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
• R.K. Narayan is one of India's most renowned authors, and his
WRITING
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
• The writing style of Narayan is straightforward with a touch of
humor.
WRITING
• 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
• We also appreciate how simple and challenging their daily lives

WRITING
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 gathering outside his
shop and learns that there have been riots in his village that

A
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
• Tula, R. R. Technique of narration, Language and style in RK Narayan's the Guide. Knowledge
Resonance.
• https://menonimus.org/r-k-narayan-the-martyrs-corner-an-analytical-study
• http://sittingbee.com/the-martyrs-corner-r-k-narayan/
• https://literariness.org/2019/11/23/analysis-of-r-k-narayans-stories/
• https://www.scribd.com/document/315121908/The-Martyr-s-Corner-a-Critique
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