Rukmani Analysis

one. Rukmani is a mother of six sons and one daughter. Unfortunately she loses five from six sons alive or dead. Two of her sons go to work in town and three die. She also loses her dearest husband, Nathan toward the end of the novel too which makes Rukmani faces a lot of pain and suffering. Rukmani works from dawn to dusk for her family without a single complaint. She lives an trouble-free life in a rural village and she is the one who is pungent most when the industry starts enter the village. Markandaya put Rukmani in several difficulties such as a heavy rain that destroy all crops follow by a serious drought and the tannery also entering the village. She has to faced poverty, starvation, and divorce of her barren daughter, Ira, the deaths
Narayan’s Rosie is a modern woman who is independent from all taboos and customs. While Markandaya’s Rukmani is the role model of typical Indian women. They both have quite a lot of differences such as the marriage life, role and their thought. Although Rosie is married women but she is never given birth to a child therefore she would never understand the enormous love that mother can give to a child like Rukmani does. The life style that the novelist portrays their character is different.
Narayan represent Rosie as a modern woman in a small town. Rosie lives her life different from other. The way she gets marriage with her husband through a paper advertisement: “Wanted: an educated, good-looking girl to marry a rich bachelor of academic interests. No caste restrictions; good looks and university degree essential.” (Narayan, The Guide, 85) This might be the cause of unhappy marriage life between Rosie and Macro. As Macro finds his wife by put up a notice manifests the cold attitude of him toward a wife. Neither indifferent attitude nor non-respect manner toward Rosie makes she disappointed with her marital life. Unlike Rukmani who always receives respect and support from her husband and family which lead to her happy marital