“THE GUIDE” through a Subaltern Perspective

The Subaltern Perspective seeks to comprehend society's conditions of subordination of people of various castes, classes, ages, genders, races, and so on. It aims to present an alternative image of society from the perspective of the masses, who are frequently underrepresented. It focuses on restoring harmony by emphasising the role of the masses in political and social movements as opposed to the aristocracy. It considers peasants, tribal people, and other marginalised groups to be the creators of their own history. It emphasises the importance of dominance and subordination relationships in a society where class division is not as developed as in the industrialised world. In India, major proponents of the subaltern perspective include BR Ambedkar, David Hardiman, and Ranjit Guha, among others.

Every artist is universally acknowledged to be the offspring of his generation. R. K. Narayan is no exception to this rule. He benefits from both the pre and post-independence periods in India. Because he was born during the pre-independence period, it was natural for him to experience life as a subaltern, and because he grew up during the post-independence period, it is obvious that he possesses liberal individuality and a sense of elite. He made a significant contribution to Indian writing in English by dealing with a wide range of topics such as religion, child, family, education, corruption, freedom struggle, Gandhian philosophy, myths, art, and literature.

According to Derrida, there are three dominant elite groups: dominant foreign groups, dominant indigenous groups on an all-India level, and dominant indigenous groups on regional and local levels. The fourth group consists of subalterns, for whom Guha used the term people as a synonym for subaltern classes. When discussing the subaltern mentality, Gautam Bhadra states that defiance and submissiveness to authority are two essential elements of the subaltern mentality. It is well known that subaltern behaviour is characterised by more than just defiance. In one context, submission to authority is as common as defiance in another. The subaltern mentality consists of these two components.

Raju is found to be rebellious at times and submissive to others in The Guide. Submissiveness and defiance are two characteristics of these characters that not only define their subaltern mentality but also make them round and difficult to understand. They evolve and change as circumstances change and time passes. It becomes clear that Narayan's protagonists' journey is from simple to complex, from childhood to adolescence, and from a young man to a more mature man approaching old age.

The novel's protagonist is oppressed by various dominating forces. He tries to revolt against them on occasion, but most of the time, he fails and surrenders to the dominant force. He blends into society so that it appears they never revolted against it. Raju attempts to revolt against the customs, but he is rendered helpless.

Narayan puts no special emphasis on women, except women like Rosie in The Guide. Rosie challenges the male model and lives with Raju. She questions her husband's duties and, rather than suffering and surrendering to him, prefers freedom and transforms into Nalini, the dancer within her. Society, culture, and history all contribute to women's status as subalterns and victims. They are economically, socially, and politically powerless. The male, society, customs, religion, and history all work to silence women's voices.

In The Guide, Rosie overcomes her subalternity by deciding to become a professional dancer. Her dance is a creative act that aids her in overcoming her subordinate status in her marital life. She keeps dancing and performing shows one after the other, and each show moves her up the hierarchy of elite and subaltern.

R. K. Narayan's novels contain several characters who are either subalterns or experience the state of being subalterns at some point or stage in their lives. They are the protagonists, the women, the children, the poor, and the minor characters. According to the study, subalterns include not only people but also places and things. Subalternity is a mental state in which a person believes or is forced to believe that he or she is a subaltern. It is a way of thinking, and society, culture, history, economy, and education all work together to pave the way for this way of thinking. When a subaltern realises this, he or she stops being a subaltern and raises his or her voice.