Hell and welcome to the Discourse. The Serpent and The Rope is a metaphysical novel written by Raja Rao that was published in 1960 and won the Sahitya Academy Award in 1964. The serpent in the title refers to illusions and desires while the rope refers to reality. The major themes of the novel are concepts of existence, reality, and fulfillment of one's desires and capabilities. The novel depicts a clash between the non-dualistic Vedantic philosophy of Adi Shankaracharya and the western dualist ideas of Cathars. Another important theme of the novel is the problems of immigrants and immigration. The novel has been written in an autobiographical style and it is a semi-autobiographical story of Raja Rao.
Characters of The Serpent and The Rope:
Rama Swami is the protagonist of the novel. Rama is a young Brahmin boy from India who lost his mother during his childhood and his father married a widow, a much younger girl whom Rama Swami calls Little Mother or Choti Maa. He is a student of philosophy who goes to France to do his research work on the subject of Albigensian heresy. His topic of research is the Jainist or Buddhist background of the Cathars. His Saroja is Rama’s half-sister. She is the daughter of Little Mother from her first marriage. Rama likes Saroja and he has more than a fraternal interest in her. Saroja too respects Rama and listens to him. Madeline is a French girl also involved in research on Catharis and Buddhism. She is very interested in Indian philosophies, especially in Buddhism. Rama and Madeline become friends and then they marry. Initially, their married life is very satisfying and blissful but gradually, they start feeling differences. Despite all the respect for Indology, Madeline doesn’t respect various Indian deities the way Rama does. Rama is more interested in the Vedantic philosophy of non-dualism while Madeline believes in the Dualism of Cathars. Gradually, these philosophical, cultural, and psychological differences become the reason for the rift between the two. Krishna is the son of Rama and Madeline who dies at an early age. Catherine is Madeline’s cousin, the daughter of Uncle Charles who married Georges, a young Russian refugee. Both Catherine and Georges like Rama and respect him as a close friend and relative. Subramanyam Sastri is a young suitor for Saroja whom Saroja doesn’t like much. Professor Venkatraman is a friend of Rama whom he visits in Benaras during his tour. Pratap Singh is a student of Professor Venkatraman who is married to Savithri. Savithri is a young girl interested in communism and since Pratap Singh belongs to a landlord family, she doesn’t like him and doesn’t consider him her husband.
Summary of The Serpent and The Rope:
The novel begins as Rama Swamy returns to India to attend the last rites of his father who recently died. His father was a great scholar and Rama himself is a philosophy researcher working in France. He lost his mother at a very early age and then his father remarried Catherine a widow who was still young. Rama calls her Little Mother. After his father’s death, he takes responsibility for the family which includes his stepmother, step-sister Saroja, and an infant step-brother. Saroja is the daughter of Little Mother from her first marriage. Rama has been infatuated with Saroja for a long but being her step-brother, he keeps his desires under control. The family travel to Benaras to perform the last rites of his father. During the journey, Rama describes how he visited France to complete his research on Cathars and Indian philosophies and how he met a beautiful young French girl Madeline there. Madeline and Rama fell in love and they married. Their marriage was very warm, full of emotions and sexual escapades but after the death of their first son Krishna during his infancy, the two started drifting away. Madeline has great respect for Indian philosophies and she tries her best to become a true Hindu wife of Rama completely devoted to her.
However, Rama feels that there is a basic philosophical difference between the two. Rama believes in Non-dualism and considers himself as Purusha, the creator, and Madeline as Prakriti, the medium. He believes that man and woman are not two different entities but they are two different phases of the same entities and for creation, Prakriti must become a subject of Purusha. Madeline on the other hand believes in the Dualism of Cathars and believes that man and woman are two different entities altogether. While Rama is inclined toward Hindu philosophies and deities, Madeline is more interested in Buddhism. Despite these subtle differences in opinion, Rama and Madeline respect each other. Yet, Rama suffers loneliness especially when he sees that Madeline often fails to pay similar respect to some of the customs that are too dear for him as a Brahmin man while for her, those are mere superstitions. During his tour to Benaras, he explores his philosophical routes. He explains his experience of Benaras as “Benares is eternal. There the dead do not die, nor do the living live. The dead comes down to play on the bank of the Ganges and the living who move about, and even offer rice - balls to the means, live in the illusion of a vast night and a bright city.”
He feels that the great Himalayas and surrounding planes explain the eternal truth of the cycle of life and death while the Ganga teaches humanity.
At Benras, Rama and his family stay at Professor Venkatraman’s house who introduces him to Pratap Singh, one of his students. Pratap Singh is the son of a Zamindar who was loyal to the British government. He recently engaged to a beautiful young woman Savithri who is still studying at the University of Cambridge. However, Savithri doesn’t want to marry him because it is against her wishes. Savithri is a staunch communist. Pratap Singh asks for Rama’s help in solving his philosophical argument with Savithri. Rama meets Savithri and during their discussion, he feels a strong attachment to her.
After performing the funeral ceremony of his father at Allahabad Rama and his family members return to their home city. Rama is feeling healthier in India while he often suffered ill health in France. He is ailing from some lung disease because his body is not adapted to the cold weather of France. Yet, he has to return to France. His mother gives him a couple of toe rings as a gift for Madeline. After returning to France, Rama, and Madeline try their best to rejuvenate their relationship. Soon Madeline becomes pregnant again. However, Rama is still not convinced about their relationship and doesn’t offer the toe rings to Madeline that he got from Little Mother. Madeline used to be a very sensitive girl but she was inspired by the spiritual nature of Indian philosophies and tried her best to become a true devoted Hindu wife of Rama. But gradually, she started feeling more interested in the renunciation of Buddhism.
Meanwhile, Savithri visits Rama’s house in France where she went for an educational trip. This further complicates Rama’s relationship with Madeline because he finds himself strongly infatuated with Savithri though he is already married. Rama decides to go to London to complete his research, but his main motive is to spend some more time with Savithri who studies at Cambridge. During his days in London, Rama receives a letter from Pratap Singh informing him that Savithri has fallen in love with a Muslim guy. Rama decides to meet Savithri. He talks with Savithri about a varied topic including language, literature, Nazism, Communism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Savithri is immensely impressed by him.
Meanwhile, Rama has to return to India to attend his step-sister’s marriage. His Little Mother has arranged the engagement of his foster sister Saroja with Subramanyam Shashtri who is a well-educated good mannered man. However, Saroja isn’t willing to marry him because she doesn’t love him. Little Mother insists Rama talk to Saroja because she is convinced that Saroja will lead a happy married life with Subramanyam Shashtri. Rama discusses the matter with Saroja and explains that every girl has to marry at the proper age and she should marry Subhramanyam happily because he is a good man, respectful and affectionate to Saroja.
Suddenly he falls further ill and starts vomiting blood. He decides to return to France for proper medical treatment but is forced to stay at the house of Captain Shyam Sunder in Bombay for one week because of his health. During his stay, he seduces Shyam Sunder’s wife Lakshmi, and makes a physical relationship with her without any feeling of guilt. He receives a message that Madeline gave birth to a stillborn child. He also receives the news that Savithri agreed to marry Pratap Singh and now she and Pratap Singh are married. He returns to France to mend his relationship with his wife Madeline but finds that she has completely adopted the life of a Buddhist monk. Madeline is still very respectful and friendly to Rama but she has completely prohibited any physical touch with him. Rama realizes that their relationship is over and decides to file for divorce and goes to London. In London, his health further deteriorates and he is admitted to the hospital. Savithri visits her at the hospital and he expresses his feelings toward her by offering her the toe rings that his mother gave him. Savithri accepts the toe-rings and both of them accept that they must part ways and that fate has led them in separate directions. They acknowledge that love is about rejoicing in one another’s happiness. He asks Savithri to promise him that she would return to India and become Pratap's good wife.
As he recovers, he returns to France for the proceedings of the divorce with Madeline. Catherine and Georges appear as witnesses for Ram for the amicable divorce of him and Mandeline at friendly terms and then Rama bid goodbye to Catherine, Georges, Uncle Charles, and Madeline and returns to India as he realizes that the completeness and comfort he has been looking in relationships with Saroja, Madeline, Savithri or Lakshmi cannot be attained through these earthly relationships as the answer to his philosophical quest lies in the journey to seek out his Guru and that all of the trials and tribulations of his life have led him to this realization.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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