Ego/Pride

The theme of ego and pride relates to the moral of The Man-eater of Malgudi, which is that those who are prideful will eventually bring about their own destruction. Vasu is incredibly egotistical, caring only for himself and ignoring the needs of others. He also believes that he can do whatever he wants. Stories and quotes referring to this theme appear throughout this book. Foreshadowing Vasu's downfall, Sastri states that "he shows all the definition of a rakshasa...Every rakshasa gets swollen with his ego. He thinks he is invincible, beyond every law. But sooner or later something will destroy him." Also, the story of Bhasmasura, the demon, is a clear foreshadowing of Vasu's demise. The demon, much like Vasu, destroys himself.

Although not readily apparent, Nataraj also suffers from an inflated ego. At the beginning of the novel, Nataraj is comfortable giving orders to Sastri and...