Encountering a great storyteller, the villagers gathered around the Banyan Tree. Nambi, residing in the nearby temple, lived with few life necessities. Villagers loved him because of his fascinating storytelling qualities.
This article will elaborate on the following things:
- Author
- Setting
- Summary
- Themes
- Moral Lessons
- Review
- Conclusion
Author
Under the Banyan Tree is one of the short stories written by RK Narayan. He is famous because of his simple writing style and great presentation of nature. Some best Rk Narayan short stories are:
Setting
The setting of the story takes place in an Indian village named Somal. The village’s infrastructure was portrayed as unhygienic with a water tank full of infectious diseases.
Under The Banyan Tree Summary
The writer presented a small village of around 300 people called Somal. The appearance was so bad that even tourists may feel bad. The villagers were facing multiple problems. However, a man named Nambi was able to help them forget about their problems. He always came up with interesting stories. It was believed that he had some powers given by a goddess for inventing stories.
Nambi lived in the temple, and the villagers provided him with food and clothing. A Banyan tree adorned the temple’s exterior. Nambi gathered villagers there and narrated stories. Before narrating stories, Nambi used to lit lamps under the tree. It was a sign that he was going to deliver the new story. All the villagers came to listen to him.
If you read this storybook, you will learn that Nambi never repeated old stories. He always prayed to God before narrating the story. Once, the villagers left the temple after Nambi forgot the story and felt ashamed, but some stayed behind. The next time, Nambi prayed to the goddess to help him in delivering the story. He wants his memory to fasten. This time, he again stopped. People left him. Nambi was losing his memory-retaining skills because of his age.
He was getting older. He realized this. He visited all the villagers and invited them for a final storytelling session. Everyone arrived, but Nambi surprised them. Instead of telling a story this time, he simply stated that he was old. Everything has an end. From that day, the author told Nambi never spoke to anyone. He always remained silent.
Analysis
- RK Narayan portrayed the effects of aging on memory through his character’s narration.
- Nambi came to the realization that his artistic abilities were diminishing, so he decided to abandon the skill altogether.
Themes Discovered
I found these themes:
Simplicity
The author presented the simple lifestyle of villagers. They had many issues but this small interesting event made them happy. This defines how much simple and happy life they were living.
Life Complexities
R.K. Narayan emphasized the inevitability of aging and the challenges that come with it. We must accept it. The same thing happened to the protagonist of the story. He understood that as an artist it’s time for goodbye.
Trust
Villagers trusted Nambi. They even came many times after Nambi failed in storytelling. This showed their trust and acceptance.
Moral Lessons
Some informative lessons are:
- We must understand the changes happening around us.
- An artist must leave on prime before facing humiliation.
- We should strive to be like Nambi who can bring happiness and delight to those around us.
Review
The story was simple for me. I reviewed RK Naran’s other literary works on my website. Although all of them were exceptional, I found this particular story to be not up to the mark. It’s a personal opinion.
- Otherwise, if you are interested in storytelling, this is a good recommendation for you guys.
Conclusion: Under The Banyan Tree Summary & Analysis
Under The Banyan Tree by Rk Narayan was about a storyteller who fascinated villagers with his new stories. They love to hear him. Every time he arrived with new stories, but as he aged, he lost his memory skills and couldn’t narrate properly. This created a mark on listeners in the book.