Knowledge

The novel uses Margayya’s journey, from relative obscurity to incredible wealth, to argue that wealth does not and cannot, as is sometimes believed, automatically produce knowledge or wisdom. These are attributes, Narayan suggests, that must be cultivated separately. Indeed, single-minded pursuit of money, such as the one that Margayya embarks upon, can actively dismantle efforts to cultivate knowledge and wisdom. The novel develops this theme through two principle symbols: the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswathi, and Balu himself.

At the beginning of the novel, Margayya chooses to pray to the Goddess Lakshmi over the Goddess Saraswathi, reflecting Margayya’s determination to acquire first wealth before anything else. Yet, Margayya insists that he will be able to translate wealth into knowledge, and that there is no difference between the Goddess Lakshmi and the Goddess Saraswathi. Margayya, once wealthy, states this belief even more bluntly: “A man with...