Discussion Topic
Memorable Characters in R.K. Narayan's "A Horse and Two Goats"
Summary:
Memorable characters in R.K. Narayan's "A Horse and Two Goats" include Muni, an impoverished goat herder, and a wealthy American tourist. Muni's simple life and limited English contrast with the American's affluence and misunderstanding, creating a humorous yet poignant interaction that highlights cultural differences and communication barriers.
Who is the main character in "A Horse and Two Goats", Muni or the horse, and why?
The main character in the story "A Horse and Two Goats" by R. K. Narayan is Muni. We can know this by several ways.
Muni is the character who receives the most "narrative action," meaning most of the narrative is centered on Muni and his actions. In most narratives, the narrative events tend to center around the main character, or "protagonist."
We can also observe that we, the reader, have more access to Muni's interiority (his internal thoughts) than we do for any other character. We hear Muni's thoughts much more frequently than the American's thoughts, for example: "Muni felt totally confused but decided that the best thing would be to make an attempt to get away from this place."
We also know that Muni is the main character because the meaning of the story is most tied to his thoughts, actions, and fate. We can...
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say that this is Muni's story, because it is tied, intrinsically, to who Muni is as a person. For example, we know that Muni likes to sit out by the highway because it allows him to get away from the village, where he feels humiliated by other people's judgments. Another character, less prone to feeling bad about his poverty and age, would not have sat by the horse statue and met the American. Another character may not have been so indulgent as to talk with the American for so long, despite not understanding his speech. Another character would not have been so eager to sell his goats.
Said another way, "A Horse and Two Goats" is the story of a materially poor but spiritually rich man who catches a lucky break because of his nature and his circumstances. It could not be such a story if Muni were different than he is.
What makes the character Muni memorable in Narayan's "A Horse and Two Goats"?
Muni is memorable because he is realistic and also comical. The reader can sympathize with Muni because he is faced with the real life struggles of poverty. He sometimes is ridiculed by others in the village, and has insecurities about being able to provide for himself and his wife.
We learn more about Muni during his conversation with the American tourist. His dialogue with the tourist is sincere but laughable at the same time since neither understands much of what the other is saying. They both ramble on as if they understand each other, while knowing that they do not understand each other. The only real connection that is made (which also ends in a misunderstanding) is that the American wants to buy something. He wants the statue but Muni thinks he wants the goats.
Since the American is financially sound enough to be able to make trips to India, he is the rich character and Muni is clearly poor by comparison and poor relative to the other villagers. This story becomes like a fairy tale (thinking of "Jack and the Beanstalk") where the poor man might stumble onto some fortune. So, Narayan makes us root for Muni. We sympathize with him and want him to find some success in life. This method of persuading the reader to sympathize with a character is called "pathos."