Discussion Topic
The significance and summary of "Like the Sun" by R. K. Narayan
Summary:
"Like the Sun" by R. K. Narayan explores the theme of truth and its consequences. The story follows Sekhar, who decides to be completely honest for a day, leading to various uncomfortable situations. His commitment to truth-telling reveals the difficulties and social repercussions of absolute honesty, highlighting how truth, like the sun, can be harsh and blinding.
Can you summarize "Like the Sun" by R. K. Narayan?
This story by R. K. Narayan features Sekhar, who is a teacher with a belief that just as people avoid staring at the sun, likewise people avoid confronting the truth. He recognises that people deliberately alter what they say to avoid hurting or shocking others. To prove his point and as an experiment, he decides to speak and receive only the truth for one day, no matter what the consequences might be. He starts the day as he means to continue by telling his wife precisely what he thinks of her cooking (foolish man!), and then gives his opinion of someone who has just died. Then his headmaster, his boss, who has spent lots of money on music lessons, asks his opinion of his singing. Sekhar is an authority on musical matters and the headmaster's performance is terrible, and Sekhar tells him so. The next day, nervous about how he...
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will respond, Sekhar is surprised to be thanked by his headmaster for telling the truth, but he gives Sekhar one hundred papers to mark in a single night. Sekhar feels that "sitting up all night with a hundred test papers was a small price to pay for the luxury of practicing Truth."
What is the significance of the title "Like the Sun" in R. K. Narayan's story?
"Like the Sun" is the title of a short story written by R. K. Narayan. It follows the story of Sekhar, a teacher, who decides one day that from now on, he will only ever speak the truth, rather than being polite and saying what people want him to say.
In order to help you answer your question with regard to the title of the story, I would first like to point out that it the title "Like the Sun" is actually mentioned straight away in the first line of the short story: "Truth, Sekhar reflected, is like the sun." You could argue that this makes the title very important, as this repetition of the title in the opening line creates a lot of emphasis on the title. Using the sun in a simile in this way shows the reader that the sun and the truth have a lot in common, which we can see as the story develops.
The sun is vital for our planet, as plants need it in order to grow and humans need the sun in order to survive. Likewise, the truth could be seen as vital to our interhuman relations. If we are honest with each other, life could be much better and we could all grow and develop much more, as we have nothing to fear if we always know where we stand and if there are no lies.
Another interpretation could be that just as the sun brings light to humans, the truth also brings light to human relations, as being truthful with each other greatly enhances our relationships by creating an atmosphere of mutual trust.
Lastly, in relation to the end of the story, you could go as far as saying that the truth can sometimes be harmful, just like the sun. If you are in the sun for too long, your skin can burn and it can even lead to skin cancer. Likewise, if you are not careful with speaking the truth, sometimes speaking the truth can hurt you, too. We can see this at the end of the story, when Shekar is told to finish the marking of his school work sooner than expected, as a direct consequence for having given his honest opinion to his boss.