Salvation of Mankind Through Divinity

Pages:39-40
Kamal Rani (Department of English, Vaish College, Rohtak, Haryana)

Arun Joshi has used various myths, legends and archetypes to suggest the value of an anthentic life, faith and right action. The City and The River is a political novel . It reflects Indian reality. The canvas of The City and The River is very vast and encompasses within its range time God, Man and Nature. The doctrine of Karma tells us that man’s final growth rests with himself because his future is not pre-determined . It is the will of God according to which the world runs. A person can reach salvation in life only by profound belief in God and by following the righteous course of living. The novel explores. The very foundations of faith and right action. The significance of God to man is shown by The Great Hermit and he affirms God as “The highest Truth”. The novel records the gloomy story that the Great Yogeshwara recounts to a disciple, the Nameless One, in order to explain who he is to find the self’s identity. At deeper level, this novel is also an allegory to Indian History. It is a study of existential predicament of its prominent characters.