Spiritual and Mythological Elements in the Novels of Arun Joshi

Language and Literature

Arun Joshi is an outstanding Indian English novelist who has outlined human predicament caused by inner crises of man living in present world. In his novels Joshi has focused not on socio-economic or existing political issues at all but he has carefully touched deep and very sensitive layers of human being. Joshi’s works reflect strong influence of Indian spiritual ideology. He is one of those Indian fiction writers who have effectively tried to reflect eternal metaphysics and ethos by their protagonists. Joshi in his novels focused not only on socio-political issues but he has carefully touched deep and very sensitive layers of human being. His novels reflect his strong faith on Indian Mythology. “Hinduism, Joshi believes is highly existentialist-oriented philosophy since it attaches so much value to the right way to live (to exist).”1The Vedanta philosophy, the teachings of the Gita and the way of life taught by Mahatma Gandhi had a great influence on Arun Joshi. “This impact is not casual or coincidental: it seems to form the philosophical and ethical fabric of some of his major work.”2 Joshi’s first three novels The Foreigner, The Strange Case of Billy Biswas and The Apprentice deal with three ways of redemption as preached in The Bhagvadgita, the Karmayoga, the Jnanayoga and the Bhaktiyoga respectively.

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