What is your opinion about "An Astrologer's Day"?
What is most effective about "An Astrologer's Day" is not what might be called the "manifest" story but the background story. The story about the encounter with Guru Nayak makes it dramatic, but the picture of the impoverished masses of India and one man's struggle for daily survival seem like the "real" story. Narayan focuses on one man who seems unusual but is really like everybody else. He was one of many peasants who came to the big city--a phenomenon which is happening all over the world. He had to find a way to survive or else starve to death in the streets. He has survived because of his superior cunning and audacity. He has made himself look different from everybody else, but he is just another uneducated, unskilled newcomer who has to adapt to harsh, mysterious urban living conditions or perish. That he has been successful is shown by the fact that he has married and is now supporting a wife and a child. He brings home just enough little coins for his wife to be able to buy food for another day. We feel sorry for this woman, too. She has to wait all day for her husband to return, never knowing what he will bring her. The family could go hungry if he had a bad day, or if the weather turned bad and people stayed away from the park. He is so desperate for money that he bargains with the ferocious Guru Nayak even when his life is in danger.
"Stop," said the other. "I don't want all that. Shall I succeed in my present search or not? Answer this and go. Otherwise I will not let you go till you disgorge all your coins." The astrologer muttered a few incantations and replied: "All right. I will speak. But will you give me a rupee if what I say is convincing? Otherwise I will not open my mouth, and you may do what you like."
This story is all about survival. Peasants can live without money, but city dwellers have to pay for virtually everything they need. Those few coins the astrologer collects are the difference between life and death. He has had to learn to be tough and tenacious, especially since he no longer has just himself to protect. Everybody needs a little niche on this overcrowded planet. He has managed to find his own peculiar niche and is clinging to it. He not only poses as an astrologer, but he sometimes has to prove he is an astrologer in order to maintain his niche. No doubt there are many skeptics like Guru Nayak who would like to expose him as an imposter, but Guru Nayak has been his worst opponent so far.
The description of the setting is especially striking. We can visualize the masses of poor people who seem to be milling together in masses everywhere. They have no money, so their entertainment consists of walking in the park and stopping to gaze at whatever there is to see.
It was a remarkable place in many ways: a surging crowd was always moving up and down this narrow road morning till night....It was a bewildering criss-cross of light rays and moving shadows.
These shadows are cast by the hapless people of India.
Briefly narrate the story "An Astrologer's Day."
In the story "An Astrologer's Day," the main character is a man who works as an astrologer. He claims to be authentic. He has all the equipment that an astrologer would use. He begins his work at midday at a public place. He works next to vendors of all sorts:
Punctually at midday he opened his bag and spread out his professional equipment, which consisted of a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing.
No doubt, the astrologer looks the part. He acts the part of an astrologer. While he may appear to be genuine, he has other means of determining his clients' fortunes. He allows his clients to talk for ten minutes. By this time, he has enough information to appear as an authentic astrologer:
He had a working analysis of mankind’s troubles: marriage, money, and the tangles of human ties. Long practice had sharpened his perception. Within five minutes he understood what was wrong. He charged three paise8 per question, never opened his mouth till the other had spoken for at least ten minutes, which provided him enough stuff for a dozen answers and advices.
The astrologer works on guesswork. He is shrewd and knows what people want to hear. He had not intended to be an astrologer. He did not really know what was going to happen in the future:
He knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute. He was as much a stranger to the stars as were his innocent customers. Yet he said things which pleased and astonished everyone: that was more a matter of study, practice, and shrewd guesswork.
As the evening approached, the astrologer sees a man who could be a potential client. He presses that man to sit down and chat. The man is not interested at first. The astrologer insists that he sit down for his fortune to be told. When the stranger lights a cheroot, the astrologer recognizes the man as Guru Nayak. The stranger is a man the astrologer thought he had killed years ago. The astrologer tries to back out of the agreement, but the stranger will not hear of it. The stranger insists that the astrologer answer his questions. The astrologer begins telling Guru Nayak what he wants to hear. He tells him that the man who cut him with a knife is dead. There is no need to seek him any longer. He died by the death of a lorry crushing the life from him. Guru Nayak is regretful that the man who stabbed him has escaped his hands:
"He has escaped my hands. I hope at least he died as he deserved." "Yes," said the astrologer. "He was crushed under a lorry." The other looked gratified to hear it.
Then Guru Nayak paid the astrologer and went home. The astrologer is relieved to know he has not killed the man he thought he had killed. He shares the good news with his wife. A burden is taken from him. The astrologer is relieved to know that he has not murdered Guru Nayak:
"Time to sleep." he said, yawning, and stretched himself on the pyol.
Where does the narrative begin in "An Astrologer's Day"?
The actual narrative of "An Astrologer's Day" begins with the opening words.
Punctually at midday he opened his bag and spread out his professional equipment, which consisted of a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing.
The story problem, however, does not begin until the astrologer sees a client standing before him in the uncertain light, apparently planning to consult him.
He picked up his cowrie shells and paraphernalia and was putting them back into his bag when the green shaft of light was blotted out; he looked up and saw a man standing before him. He sensed a possible client and said: "You look so careworn. It will do you good to sit down for a while and chat with me."
It is not unusual for a good storyteller to start a narrative with some action and then interject essential description and exposition after hopefully getting the reader interested in the character or characters. It seems appropriate for the author in this case to be offering such information while the astrologer is getting ready for his day's work. Naturally the astrologer cannot expect to attract a customer as soon as he sits down. His life isn't that easy. But the narrative has started. So while the reader imagines the astrologer settling down, the author can describe the setting and provide just a little background information. Actually there is a great deal more background information to be learned--practically everything of importance, in fact. Much of the additional exposition will be conveyed in the form of dialogue, but this technique is understandable because there is now another person present. The dramatic part of the narrative will take up most of the story and will be limited to the conflict between the protagonist and the ferocious Guru Nayak. Then the astrologer will convey a small amount of additional exposition to his wife when he comes homes with his hard-earned money.
What is the summary of "An Astrologer's Day" by R. K. Narayan?
Published in 1947, “An Astrologer’s Day” is a short story written by the Indian writer R.K. Narayan. It is noteworthy for its details about Indian life and for its twist ending.
Most of the story’s action takes place in an Indian village’s Town Hall Park, an area teeming with vendors and customers. The story opens with the main character, the unnamed astrologer, arriving to the Town Hall Park at midday and laying out his equipment, which includes “a dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook and a bundle of palmyra writing.” This is a daily routine for the astrologer, who then spends the day telling fortunes for paying customers. The astrologer, as Narayan describes, does not truly possess any mystical powers. Instead, he relies on his knowledge of human nature and his powers of observation to deduce details about the people who visit him. For the astrologer, it is “as much an honest man’s labor as any other, and he deserved the wages he carried home at the end of the day.”
As night falls, the astrologer finds himself sitting in darkness and starts to pack up his things. A man, later identified as Guru Nayak, arrives and the astrologer pressures him into hearing his fortune, which the man initially resists before challenging the astrologer to tell him “something worthwhile.” The two haggle over the price, with Guru Nayak agreeing to pay eight annas if the astrologer’s answers to his questions are satisfactory and the astrologer agreeing to pay double that if his answers are wrong.
As the astrologer begins, Guru Nayak lights a cigar, which allows the astrologer to see his face. This makes the astrologer uncomfortable and he tries to get out of the challenge. However, Guru Nayak insists that the astrologer continue. The astrologer says he will continue but only if Guru Nayak will increase his payment, which Guru Nayak eventually agrees to do.
The astrologer explains that Guru Nayak had been left for dead and that he has been stabbed by a knife. This impresses Guru Nayak, who opens his shirt and reveals a scar from a knife. The astrologer then explains that Guru Nayak had been pushed into a well, which Guru Nayak also confirms is true. Guru Nayak then asks when he can get his revenge on the man who did these things to him. The astrologer explains that Guru Nayak will have to wait until the next life to get his revenge since the person who attacked him has already died.
Up until this point, Guru Nayak’s name has been unknown, but the astrologer now says his name, impressing the man even more. The astrologer advises Guru Nayak to return to his home, which is a two days’ journey away, and to never leave home again. Guru Nayak agrees to do this, saying that the only reason he ventured from home was to find the person who attacked him.
It is late when the astrologer finally leaves the Town Hall Park. At home, his wife is waiting up for him, and the astrologer tosses her the bag of coins Guru Nayak had paid him. When the astrologer’s wife counts the money, it amounts to twelve and a half annas and she is overjoyed, but the astrologer is angry because it is less than the amount Guru Nayak had agreed to pay.
Later, after eating dinner, the astrologer sits on a bench with his wife. He says to her that “a great load is gone” from him, explaining that when he was younger he thought he had killed a man in a drunken fight but that he now knows the man is alive. With these words, Narayan reveals that the astrologer was, in fact, the man responsible for stabbing Guru Nayak and throwing him into a well. The story ends with the astrologer yawning, stretching out on the bench, and telling his wife it is time to sleep.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.