R.K. Narayan’s story ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ effectively uses humour to bring out the cultural conflict between the East and West. Discuss. Give suitable examples from the story.
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Answer:
The cultural difference between Muni and the American has probably been the greatest theme of the story A Horse and Two Goats. Narayan has depicted this clash of East vs West through the use of humour instead of seriousness.
Muni is a common villager from Tamil Nadu, India. He knows only two English words ‘yes’ and ‘no’. He has no education and is superstitious about almost every aspect of life. He has never stepped beyond his own village, leading him ignorant of the outer world altogether like most other villagers. He has submitted to his fate and leads a life full of hunger and poverty grazing his two goats and shaking down drumsticks from the tree. While he waits under the horse statue, he stares at the cars going down the highway. His only concern in life seems to earn the day’s bread somehow and be happy, though he has a dream of setting up a small shop someday by selling his goats.
On the other hand, the foreigner was well-educated and affluent. He came to India on a tour with his wife Ruth. He was driving a station wagon, something which Muni had never come across in his life. The man was courteous to Muni, offered him cigarette and lit it, offered to chop woods for him and even showed interest in his pets. When he asked Muni, “Have you any religious or spiritual scruples against English speech?”, it showed his respect for different opinions and cultures. He also displayed his good taste for arts in his willingness to buy the clay horse and take it home even by cancelling his air ticket.
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