This lesson gives an insight into the short stories of Jayakanthan. It discusses the themes, characterization, and style of his stories.

    Hailed as the king of short stories, Jayakanthan occupies a very special place in the history of Tamil literature. He made a deep impact on the literary tastes and thinking of the people. He has won the prestigious Gnanapeeta award and the Sahitya Academy award for his invaluable contributions to Tamil literature.

    Jayakanthan was born on 24th April, 1933, in Manjakuppam in Kadalur. He had no formal education. At the age of 14 he came to Chennai. He widened his knowledge by studying under scholars like P.C. Lingam and K. Chokalingam. His association with the communist party from a very young age accounts for the Marxist ideology that underlies many of his works.

    Jayakanthan began his literary career in 1950 when his first short story was published in a magazine called “Sowbagyam”. After this he wrote for a number of literary and popular magazines. He shot into fame with the publication of his first anthology of short stories “ Oru Pidi Soru”. A versatile man, Jayakanthan is also adept at writing novels, critical and political essays. He has directed, scripted and produced films.

    Critics generally divide Jayakanthan’s short stories into three periods. During the first ten years of his literary career, he wrote for magazines such as “Thamizhan”, “Vasantham”, “Manithan”, and “Samaran”. The stories written during this period are about the poor and the down trodden. The second phase comprises stories written for the magazine “Saraswathi”. The stories written during this period were ideological and experimental. Sexuality was another major theme that he explored at this time. The third phase during which he wrote for popular magazines such as “Ananatha Vikatan” comprises stories that appealed to the general public. These stories reflect his perception of life and they largely depict the life of the middle class.

    Some of the major themes of his stories are: the struggles of the working class; the problems of sexuality; conflicts in middle class Brahmin families, Marxism; social issues and conflicts within an individual. In many of his stories Jayakanthan also questions certain practices and laws sanctioned by society. The story “Agni Prevesam” undermines established notions of chastity. Similarly “ Oru Pagal Nera Passenger” shakes the very foundations of casteism.

    Jayakanthan’s characters are drawn from various walks of life - the working class, the middle class Brahmin families and the elite. People who do not fit into society and people who are failures in life also appear in his stories. His excellence lies in his ability to portray a wide gamut of characters equally well. Jayakanthan often uses his characters to voice his ideas.

    Jayakanthan firmly believes that his stories do not aim at entertaining the masses. They hold a mirror to the ills that cripple society. They are a means of reforming the society. With this view he explores issues of social relevance such as humanism, oppression of women and materialism.

    Jayakanthan’s style is characterized by profundity of thought. Through long conversations between characters Jayakanthan expounds his ideologies to his readers. He excels in using both the Brahmin and the working class dialect. This gives authenticity to his characters. Contradiction and juxtaposition are certain other techniques used by him. The Story “Irulai Thedi” is a good example of this.