The Martyr's

Corner
R.K.NARAYAN
CHARACTERIZATION
STRUCTURE
LANGUAGE
STYLE OF WRITING
CHARACTERIZATION

RAMA
The story's protagonist and initial character
introduced to us is Rama. He had his modest
"establishment" just at the intersection of the market
road and the lane leading to the pharmacy. He would
show up between eight and ten o'clock in the evening,
sell his goods, and then leave.
At three or four in the morning, he would begin his day
and prepare his products for the evening. Then, around
8:15, he would show up with a load of stuff; he had a lot to
carry and appeared to have four arms. His tools included a
large tray filled with food that we would carry on our
heads, a stool that was wedged into the crook of his arm, a
lamp that he held in the other hand, and a few foldable legs
for mounting his tray.
His clients always liked the fact that he offered food at
a price that was unbelievably low and that no other
establishment could match. In order to sell his goods,
he knew exactly where he should set up his
"establishment." 'He is a typical businessman who is
on friendly terms with everyone.
He had an incredible sense of alertness
Rama was also exceptionally kind and had a soft
heart for people; he let a scruffy man take his place
before he came so he could make money. He also felt
particularly sorry for the little shoe polish boys
because he knew they were undernourished and
disliked it when people bartered with them. The
thought of children going hungry and having to dress
in rags would break his heart
Rama resided in the back of the market, in the second
lane. The fact that his wife would save the day's
earnings in a wooden box makes it clear that she was
a strong supporter of his enterprise and, in a sense,
served as his banker.
Rama would also bribe the police and health officers,
and here is where R.K. Narayan explores the issue of
corruption in the story

This behaviour of Rama reminds us of the barber Ivan

Yakovlevich in the story The Nose by Nikolai Gogol
where Ivan used to bribe senior officers in the form of
free haircuts and in return they provided him peace.
As the story progresses, we learn that Rama is forced to relocate his stall 200
yards back down into the lane after an important political leader ( who is a
hooligan) passed away in his place. His business suffered greatly since he was
no longer in his customers' line of sight, and some people spread suspicions
that the quality of his meals had declined
He adjusted to the challenging circumstances as he joined a new restaurant
named Kohinoor demonstrating to us Rama's strong will and fortitude.

The author tries to convey to us the challenges of the common man in India and
his never-ending fight to ensure his survival by working hard continuously to
make a living through the story of Rama. Rama also serves as a metaphor for
the inefficiency of our government towards the people, as evidenced by the
removal of his business due to violence. The government should ensure that
every citizen has a job to perform in order to provide for his family.
 HARDWORKING
BUSINESSMAN COMMITED

CONTRIBUTED
TO SOCIETY RAMA OPPORTUNISTIC

CARING DARING
SURVIVAL INSTINCT
 RAMA'S WIFE
Rama lived behind the market in the second lane, and
when he got home, his wife unlocked the door for him.
She would grasp the burdens and reach into his shirt to
grab his cloth bag. She was curious to find out how
much money Rama had made on that particular day,
and she and Rama would often discuss the possibility of
making more money than they had initially invested.
She appears to us as a kind and considerate person. She
also has an ambition to increase her income and
savings. Additionally, she would put the day's earnings
in a wooden box to be saved and utilized later.
 AMBITIOUS
CARING KIND

RAMA'S
WIFE

ACTIVE SUPPORTIVE
FUTURE PLANNING
 STYLE OF WRITING
R.K. Narayan is one of India's most renowned authors,
and his short story "The Martyr's Corner" is among his
most well-known works. This narrative is written by
Narayan in his signature straightforward yet vivid way

His use of language and writing style in "The Martyr's

Corner" can be characterized as vivid, brief, and highly
reflective

It focuses on common people, making the reader think

about their neighbors, cousins, and other relatives,
which makes it easier for the reader to relate to the
subject.
 STYLE OF WRITING
The writing style of Narayan is straightforward with a
touch of humor.
Unlike his countrymen of the time and it can be seen
that his use of humour has been employed in this story
also as Rama sometimes wore a cotton bag around his
neck beneath his shirt to carry his money which is
humorous
We may also find humour in Rama's wife's habit of
removing the cloth bag from his neck, rapidly and
harshly counting the money, and accidentally
announcing the investments that had been profitable
Narayan calls Ramas shop an establishment which is, in
reality, a makeshift arrangement that also becomes
humorous
 STYLE OF WRITING
We also appreciate how simple and challenging their
daily lives were, yet they managed to survive until the
riots. Narayan also uses irony in his short story as
people think that Rama works for only two hours but in
reality, he also has to work long hours to prepare his
snacks. Further, when he arrives and begins to set up
his stall it feels like he has four hands as he is so busy
with his work.

R K Narayan’s writing style can be considered similar

to that of the Russian playwriter Anton Pavlovich
Chekhov as both wrote with simplicity and had beauty
and humour in their writings in tragic situations.
Narayan employs a third-person omniscient point of
view, allowing readers to gain a comprehensive
understanding of the characters' perspectives and
experiences.
 STRUCTURE OF THE STORY

R.K. Narayan's short story "The Martyr's Corner" is set

in the imaginary village of Malgudi, where a riot causes
an amateur snack vendor to lose his job. Rama operates
an impromptu food stand on the corner of Market Road
and the chemist's store lane. Since this location is right
in the way of moviegoers, between 8:15 and 10:00 pm,
boot polish waifs and kids frequently hang around at
the snack vendors' corner. He works for just two hours
in the evening and makes ten rupees per evening and
three hundred rupees per month. Since the entire plot
takes place on the market route, the story's structure is
one that is straightforward
The story progresses normally until a startling change
of events occurs when he one day notices a large

Ar
gathering outside his shop and learns that there have
been riots in his village that have resulted in bloodshed
Rama had to move his business to a blind spot that was
200 metres away from his usual location, which is
where the story's complications started to become
complicated. The story takes a different turn towards
the conclusion when Rama closes his shop and begins
his new job at the Kohinoor restaurant, continuing to
provide for his family
Narayan often writes from the perspective of ordinary individuals navigating the
complexities of life and through this story also with the use of language and its structure R K
Narayan has attempted to portray the same and Narayan’s description of the common man
reminds us of the book “ Servants of India” by R K Laxman where it contains several short
stories which portray common man and its problems. Some of the stories are Keshab the
handyman, Swami the cook, Shanti the maid, Kumar the actor,Parvati the ayah, Anthony the
chauffeur etc.
 CRITICAL REFRENCES
1.R.K. Narayan is a wonderful story teller in the Indian tradition of storytelling. His narration
moves forward chronologically, each succeeding event being linked casually with the previous
one. The end of his story or novel is a solution of the problem which sets the events moving
achieves the completeness. In the other words as a good storyteller Narayan sees to it that his
story has a beginning, a middle and an end. The narrative technique Narayan has followed in
this novel is different from that of the other novels, and always he uses simple and lucid
language states Dr. Rajender R. Tula.

2.The author has employed the Objective Method in narrating the story. In this method, the
author narrates his story from the outside.The story, in Structure, is well one. The exposition is
direct. The complication of the story begins with the fight and it reaches the climax when Rama
had to shift his shop to a blind spot.The Setting of the story is consistent with the events and
situation. The author gives a good deal of description of the atmosphere and manners of his
characters. The Dialogue employed in the story is very logical as he uses them economically but
all the dialogues have taken his story a step ahead and unfold the inner nature and motives of his
characters states Menonim Menonimus
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Tula, R. R. Technique of narration, Language and style in RK Narayan's the Guide.
Knowledge Resonance.
2. https://menonimus.org/r-k-narayan-the-martyrs-corner-an-analytical-study
3. http://sittingbee.com/the-martyrs-corner-r-k-narayan/
4. https://literariness.org/2019/11/23/analysis-of-r-k-narayans-stories/
5. https://www.scribd.com/document/315121908/The-Martyr-s-Corner-a-Critique
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