A Snake in the Grass by R.K. Narayan Questions and Answers (Communication English I)

1. Explain the irony at the end of the Snake in the Grass.

The servant Dasa claimed to have caught the snake in a water-pot.  Before leaving, he said that he would hand over the pot to the snake-charmer living nearby.  Everyone in the family admired him.  Before Dasa returns, the family could see a cobra emerging from a hole in the compound wall. Whether there were really two snakes or Dasa had cleverly cheated them all is a mystery. It is not answered in the story.  This is the irony at the end of the story.

2. Elucidate the narrative skill of R.K. Narayan with reference to the short story you studied.

R. K. Narayan is best remembered for his narrative skill and dealing with real life Indian scenes in his works. He begins the story with the entry of snake into the compound to draw the interest of the readers. How the family got scared of the snake, the  servant’s indifference and the neighbours search to catch  the snake are beautifully narrated.As in his other stories, the ending is with inconclusive notes – whether Dasa really caught the snake? Humour and suspense are maintained from the beginning to the end.

3. Bring out the features of the character Dasa.

Dasa is an old servant in the family. He is lazy, insincere, indifferent and irresponsible in his work. He is found sleeping when the snake is reported to have entered the compound. Neighbours also accuse him in their words – “You have the laziest servant on the earth.” But he is clever and cunning. He knows very well that he will be dismissed from the job if the snake is not caught. So he convinces everyone to have caught the snake in a pot. Thus he becomes the hero of the day. His character is typically of Indian servants.

4. What superstitions or rituals are indicated in the story?

A beggar woman at the gate says that Only God Subramaniya has entered the house in the form a snake, and suggest not to kill the snake.  Mother accepts this and remembers the forgotten abhishekam to God. Abhishekam to God is a typical Indian ritual done as a token of thanks to God for his grace in a difficult situation, though it’s impact on the expected events is still not scientifically proved. Again, killing a snake, especially a cobra is a sin in Indian context. That is why, the servant goes to leave the snake to the snake-charmer.

5. Bring out the humour in the story Snake in the Grass.

When the whole family is worried about the snake, the servant is found to be sleeping. They wake him up and reports of the snake. But he simply says, “there is no cobra.” and tries to settle the matter with these words. It really produces humour. The way in which the  college-boy of the house works out the snake-bite per day as 83  alarms everyone and makes them sweat a lot in search. Dasa’s pretension to have caught the snake and his behavior as the champion both make fun of the situation, especially when another snake appears on the compound wall.