Student Question
Describe the cultural conflict in The Vendor of Sweets by R. K. Narayan.
Quick answer:
The cultural conflict in The Vendor of Sweets by R. K. Narayan centers on the clash between Eastern and Western values, symbolizing a generational conflict. Jagan, representing traditional Eastern values, conflicts with his son, who embodies Western modernity. This tension also reflects the broader clash between tradition and modernity within Indian society, with the fictional town of Malgudi symbolizing multiculturalism.
The Vendor of Sweets is a 1967 novel written by Indian writer R. K. Narayan. The book is, essentially, a fictional biographical tale of an Indian man named Jagan who works as a vendor of sweets in the fictional city of Malgudi. The conflict between the two cultures, the East and the West, is one of the main themes of the novel and actually represents the generational conflict between Jagan, who was born and raised as an Eastern Indian, and his son, who was raised as a Westerner.
In a broader sense, the culture clash between the East and the West metaphorically represents the clash between tradition and modernity, and the fictional town of Malgudi metaphorically represents the multicultural Indian society.
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