This paper explores the real-ideal duality and economic discourse in the works of R.K. Narayan, focusing on how his characters navigate between traditional values and modern economic realities. Through a close reading of The Financial Expert, The Guide, and Malgudi Days, this study examines the tension between personal ideals, such as spirituality and morality, and the economic pressures that shape the characters’ lives. The paper utilizes a narrative analysis method drawn from both primary data (Narayan’s texts) and secondary scholarly sources. The study applies economic and literary theory which reveals how Narayan critiques the socio-economic transformation of post-colonial India, particularly the rise of capitalism and modernity and their impact on personal identity. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of his economic themes that shed light on the moral and psychological consequences of the real-ideal conflict in a rapidly changing society.
Wable et al. (Sun,) studied this question.