A Horse and Two Goats

A Horse and Two Goats Diva Parekh

RE-READ IN “A HORSE AND TWO GOATS” FROM “MUNI SAT AT THE FOOT OF THE STATUE, WATCHING HIS TWO GOATS GRAZE IN THE ARID SOILD AMONG THE CACTUS AND LANTANA BUSHES” (PG. 241 BOTTOM) TO “HAVE YOU ANY RELIGIOUS OR SPIRITUAL SCRUPLES FOR AVOIDING THE ENGLISH SPEECH?” (PG. 243 BOTTOM). EXAMINE THE STRIKING MANNER IN WHICH R.K. NARAYAN UNVEILS THE THEME OF CULTURAL CONFLICT THROUGH THIS EXTRACT.

Throughout the story, “The Horse and Two Goats”, RK Narayan focuses on the theme of cultural conflict between largely rural areas like India, and the West. He uses humor to inform the reader of the mutual ignorance between the two communities even though they exist in the same space and time. The first paragraph of this extract brings Muni’s lifestyle and the communal lives that most Indian villagers lived at that time into focus. Here, RK Narayan intrigues the reader by emphasizing on Muni’s unique lifestyle. He is shown as struggling for the basic necessities like food, and while technology in the west was booming when this story was written, he relies on vehicles that pass by to tell the time. What is also established here is how Muni feels about himself and his own existence. He is one of the few villagers who step out of their secure worlds to observe the long stretch of seemingly endless road. This would remind him that there was a whole world around him that he had never been exposed to before, and that everyone belonged to a larger world. The author appeals to specific factors in Muni’s lifestyle here, and shows his global audience through subtle hints of humor that however bizarre it may seem, that was the way villagers like Muni would spend their entire lives; coming into existence and just fading away without getting a glimpse of life outside their narrow boundaries. Though this paragraph does concentrate on the stark reality of Muni’s life, it also uses humor by including the character of a caring but commanding wife to appeal to the reader. It sets the stage for the conflict that is to arrive by catching the reader’s attention and also giving them a background of the villagers’ lifestyles. In the next paragraph, RK Narayan begins to introduce the conflict. He begins with a yellow vehicle “sputtering” to a stop in front of Muni. This statement already established the character of the driver as carefree, and bordering on reckless since he had not replenished his car’s gas before heading out on an unknown road. In Muni’s perspective, the foreigner is identified to as “red-faced”. Referring to a historical context, this story was written around the time of India’s colonization. It is set around a time when Indians still feared white-skinned people as British symbols of power or authority. This works towards justifying Muni’s momentary confusion when he sees the unknown red-faced man stopping on the road and walking up to him. The term red-faced may also have been used to show the man’s spontaneous nature that has left him exhausted and ‘red-faced’ in an unfamiliar country. Returning to Muni’s perspective, the man’s official looking khaki clothes added to the image of a British policeman or soldier that was projected to Muni. This point is reinforced when Muni begins to rant about his innocence and contemplate ways of escape only to discover that he has grown too old to run like he was able to during the times when he used to be prosperous. One can also note here that Muni’s symbol of prosperity is directly linked to the size of this flock while the foreigner has a completely different idea. A Horse and Two Goats Diva Parekh The author now moves on to one of the most important facets of cultural conflict – language barriers. As soon as the foreigner comes in contact with another human on the road, his instinct urges him ask for gas, but everything is forgotten when he sees the magnificent horse statue that represented Muni’s village. Muni, on the opposite side is completely bewildered by this alien language. During the first few minutes of their encounter, both the men exhaust the only few words they know of each other’s language. The only thing that stops this maniacal exchange is the universal symbol of affability at that time, shown when the foreigner offers Muni a cigarette. This action though pleasantly, but shocks Muni because it is the first time in decades that he has been offered something. Here RK Narayan emphasizes on the disadvantages of old age in rural India, contrasted by the foreigner’s decadent lifestyle depicted to Muni by the fact that he offers him cigarettes without worrying about the costs. By showing Muni coughing, the author also portrays how different even the two men’s cigarettes can be, and shows how poor Muni’s health has become. During the following paragraph, Muni begins to talk more freely, encouraged by the foreigner’s inviting smile, nevertheless the precepts that are embedded deep within him stay, he is still wary of the man’s khaki and his seemingly British origins. The foreigner is shown as a more contemporary character when he hands Muni his business card. We are now told that he is from New York, which was and is still seen as one of the most modern places of the world. The conflict is built up further in the next paragraph when Muni talks about “Bhagwan” or God, showing Muni as a person with very traditional ideals. Towards the final paragraph of this extract, we begin to sense the foreigner’s irritation. Both the men persist for their own reasons - the foreigner because of his evident interest in the horse and Muni because he is being treated much better than he is by fellow villagers. Finally it is the American who succumbs to exasperation. The American is not used to being faced with obstacles in his way, this shows that he is a man whose whims are almost always satisfied. Muni on the other hand seems more content, since throughout his life he has faced much worse difficulties than being unable to communicate with a stranger. The last line of this extract is very crucial in developing the conflict throughout the story. It shows the American’s frustration, since he is so accustomed to English being the universal language, does not know how to react when he finds someone who he cannot comprehend. It also depicts a sense of superiority that the American seems to have over the villager. His frustration drives him towards making judgments regarding Muni’s inability to speak English, that there must be a block somewhere, and that there is no possible way that Muni could not have found a way to learn English without a personal bias. Throughout the story, RK Narayan elaborates on the theme of cultural conflict and many such obstacles faced by the two men while trying to participate in a simple conversation. By using dual narrative, the author successfully conveys the perspectives of both the American and Muni; the short and disjointed trains of thought to depict a nervous and hesitant Muni, while an exasperated and impulsive tone to present the foreigner. The horse, though not as significant in this part of the story, begins to establish its importance here. When the foreigner declares it to be “marvelous” we can sense his growing interest in the statue. Muni regards it as a symbol of heritage and history, and a remainder of his prosperous youth while it remains an object or a souvenir to the American tourist. The author, in this extract uses many different specific ordinary situations to present the perplexity of this A Horse and Two Goats Diva Parekh anarchic conversation to the reader, all the while focusing on the bigger picture of mutual misunderstanding between the two distinct cultures.