In R.K. Narayan’s “The Guide” (short story excerpt), how does the narrative interrogate the tension between traditional Indian spirituality and modernity through the protagonist’s metamorphosis?
1
By depicting the protagonist’s spiritual awakening as a rejection of all modern values and an embrace of asceticism.
2
Through the ambiguous portrayal of the protagonist’s role as both a spiritual guide and a morally ambiguous figure, challenging clear binaries of tradition and modernity.
3
By endorsing modern secular values over indigenous spirituality explicitly through the narrative voice.
4
By marginalizing the spiritual elements to foreground political nationalism.