ALLEGIANCE TO GOD OR MAN: A STUDY OF THE CITY AND THE RIVER (Pages 182-189) by Dr. K. Ravi Sankar in THE ENGLISH INDIA / ISSN: 2321-1172 (Online); 2347-2634 (Print)

Arun Joshi’s the fifth and the final novel, The City and the River was published in 1990 after a gap of nine years. The novel is a continuation of and an improvement upon Joshi’s major thematic concerns. It aims at discovering solutions to the recurring problems of man’s birth and death. The novel runs simultaneously on two levels, physical and metaphysical. There is a deep inner meaning and specific purpose behind the creation of some of the eccentric characters. Joshi while dealing with the complexities of the modern society makes an attempt to expose the plots of the modern day politicians. He probes deep into the psyche of the common man to confirm his age old attachments with nature that makes him refuse to acknowledge the supremacy of the so called, self-appointed, Grand Masters of the society. It is about the poor man’s assertion in rejecting the rule of the usurpers. It is about equal rights and equal distribution of wealth. Keywords: allegiance - attachment - hierarchical society - mud-people - pluralistic society - ashrams - ancient culture.