.
In this essay, the astrologer will be examined as a symbol of adaptability how deception becomes both a mask and a means of survival in a complex social world. The story will be explored through psychological, sociological, and philosophical lenses to reveal how Narayan transforms an ordinary man into a universal representation of humanity’s struggle to adapt.
2. The Astrologer’s World: Context and Background
R.K. Narayan’s fiction often portrays the microcosm of Indian life through the fictional town of Malgudi. The astrologer operates in a crowded market, illuminated by flickering lights, surrounded by vendors and passersby. This setting is not incidental it mirrors the uncertainty of human existence.
In postcolonial India, economic instability and social hierarchy forced many individuals to adapt by reinventing themselves. The astrologer’s disguise is, therefore, not a personal choice but a social necessity. His craft depends on reading people, not stars. The crowded street becomes his cosmos, and his predictions emerge from keen observation rather than divine insight. Narayan’s subtle irony exposes how knowledge, identity, and survival intertwine in the everyday struggle.
3. The Duality of Deception and Survival
3.1 Deception as a Tool of Survival
The astrologer’s life is built on deception. He dresses like an astrologer, speaks with authority, and manipulates the fears and desires of others. Yet, his deceit is not malicious it is pragmatic. The astrologer deceives because the truth offers no livelihood. His pretense of wisdom ensures his survival in a world that values illusion over authenticity.
Narayan thus reveals a paradox: deception, often seen as immoral, becomes the very condition of existence. In the astrologer’s world, honesty would mean hunger; deceit, therefore, becomes an ethical compromise shaped by circumstance.
3.2 Ethical Ambiguity and Moral Complexity
The story invites readers to question moral absolutes. The astrologer’s deceit contrasts with his underlying humanity. His manipulation of clients is motivated not by greed but by necessity. This moral ambiguity reflects the broader condition of human adaptability people often mold their behavior to survive within moral and social boundaries.
Narayan presents deception as part of a larger moral negotiation, where survival blurs the line between right and wrong.
4. The Symbolism of the Astrologer
4.1 The Astrologer as a Reflection of Human Instinct
The astrologer’s character is symbolic of the human instinct to adapt. Like a chameleon, he changes color to blend into his environment. His intelligence lies not in celestial knowledge but in his capacity to observe and interpret human emotions. His trade depends on empathy disguised as foresight.
Through this symbolism, Narayan universalizes the astrologer he becomes an image of every human being forced to improvise for survival.
4.2 Adaptability in the Face of Uncertainty
Life, as depicted in the story, is unpredictable. The astrologer’s adaptability mirrors the existential condition of all human beings. He survives not because he knows the truth but because he can construct believable versions of it. In this sense, adaptability is not only physical but intellectual an act of continuous reinvention.
5. Narayan’s Vision of Indian Society
5.1 Economic Struggles and Social Performance
Narayan’s stories often explore the fragile balance between appearance and reality in Indian society. The astrologer’s profession is an act of social performance. He embodies the economic desperation of the lower-middle class, where survival often depends on playing a role convincingly. His appearance a saffron turban, sacred ash, and practiced speech creates an illusion of divine insight that ensures his daily bread.
5.2 The Mask of Profession and the Reality of Survival
Narayan subtly criticizes a society that rewards illusion over authenticity. The astrologer’s deception is not an individual failure but a social symptom. The world demands performance; those who fail to adapt are left behind. The astrologer’s mask becomes a metaphor for all professions built on public perception politicians, priests, teachers, and even writers all engage in forms of deception to survive within structured expectations.
6. The Encounter with the Stranger: A Turning Point
6.1 The Past as a Shadow of Identity
The story’s climax when the astrologer meets his old enemy reveals the deeper layers of deception. Unknowingly, the astrologer faces the man he once tried to kill. This encounter forces the reader to reevaluate the astrologer’s identity. His past as a reckless youth contrasts sharply with his present as a wise man of words.
His deception thus operates on two levels: one external (his profession) and one internal (his denial of the past). This double deception sustains his survival, both socially and psychologically.
6.2 Redemption through Deception
Ironically, it is through deception that the astrologer achieves redemption. He convinces the stranger that his supposed victim is alive and far away without realizing that he is speaking of himself. In doing so, he frees himself from guilt and danger. His lie becomes a life-saving truth. Narayan thus turns deception into an instrument of salvation, revealing adaptability as a form of moral and emotional survival.
7. Psychological Dimensions of Adaptability
7.1 Human Survival Instincts and Fear
Psychologically, the astrologer’s actions stem from fear the fear of exposure, starvation, and death. His adaptability is the mind’s defense mechanism against these threats. Deception, in this light, is an evolutionary response an instinctual behavior designed to preserve life under adverse conditions.
7.2 Deception as Self-Preservation
Freud’s theories of repression and Jung’s notion of the “persona” resonate here. The astrologer’s professional mask represents his persona, while his hidden past reflects his shadow self. By deceiving others, he maintains a balance between these two selves, ensuring his psychological survival. Narayan’s portrayal suggests that adaptability often involves self-deception as much as deception of others.
8. The Astrologer as Everyman: Universal Human Traits
The astrologer is not merely an Indian figure; he is an archetype of humanity. Every person, in some way, becomes an astrologer—crafting identities, concealing truths, and adapting to unpredictable circumstances. In a world governed by uncertainty, adaptability defines existence. Narayan’s story thus transcends cultural boundaries, offering a universal meditation on survival and moral compromise.
9. Philosophical Reflection: Truth, Illusion, and Existence
Philosophically, “An Astrologer’s Day” questions the nature of truth itself. If survival depends on illusion, can deception still be condemned? The astrologer’s world reflects the existential condition where truth is relative, and illusion sustains life. His profession is a metaphor for the human condition living in a constructed world of beliefs, appearances, and necessary lies.
Narayan’s narrative aligns with existential philosophy, where authenticity lies not in pure truth but in the courage to adapt and endure. The astrologer’s adaptability becomes a quiet form of heroism a triumph of the ordinary man against the chaos of existence.
10. Conclusion: Adaptability as the Core of Human Experience
R.K. Narayan’s “An Astrologer’s Day” transforms a simple street encounter into a profound reflection on human adaptability. The astrologer’s deception, far from being immoral, emerges as a strategy of survival a mirror of humanity’s perpetual negotiation with truth, morality, and necessity. His disguise symbolizes the masks all humans wear to cope with societal expectations and inner fears.
Narayan’s vision is deeply humanistic: he portrays not condemnation but understanding. Deception becomes the price of survival, and adaptability the essence of life itself. Through the astrologer, Narayan reminds us that survival often depends on one’s ability to reinvent the self, to find meaning in illusion, and to adapt within the fragile balance between truth and necessity.
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