THEMATIZING POLITICAL TRANSITION WITH REFERENCE TO PAULSCOTT’S SIX DAYS IN MARAPORE

Transition often figures up as a main theme in Paul Scott’s principal literary works. The political transition is the main concern in Six Days in Marapore (1953). This paper examines various contexts of the political tension triggered by the imminent Indian freedom. He depicts the political tension in the turbulent years just before the Indian Independence in 1947 by creating a fictional town “Marapore”. India’s independence was a vexed issue as it was not all about the British pull-out from India; it also meant division of land and people on political, religious, linguistic, geographical and ideological grounds. The proposed partition created panic and uncertainty in the native and the aliens as well. Nonetheless, the aspiration of the princely states for independent status also emerged as a challenge for the nation as it posed a challenge to India’s integrity. Here, the political transition serves as a catalyst and all other issues revolve around this principal motif. Paul Scott probes the very heart of the matter by selecting characters from the British expatriates, the native Indians and the millions rendered homeless.