Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Kamala Markandaya was a post-Independence novelist known for the society and self-scene, spiritual quest, modernism, attitude toward feminine superiority, East-West encounter, the conflict between tradition and prevailing modernism, and somewhat historical attitudes. Her second novel was Some Inner Fury which was published in the year 1955. Like her first novel (Nector in Sieve), her second novel is presented in the manner of first-person narrative. ‘Some Inner Fury’ is a novel that deals with political passions prevailing over love and justice. The clash between passion and patriotism is presented in the novel. The title ‘Some Inner Fury’ is suggestive of Indian passion for independence, and the resentment of Indian folks against the oppressive British government, culture, and society. Some Inner Fury is a feministic novel that explores the political upheaval and cultural turmoils that engulfed the nation during the last leg of the Freedom struggle of India in the 1940s. The novel depicts the clash between the Western idea of Individualism, and the Indian idea of ‘society above self’. Another important theme of the story is love and marriage. While love is depicted as the marriage of two hearts, marriage without love is shown as psychological torture.
Characters of Some Inner Fury:
Mira is the main character of the novel and is also the narrator of the story. She is a well-educated modern girl of seventeen belonging to a rich Indian family. She is a mentally liberated woman who can see above caste, creed, and race. Roshan is another female character who too belongs to a rich Indian family. She got her education from Oxford University and then she returned to India to devote herself to the cause of Freedom of India. She runs a pro-Indian newspaper and tries to help Indian folks struggling for Independence. Roshan is a modern and progressive woman who becomes an ideal for Mira and tries to follow her. Premla is the third female character who too belongs to a rich Indian family but she is traditional and rooted in Indian culture. Another important female character is the mother of Mira who is a traditional, wise woman. Kitsamy is the elder brother of Mira who is an Anglophile. After completing his education at Oxford University, he too returns to India but unlike Roshan, he prefers to join the Civil Services as an employee of the British Indian government. Kitsamy was in unrequited love with a British girl Sylvia but his feelings didn’t reach fruition. Back in India, he gets married to Premla whose nature is exactly opposite to Kitsamy. While Premla is a traditional woman who takes pride in Indian culture, Kisamy loves British culture and believes Indian culture is primitive. Govind is the foster brother of Kitsamy and Mira who was adopted by Mira’s parents. Mira’s father wished Govind to join his business after his education but Govind chose the path of revolutionaries struggling for the Independence of India through violent means. Govind hates the British and those who work for the British government. Yet, he loves his family including Kitsamy. Govind starts liking Premla who he knows is being badly treated by Kitsamy. Richard is another important character who is a college friend of Roshan and Kitsamy. After graduation, he comes to India with Kitsamy and Roshan and takes the job of Governor’s A.D.C. Roshan is a British modern man who falls in love with Mira, an Indian girl. Mira too loves him deeply and wishes to marry him. Hickey is another British man who works for an English Missionary who is involved in tempting the naive and innocent Indians into the garb of Christianity.
The novel is set in the 1940s during the period of the Quit India Movement. The whole of Native Indian society is engulfed in the emotions for Independence, while some are supportive of the violent means of Subhash Chandra Bose and others, others support the peaceful yet revolutionary ways of Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi. Despite this difference, a sense of resentment is common in all Indians against the oppressive foreign government. The story begins as Mira sentimentally opens the beautiful silver box engraved with filigree work and gazes at the bit of material covered with dust and blood stains, and her eyes begin to get misty. The blood stains are of the man whom she loved so much and then decided to be with the men who murdered him. She just saw Richard murdered in the mob fury. As her heart cries, her mind drifts into the memories while she realizes that individual fall or suffering is irrelevant in the event of a great cause.
Summary of Some Inner Fury:
Kitsamy is the eldest son of a rich Indian family in a provincial town. His family is partially Westernized and partially traditional. He just returned from London after completing his education at Oxford University and along with him, he brought an English friend named Richard. Mira is the younger sister of Kitsamy who is just 17 years old. She is a modern girl with a liberated heart. She is very open-minded and forward in her manners. Richard is attracted to her and she develops an intimacy with him. Within a few days, Richard and Mira feel that they are made for each other.
After some days, Richard leaves Kitsamy’s house and goes to the capital city to join his assignment as the Governor’s A.D.C.
Meanwhile, Roshan, another friend and classmate of Kitsamy decides to begin a newspaper supporting the Indian cause and struggle for Independence. She is an independent lady who though is Westernized, understands the importance of Indian society and culture. She is a liberated progressive woman who decides to devote herself to the social cause. Though she is unmarried, she claims that she is married and she and her husband parted ways.
Kitsamy too joins the Civil Services and becomes the District Magistrate of his city. He is a completely Westernized and Anglophile Indian man who fell in love with a British girl but couldn’t marry her. Now when he is well-settled, his family decides to marry him to an Indian girl Premla. Kitsamy opposes the marriage because he doesn’t know Premla well but ultimately, they get married. Premla is an Indian girl, who observes the Hindu rituals of society. Unfortunately, Kitsamy fails to understand the Indian traditional and cultured woman, Premala. He tries to Westernize her. Kitsamy likes playing tennis, but Premala does not. He asks her to put on shorts which she does not like. She prizes honesty which for Kitsamy signifies nothing. Her desire of playing on Veena is in contrast with Kitsamy’s lack of interest in classical music. She knows Gita which Kitsamy has forgotten. Their natures are opposed to each other. After his initial tries, he decides to maintain a distance from Premla, his own wife. Premla tries her best to win the love of Kitsamy but she fails and gradually, her love is subdued and is ultimately sublimated to the social cause; when she becomes a helping partner of an English Missionary Hickey in maintaining a school in a village. She adopts an orphan child from the school. Though Kitsamy has no objection to Premla going out and working for social causes, he is suspicious of the missionary as he knows how it tempts gentle and benevolent men and women towards Christianity.
Govind, who is the foster brother of Mira and Kitsamy, refuses to join his foster father’s business. is fired with nationalist fervor and wants to play an active role in the Independence movement. He joins the civil disobedience movement and becomes a votary of violence.
Meanwhile, Mira is restless as she wonders when she will get another chance to meet Richard, her lover. She decides to join Roshan’s newspaper as a reporter. Roshan publishes her newspaper with nationalistic zeal. Roshan is a modern, independent woman who values Individualism, however, she also recognizes her duty towards her society and actively participates in the political movement for Indian independence. Govind meets with Roshan and makes her aware of his policy of freedom. Roshan is sympathetic towards Govind but she doesn’t agree with his ways and says, “Everybody is interested in freedom…only, we do not all agree on the means to the end, as I think you know too.” She further says, “There is no power in violence… only destruction … I am not really interested in destruction.” However, when Govind gets caught while trying to burn a pro-British government newspaper office, Roshan comes to his rescue. Govind learns that all is not well between his brother Kitsamy and his wife. He learns that Premla has started going to educate orphan children at a missionary school. Being a pro-Indian traditional man, Govind starts liking Premla and develops a great respect for her. But he tries to convince her to maintain a distance from other activities of the missionary where she goes to teach orphan kids.
Roshan asks Mira to report on a peasant resettlement in the neighborhood of the city. It is in the course of the visits to this resettlement that she stumbles on Richard and the love affair between the two develops. Indian situations prove harsh for Richard and he falls ill. He takes a six-week leave from his job and decides to visit the Southernmost parts of India. Mira is worried about him and when he asks her to accompany her to Kanyakumari, she decides to go with him. The trip turns out to be their honeymoon as they consummate their love, yet unmarried. After six weeks, they return with dreams of marriage. Richard decides to meet Mira’s parents to ask for Mira’s hand in marriage. Mira’s mother is a traditional woman who is aware of the current times and the tumultuous times ahead shortly. She realizes her daughter’s rebellious behavior and instead of directly opposing Mira’s relationship with Richard, she insists that Mira is still a child and they should wait until Mira turns twenty-one years old. She is a mother who loves her daughter and promises Mira that if Richard decides to return to England before she turns twenty-one, she will not oppose their marriage.
One day, there is an official party at the Government House where Kit is expected to visit Premla, his wife. However, it is the same day when the new building of the missionary school is going to be inaugurated. Premla prefers to go to missionary school. So Kitsamy takes Mira to the party. Meanwhile, the local youth groups are preparing to revolt against the ill practices of Hickey’s missionary as they believe that the missionary is involved with the conversion of Hindus to Christianity either through force or through temptations. Some of the members of these groups are friends of Govind. Govind comes to know that the revolutionary is going to target the missionary school and he gets worried for Premla. He goes to the Government House to ask Kitsamy about Premla.
The party is being held under tight security because it is feared that the hostile public and revolutionaries may disrupt the party. While the party is going on, the light goes off and the people rush into the ball. A melee results. Govind also rushes in and asks Kitsamy where Premala is. Kitsamy tells him that Premala has gone to the school in the village. Govind gets worried and insists Kitsamy immediately go to the village and take Premla to safety. Kitsamy understands the emergency of the situation. Despite his distance from Premla, he feels responsible for her and decides to immediately go there. Mira and Govind accompany him in his official car. When they reach the village, they find that the newly-built school building has already been burnt down by the revolutionaries and that Premala was inside the building. Govind tries to jump in the fire to save Premla but Mira grabs him in her arms. Meanwhile, Kitsamy notices that some of the revolutionaries who were running away are friends of Govind. He confronts them and abuses them but suddenly, a knife is thrown at him which kills him. Soon the police arrive and Govind is arrested along with other revolutionaries. At the court, Hickey gives his testimony against Govind and says that he saw Govind throwing the knife at Kitsamy. Mira opposes his testimony and tells the court that she had thrown her arms around Govind as Kitsamy left, so Govind couldn't have thrown the knife. Richard, being the A.D.C of the governor is also present at the court and he is very sad about his friend’s death. The native people do not believe that the court will offer justice. While the trial is proceeding, the court is mobbed by the slogan-shouting mob and Govind is taken away. Mira also realizes that she can keep herself no longer from her countrymen and goes with them. Richard believes that Heckey is telling the truth and hence, he tries to stop the mob from taking away Govind by force. The mob turns furious and Heckey and Richard are murdered in the ensuing violence. Mira sees all this happening and her heart cries for Richard, but she prefers to be with her countrymen by her own will. She learns the new meaning of Individual liberty and duty towards society. She learns that personal losses do not count for a noble cause.
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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