Margayya

Margayya, whose name means “the one who showed the way” (195), is a smalltime moneylender in the village of Malgudi. He conducts his business, which mostly consists of paying back small loans in order to take on bigger loans, under the banyan tree. At the beginning of the novel, Margayya believes that money is mankind’s greatest need and that from money will come all other attributes, including knowledge. Margayya prays to the Goddess Lakshmi for wealth, and eventually becomes rich by publishing a putatively sociological book about sex and domestic happiness.

Margayya spends most of the novel trying to make money. However, so focused as he is on his goal, Margayya rarely acts compassionately towards his wife and child. He is frequently dismissive of his wife and harsh with his son, who on occasion he beats. Margayya is especially disappointed in his son’s academic performance, failing to...