R. K. Narayan is a pure and gifted artist. His art is for art's sake, but it does not mean be is a writer without any vision of life or without any aim or message. His novels are free from didacticism. There is no philosophy, morality or message intruding upon the aesthetic aspects. In his novels Narayan gives his observation of life, his analysis of human nature and human relationships. His vision of life is not tragic like that of Hardy, on the other hand it is comic. Life with all its sorrows, sufferings and shortcomings should be lived well and fully.
Human relationships—relationships within the family circle, and relationships centering round sex and money—are his ever-recurring themes and it is told again and again that right relationships are normal, acceptable, and at source of joy and happiness.
When the normal human relationships are not followed and traditions are broken, the joy and happiness of life evaporates. Raju breaks off the traditionally moral love and sex and seduces Rosie who is the wife of Marco. He becomes corrupt and immoral. There arises disorder and displeasure everywhere. His mother leaves the house of her husband and goes away with her brother. The neighbours are annoyed. Raju himself remains upset and does not attend to his works and gives up the railway shop and finally just for the sake of his passion for Rosie he commits forgery and becomes a convict. He has got in financial trouble also. He is unable to pay off his debts and even his fees for the lawyers.
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When sins and crimes are committed men become blind to and unaware of the bad results of their sins. It is so in the case of Raju who exploits Rosie both commercially and sexually. Rosie becomes a professional dancer and a large amount of money is earned but Raju wastes it all in drinking, gambling and luxurious living. He forges the signature of Rosie to get a box of jewellery. The act of forgery makes him a criminal. He is arrested and convicted. The message is clear that human beings should not violate the accepted order and system.
Raju's behaviour and conduct in the jail is humane and good so he is quite comfortable there. But for his former acts of violation of the normal order of the society, he is to be punished by the Almighty. He plays the role of a Swami and exploits the credulity of the simple villagers, and receives rich offerings of food. Soon the village Mangala gets affected by drought and famine. He is forced to keep fast for twelve days.
During the course of his fasting he feels he is living for the community and is doing something he is not personally interested in. He achieves spiritual regeneration. He learns to live for others. To live for others is the big aim of human life according to Hindu philosophy and mythology. He sags in the water of the river and achieves salvation. This example shows that salvation can be achieved only through self-negation and self- effacement.
It is clear that the readers draw some moral lessons from The Guide and feel uplifted and ennobled. After they have gone through the novel they become as much mature as Raju himself. But the novelist R. K. Narayan is not a preacher, reformer or propagandist. His aim is not to remove the evils from the society. He just presents the reality of life in his novels, and especially in The Guide. For the presentation of the reality he uses comic style. Though the study of the novel is fruitful and uplifting, the aim of the novelist is not to preach his readers. He, therefore, leaves the things unconcluded, just as they are, and it is upto the readers to conclude this way or that way.
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