A Shadow

-RK Narayan
 Theme

In A Shadow by R.K. Narayan, we have the theme of grief, letting go, struggle, connection,

loss, acceptance, loneliness, and memories.

Taken from his Malgudi Days collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed

narrator and after reading the story the reader realizes that Narayan may be exploring the theme

of letting go.
 Detailed Summary - A Shadow by R. K. Narayan

Introduction

The story is one from the Malgudi Days collection of Narayan. It is a story dealing with grief,

loss, tragedy, and learning to cope with such events. It also highlights how different individuals

deal with grief differently, according to their age, experience, and personality.
A Death

“A Shadow,” tells the story of Sambu, a young boy who lives in a village with his mother. In

this story, Sambu and his mother are grieving the loss of his father. They both miss the man

and grieve in their own respective ways. But, they both are lonely in their struggles with the

loss.

Sambu’s father was an actor so he loves to see him on the film screen. It reminds him of the

man and also gives him an escape into a reality where he is still alive. On the flip side, his

mother feels it is painful and hurtful to see her husband on a screen when in truth he is dead.

Sambu often asks his mother to accompany him to the theatres but she declines.
She also believes that going to the theatre is also ruining Sambu’s studies. He eagerly awaits the

screening of a film starring his late father. It’s a touching and emotional story in which Sambu

demands to see his father’s performance on the big screen. He wants to see his father moving and

dancing on the screen as if he is alive. As a result, he desires to watch the film on a daily basis.

Sambu tries to share his father’s stories with his friends, but none seem interested. He then

decides to see the last movie of his father. On the screen, he watches his father interact with a

young girl, reminding him of his own interaction with him. He loves his father’s singing and

dancing. After the movie, he is excited to return to his mother and persuade her to come with him

the next time.

Mother Agrees

He repeatedly asks his mother to see the picture. However, she explains that she could not stand

seeing her husband move and speak on the screen again. Sambu explains to her that seeing his

father on the screen is preferable to seeing him in a photograph.

After relenting for so long, she agrees to go to the movies. Finally, he takes his mother to the last

performance. Before the movie begins, she starts getting nervous and anxious while Sambu

is excited. Soon, the trailers end and the movie begins. Shambu is in love with his father’s

performance while his mother is overwhelmed to see her husband again.

The Film: “Kumari”

The picture scene is very similar to Sambu’s home. Kumari, the fourteen-year-old daughter in

the film, does not want to marry and instead wishes to continue her studies. The father asks the

girl questions about her schoolwork and is pleased when she answers correctly. Her father asks

her arithmetic, which she correctly answers. His father is overjoyed. Sambu recalls making a

mistake when his father asked him to solve an arithmetic problem.

Sambu’s Joy

In fact, Sambu is overjoyed, as if his father has come back to life. Sambu is

attempting to feel the presence of his deceased father through his performance in the

film “Kumari.” His father’s shadow brings him joy. He senses the presence of his

father.
His Mother’s Memories

When she sees Sambu’s father reading the newspaper in the film, she remembers the last breath

her husband took while reading the newspaper at home. This memory triggers her emotions,

and she passes out.

After a few minutes, there is some commotion in the female section of the theatre and Sambu

learns that it is due to her mother who has fainted. He rushes to her. She opens her eyes and

asks him to carry him back home. Sambu takes her back home when he sees her because he

loves his mother more than his father. Sambu, as a small child, was unable to comprehend his

mother’s emotions, despite the fact that he adores her.

A Better Life

On their way home, the undeniability of his father’s death hits Sambu and his eyes tear up

instantly. He shares his grief with his mother and finally finds a vent for his suppressed

sorrow.

In the end, even though the mother-son duo accepts their loss, they also realize that they

have each other to offer support.

Conclusion

The story depicts the joy and pain felt by a young boy and his mother when they see the dead

man of the house moving and dancing on the screen. In this story, we see the emotions, feelings,

innocence, and sentiments of a child who is deprived of his father’s love.

 Analysis of the short story “A Shadow”

https://youtu.be/VpQoA1G9FQU
 Character sketch

Sambu

Sambu lives in a village with his widowed mother. He was eagerly waiting to see the movie of

his dead father. He is seen as a small, innocent child who is unaware of the fact that how his

mother would feel when she will see her dead husband walking, talking, and singing. Sambu

very well portrays the emotions, feelings, innocence, and sentiments of any child who is

deprived of his father’s love.

 Answer the following questions
1. Sambu was eager but his mother was reluctant to see the film. Why?
2. Who wrote the story, and how much was he, paid for it?
3. What was the story of the film “Kumari” about?
4. When the film ended the first day, what did Sambu realize?
5. When Sambu’s mother asked him if he would like to go and see the picture again the next
day, what was Sambu’s response?
6. How long did Sambu live in his father’s company?
7. When did Sambu’s mother agree to see the picture?
8. What was the unbearable scene for Sambu’s mother?
9. How did Sambu help his mother go home and what did he feel?
 Answers
1) Sambu was eager to see his father come back to life in the film, but his mother was reluctant because she
couldn’t bear the thought of her six-month-dead husband moving, talking, and singing. Her husband was very
important to her.
2) The story was written by Sambu’s father, who also acted in it, and he was paid ten thousand rupees for each of
his roles
3) The story was about a young girl named Kumari who refused to marry at fourteen but instead wanted to study at
a university and earn a living on her own. She was cast away by her stern father but eventually forgiven
4) The first day, when the movie was over, Sambu turned around and looked at the aperture in the projection room
as if his father had gone through it.
5) Sambu was pleased, and he expressed his happiness to his mother by stating that he wanted to watch the film as
long as it was still playing in the theatre.
6) Sambu spent three hours per day in his father’s company for a week or more and felt
depressed at the end of each show.
7) Sambu was successful in his efforts to convince his mother to go see the picture on the last
day for the night presentation. They were changing the picture the next day.
8) Sambu’s mother found the scene in which Sambu’s father reclined in a chair while reading a
newspaper unbearable. This was the scene that brought back memories of her husband sitting in
his canvas chair and how she lost her temper on the day of his death.
9) Sambu went and got a jutka for his mother and helped her get in it. His heart grew heavy, and
he burst into tears. Both his mother’s breakdown and the fact that they were changing the
picture of his father the next day made him feel like that was the last time he would see him.
 Write True or False against each statement

(I) Sambu’s father, a writer, and actor was dead.

(ii) Sambu’s friend hated Tamil pictures but still saw the picture.

(iii) Kumari was Sambu’s sister.

(iv) Sambu lived in his father’s company for three hours a day as long as the picture was on

screen.

(v) Sambu’s mother was reluctant in the beginning to see the picture but Sambu persuaded her to

see the last show.

(vi) The newspaper scene was unbearable for Sambu’s mother.

(vii) The lights were put on in a women’s class when Sambu’s mother fainted there during the

show.

(viii) Sambu’s mother did not see the picture after she fainted and was taken home by

Sambu.

(ix) Sambu was affected both by his mother’s breakdown and by the parting from his father in the

end.
 Answers
(i) True
(ii) False
(iii) False
(iv) True
(v) True
(vi) True
(vii) True
(viii) True
(ix) True
 Language Work

Match the phrases from ‘A’ with their meanings in ‘B’:

A B
To put out Away from someone
For a while To gather one’s courage
At Least Here and there
A sort of Remain for a long time
whole of When an aircraft leaves the ground
To act All
To take off A kind of
To last long To play a role
To screw up Minimum
Hither and thither For sometime
Parting from To keep the light off