Importance of Prologues and Epilogues in Chetan Bhagat's Novels

Topic :- Importance of Prologues and Epilogues in Chetan Bhagat’s Novels

Name :- Upadhyay Devangana S.

Roll No :- 05

Paper No :- 13  ( The New Literatures )

Department :- Dept. of English

Submitted to :- M.K. B. University 

vImportance of Prologues and Epilogues in Chetan Bhagat’s Novels

·      Introduction

                    Chetan Bhagat is one of the most famous authors in Indian writing in English. His first book is ‘Five point someone’, he got fame from his first book.  He is IIT’s students. He use to writer about condition and problems of young India. That is one reason that his work able to get fame. He wrote many novels and every novels are deal with young India’s problems. His way of writing is very easy and interesting. A main thing of his novels is prologues and epilogues. He uses to write prologues and epilogues in his every novel. His prologues and epilogues are very interesting and it creates and developed interest of reader. He is student of marketing so he knows very well that who to do marketing of the novel. Many counter points are their which helps to get fame in the world of writers. Among them one is epilogues and prologues. He has very good style to write the novel. His narrative style is very easy and reality and everything is a part of the writer’s life. He narrate story as not as just story but as reality. That is the reason that people started to take more and more interest in to the novels. In Chetan Bhagat’s novels prologues and epilogues play most important roll and it was out structure of the novels. He wrote six novels its names are:

·       Five Point Someone

·       Ne night @ The Call Center

·       The three Mistakes of My life

·       2 States

·       Revolution 2020

·       Half Girlfriend

So these are the novels of Chetan Bhagat, so let’s discus on importance of prologues and epilogues in his novels.

·      Five Point Someone

                     ‘Five Point Someone’ is Bhagat’s first novel its full mane is ‘Five point someone what not to do at IIT’. This novel is about life of IIT’s students and problems related to education. It was deal with the condition of students during their study life. This novel is begun with prologue there is no epilogue. As compare to his anther novels this novel has very weak prologue may be because of his first book and lake of experience and practice. In prologue reader comes to know that Alok is hospitalized and something wrong happed with him but what? If reader wants to get answer of this question she/he has to read book.

                               Two different things that reader can find in the prologue that one side narrator talk about some serious matter that something wrong happened to Alok and another sides he say that “I will write a book about our crazy days.” So it brings curiosity among the reader and it attract reader to read novel. Narrator wants to write about his crazy days. ‘CRAZY Days’ it is symbol of happiness, so;

·       Why Alok is in hospital?

·       What is happen in their life?

·       Which type of day that writer wants to write about Good or Bad?

·       Crazy days are goes to happy or not?

             Generally these types of questions are developing in reader’s mind. And it was lead readers to read book. So prologue is not rich then other books but than even it was enough for build up reader’s interest for read a book.

·      One Night @ The Call Center

                                ‘One Night @ The Call Center’ is Bhagat’s second book. In this book prologue and epilogue both are there and it was in very reach and interesting also. Here two stories are going on in the novel, one is main novel and another is prologue and epilogue. Both the story is about one night.   

In this novel prologue and epilogue play very important role in the novel. Writer travels Kanpur to Delhi at night. He meets with one beautiful lady; she tall’s one story about call center and then writer write a novel.

              Beginning of the prologue it was very interesting. He is travel in empty compartment and suddenly one beautiful woman enters in the compartment. Then the both are stated to talk with each other their talk is create interest of writer to read novel. They both are taking about Bhagat’s previous book. In the prologue writer doing marketing of his first book. Their conversation attract reader to read his first book. Chetan Bhagat is famous for write about youth and their problems.

“At one level, you are hardly a youth writer”

This sentence is raise question on his own ability. It was attract reader a lot to read the novel.

“ So you wrote a book on IIT. A place where so few people get to go. You think that represents the entire yuth?”

This sentence attract reader. Bhagat’s first book is about IIT. And in IIT very few people to get ranter so ti was symbolized that this book is not about IIT but it can be cover most of the youth of India.

“ So what is it going to be? IIMs this tme? She said.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Becauseit does not represent the country’s youth.”

This conversation build up curiosity among reader on which topic he is going to deal? Now what is his next steps? How is this lady? What she wants to do? Now what happens to next? Those are question raise among the reader

                  Conversation between Lady and writer is very interesting and it build up reader’s intrast also.when Lady ask about his next book he has no any idea. That lady said that she has a subject for him. It was story about six people who work in call center. It was story of one night and one call; call of GOD. These thing make readers very stimulative for reading novel. In call-center call is simple think but this call is not simple because this call is from God.

                   This matte is create many questions in reader’s mind. How Bhagat is going to deal with youth?what is call from God? Why God call? What is reason behind it?

        So prologue is very important in this novel.Epilogue also very intrasting as much as prologue. Bhagat raise question that people cannot believe in this story so that Lady gave alternative. God’s speech is give it to military Uncle. Because this type of story not believed by people. If reader not agree with this story then he/she can replace God to Military Uncle. So here writer become facilitator for reader. If reader cannot agree with is story they can got solution of their objection. Another intrasting things is epilogue also raise many question related to Lady that;

Who is that Lady?

She is God or not?

Why she knows this story?

What is her relation with the story?

This all act is real or just dream of writer?

                         Prologue and Epilogueis much important in the novel.

·      The 3 Mistakes of My Life

                         Prologue of this novel is divided into two parts first part is Bhagat got unknown e – mail. It was very interesting and mysterious. In morning Bhagat sit on computer and get email. And prologue is begun with that mail. In that mail person taking about his previous book and after that he writes very mysterious sentence and he writes about that he is going do suicide. Than Bhagat quest was started and this quest is not only Bhagat but reader also. Because after this mail reader also wants to know that who is this person? And why he sent mail to Bhagat? And Now, Bhagat is what will do? He is able to find this person or not? A person is his relative or some else? How his wife is reacting?

             Bhagat is in Singapore he call to Prof. Basant to know about a person who mail him. After that we came to know that person is Govind Patel, he is hospitalized and he is twenty-five years old.

                Here another question is raise that why a person wants to do suicide? Bhagat has great ability to attract reader for more and more reading. He has skill to build up curiosity among reader and its lead reader to read book on one sit. He language is very easy to read and with Indianness.

“ Oh no, the daal is burning.”

This sentence is reflected Indianness. At 6 P.M. Bhagat able to reach India to meet Govind. Like his earlier book ‘One Night @ The Call Center’ here also we can find reference of his previous book ‘Five Point Someone’ and One Night @ The Call Center’. A conversation between writer and Govind is very interesting. Reader come to know that something is wrong happens in his life. It is about his friends. He is doing some mistakes in his life but reader cannot get any idea about that, if reader wants to know than he has to read a book, that is thing is most important in prologue. Prologue encourages reader to read the novel.

                      Generally Bhagat’s novel end with many questions reader wants to get answer of that question they should read epilogue. Epilogue is brings readers to in preset. This all story is happened in one night. At evening Bhagat meet Govind than he stated to telling Bhagat to his story, and in morning at five his story is completed, and it bring reader past to present. In epilogue reader comes to know that Govind regret what he done and he was not able to come out from what he done. So he uses to drink a lot that why he is in hospital. At the end of the epilogue Bhagat decide to write a book on it. In this novel epilogue divided into two parts. In second part Bhagat is in Singapore and its happy ending novel.

·       Two States

             

          In this novel Prologue and epilogue is some exchange different from other novels. In other novel Chetan Bhagat tells us a story which he hard by the other. But in this novel narrator himself tells the story. In other novels Bhagat who ask about story or a person who tells him the great secret to him. But in this novel one lady who play role as listener and narrator telling the story of his love life. In this prologue we can find Bhagat’s love toward technology.

“ Google for all sort of stuff”

This sentence is representing his love for technology.

                                 In the epilogue f the novel reader comes to know that Ananya is dragnet and she is going to have twins. The story of the novel is about conflict between two states. Ananya is from south India and Krish is from Panjab. They both are fall in love and they have to suffer a lot only because of they are from different states.

“ They’ll be from a state called India”

This is the last sentence of epilogue it was represent oneness of India. We are habituate to see that I am Gujarati, I am Marathi, I am Bengali. And some where we forget that we are Indians. It is giving use remainder that we all are form India not from Gujarat. Bengal, Maharat.

·      Revolution 2020

       

                      In the prologue of this novel Bhagat was in Varanasi. He meets one person whose name is Gopal, he is very reach person. While reading the prologue reader becomes very confused to know the character of Gopal. Sometime he looks like a gentleman, or sometime very egoistic, or sometime happy or sed. While Arti word was come or spoke by Bhagat something happens with him that make very interesting to read the novel. As previous book in this book also he talk about his other book as well as movie also which is baise on his book. So it draws reader attention toward his other books. Chetan Bhagat most important skill is self branding. In this book also, he praise himself though Gopal like this;

“Chetan Sir, one drink? I can tell people I had a drink with “the” Chetan Bhagat.”

                   In first view reader thought that Gopal is very greedy and egoistic person but raise of prologue reader can realize pain of his life. He is very rich man but his riches is wrathless. Then Gopla said that he is in love with a girl who name was Arti. The way he is talking about Arti it was very interesting and it is draw reader to read the book to know story of Gopal and Arti.              

              In Epilogue we can find that Gopal is regretting himself what he done. And he considers himself as villain.

“I’ll let the reader decide how they want to consider you. I simply write about people. I don’t cast them as heroes or villains.”

With the help of this sentence reader can find two meaning that first is Bhagat was decided that he will write a book on this story. And another is that reader should consider that Gopal is hero or villain. He just wrote the story and his duty was over and while his duty over form their reader’s duty started. Means Bhagat makes confection that he is not writing about wrong or right. He was just written what he wants to wrote. It’s upon reader how they want to take the story and character. If we read the last line of the novel that we come to know that he believed that Gopal is a good man.

“You are a good person.”

Indirectly it was clue to reader that they should consider Gopal as good man.

·      Half Girlfriend

         Prologue of the novel is begun on Chanakya Hotel, Patna. In Hotel Chetan Bhagat meets in person how name was Madhev. He told Bhagat to read some journals. Their conversation began with this. .When Madhev said that these journals are his HALF-GIRLFRINDS’S. It was very strange for a reader that what is meaning of Half-girlfriend. This world brings curiosity among reader to know the meaning of this world. It leads them to read book.

“She used to like your books. We used to read them together,’ he said in a soft voice. ‘For me to learn English.”

Here also we can find that Bhagat gives information about his previous books. He also defend that his books are help people to learn English. He writes in very easy English so slow learners can read without any pain. So people mostly like to read Bhagat’s book.

        Then Madhev talk about his half-girlfriend Riya. He said that now Riya is dead. It was very surprising for reader then Novel was started. Here novel is divided into two parts. One is past and present. Past story was completed by then prologue state again. Their Madhev comes to know that Riay was still alive. And his journey to found Riya was begun.

              In epilogue reader comes to know that Riya and Madhev were married and Bhagat visit their school. End is happy ending. But without prologue and epilogue story is incomplete.

·      Conclusion

           

                            In Chetan Bhagat’s novel prologue and epilogue play very important role in his novel. He builds up interest among reader to read the novel. And without reading prologue and epilogue we feel that story was incomplete. It was give many answer of the question which was in reader’s mind. In his every book’s epilogue he told about his previous books, so it was marketing of his anther book as well as it was leading reader to reader those books also. He marketing power is very strong that represent in prologue and epilogue.