As a reader of most every genre who has a "tolerance" and even an enthusiasm for outdated writing styles, really wordy literature, the requirement of a big initial investment to read through the beginning of a story, ideals & philosophies very different from my own, etc. etc., I feel my rare one-star rating (my first ever??) demands written justification.

I haven't read other works by R.K. Narayan, so I can't compare this story to his others. It was an issue of Bookmarks magazine that turned me on to this title by way of their highlighting a number of titles written with an unusual narrator. This one? Written by a tiger.

...full potential for a really great, original, even quirky and enlightening tale. But A Tiger for Malgudi just doesn't deliver. In fact, it GREATLY disappoints, even angers. It falls far, far below what it could've been with such a great premise to set off with.

First of all, it is easy to read... as "classic literature" it's not outdated, difficult, etc. It does get slow and repetitive in parts, covering day-to-day details at certain points in the narrator's life that... just aren't significant or meaningful enough to bother to include in the work as a whole. But, that's just the author's choice. The intro also starts off the reading with promise... Narayan's tale of what prompted his interest in writing about a tiger's life—and as a tiger—is compelling. Narayan writes "with a few exceptions here and there, humans have monopolized the attention of fiction writers. Man in his smugness never imagines for a moment that other creatures may also possess ego, values, outlook, and the ability to communicate, though they may be incapable of audible speech." Brilliant point. And so is "Man assumes he is all-important, that all else in creation exists only for his sport, amusement, comfort, or nourishment." As the reader, you're thinking "this is going to be one of those books EVERYONE on the planet should read... pointing out the things we humans ignore, how animals are mistreated, helps us to open our eyes, be kinder, etc. etc."

It's the story itself and its ultimate messages/philosophies that are gravely disappointing ...and even enraging.

...And that's completely aside from the very obvious fact that the author himself is not remotely familiar with cats as a species; he hasn't lived with them OR done his research. He frequently contradicts, in trying to "speak" for and as a tiger, the most basic, observable traits, motivations, and desires of cats themselves, as obvious to even the most complacent and inattentive human caretaker of a domestic cat. (yikes!)

The narrator/tiger proceeds to tell of significant parts of his life from roaming the jungle freely, feeling he's ruler of the animal kingdom, etc. to being captured by a circus owner, tormented and tortured in ways he actually comes to accept or even believe he deserves (yikes again!), and then his life after the circus.... all speaking kindly and reverently about his "Master" (yikes yet again!) who's a bit of a philosophical guru and enlightened being who's taught the tiger how to communicate with humans and many other ideas of life and our purpose, animals and humans alike. And though this Master is filled with true wisdom.... "If you are ready to hate and want to destroy each other, you may find a hundred reasons" or "Everyone is acting a part all the time, knowingly or unknowingly" ...he's also a very dubious character.

During the tiger's tale of his circus life, the tiger shares how his Master later justified that horrible part of his life—caged, beaten, confined, starved, and even driven to respect and admire his captor—in explaining that the tiger must've been punished so severely because he himself had done the same to another in a past life. Now, if that's not just a great excuse for ANY being, human or otherwise, to justify harming another, I don't know what is. Narayan writes the words of the Master: "You probably in a previous life enjoyed putting your fellow-beings behind bars. One has to face the reaction of every act, if not in the same life, at least in another life or series of lives. There can be no escape from it. Now you have a chance to realize how your prisoners must have felt in those days, when you locked them in and watched them day by day to measure how far you had succeeded in breaking their spirits." Frightening as that philosophy is, you, as reader, are still hoping that's not "really" the ultimate message...

As you read of the tiger's life, you're looking forward to the upcoming period of enlightenment, his meeting that wonderful human being, and being saved from his circus life, etc. And that point never really comes.

The story does continues after the tiger's circus stint, with meeting his Master, but...

*** SPOILER ALERT! ***

...Then it's quickly over—a VERY small percentage of the entire book. Meanwhile, the pages detailing when the tiger escapes the circus and is cornered by a man preparing to shoot and kill him make up 20% of the entire book. I was deathly bored; I counted the pages. And only then, at the very end of the book, do you realize what the true, final message is... that animals are inferior to humans, that their natural carnivorous inclination is inferior, that their ultimate purpose in life and most enormous gift they can grant to others is to live in captivity, be confined and force-fed, and bring joy to observing humans passing by their cage.

The Master's final conclusion—no, his dictated command—for his aging tiger friend and student: that the tiger is to check himself into the local zoo where he can live out his final days with ease, have the freedom to roam within an enclosure, and bring smiles to human children's faces.

I believe in creative freedom—strongly. If I didn't, I'd recommend this book be burned. Or at least, the ending. ( )

I am not sure what to make of this book, so I relate in brief beginning to end and there are SPOILERS here. Ostensibly, this is a tale about a tiger's life, from his viewpoint. The tiger grows up in the jungle, testing his strength, delighting in his power and scorning other creatures- until man kills his mate and cubs. The tiger strikes out in revenge at villages, killing livestock. He is captured by poachers and sold to a circus owner. Here the story starts to get a little disjointed. The tiger describes his circus experience- starved into submission, bewildered by the actions of men trying to force him to do tricks... The animals communicate with each other silently, but the tiger can relate to the reader what humans said even though he doesn't understand their speech. There are entire chapters about the circus owner's work in managing his affairs and handling his employees, things a tiger would have no knowledge of! It was hard to shrug that off. Bounces around between omniscient viewpoint and tiger being the first-person narrator...

One day the tiger catches the eye of a filmmaker, who wants to feature him in a battle against a strong man he discovered performing in a village market. The part about the filming attempts and how they tried to make it look like the tiger and strong man were fighting- without them actually coming into contact with each other- because this huge muscular fellow was actually terrified of the tiger- that was fairly amusing. Tiger gets even more frustrated at attempts to teach him new tricks for the filming- the circus owner refuses to allow the filmmaker to pull out his claws or teeth or sew his mouth shut to make it safe. Instead they use an electric prod. Tiger goes crazy and finally attacks the circus man, startled to discover how weak man actually is- this person who had exerted control over him for so many years.

The tiger escapes and wanders a nearby village where he enters a schoolhouse to cool off on the stone floor, and takes a nap. He gets locked in, and then the villagers argue among themselves for pages and pages what to do.... Meanwhile there is a hermit or holy man standing on the sidelines, offering advice, constantly rebuffed and scorned by the villagers. He is called Master by the tiger- and when they finally let him into the schoolhouse- because the man who was supposed to shoot the tiger drank too much to calm his nerves and fell down- the Master exerts such a mental influence on the tiger that it does whatever he says, follows him calmly out of the village and into the forest where they live peacefully in a cave having discussions about spirituality. Because really the tiger is just like a person inside, having only a different outer form. And when the tiger becomes old and weak, the Master gives him to a zoo so he can live out his days in peace, being admired by children! I found that upsetting. Of all the other ridiculous things I ignored to enjoy some other parts of this story- including times when the tiger's behavior was not feline at all- why couldn't the tiger die in peace in the jungle? Argh.

more at the Dogear Diary ( )

I purchased this book thinking it's a children's fable. But it stunned me when it turned out to be story of self proclaimed tiger who describes his journey from woods to circus. I loved it but at some point it does bore you. But it was worth a read. ( )

Once more the great story-teller R. K. Narayan mesmerizes the reader with a tale from his humane corner of the world. It is a corner of his own creation and like other fictional worlds its stories are a delight to read. In this, short novel. we find a narrative for those who like their stories told from the animal's point of view. In this case, a Tiger for the small town of Malgudi; a tiger who is trapped first for a Circus and later sold for use in films. You will be cheering for him as he seeks his freedom. ( )

With tigers are getting a bad rap these days in some quarters, here is your chance to explore their philosophical side with the help of R.K. Narayan. ( )