Rosie
She is the heroin of the novel as she is present more than half of the story. She has a master degree in economics. She marries Marco for social reasons; she is attracted by excitement of a new life with wealthy intellectual when she sees the matrimonial advertisement. She remains essentially as an artist and this quality is exploited by Raju for his personal advancement. Rosie commits adultery when she gets involved with Raju. After Raju’s imprisonment she returns to Madras where she continues her career of a dancer.
Rosie is a daughter of a Dhevadasi for whom dancing is blood and sprit. She marries Marco not out of love but out of respect for his social intellectual status.
Narayan describes Rosie being glamorous but not very beautiful. She had bright eyes and good figure, but her completion was not very fair. She loves dancing more than her husband, Raju or anything in her life. It’s her madness for dancing that lead problems of her life. As she obtains perfection in her dancing career she becomes more successful than her husband who is a scholar.
Rosie is called snake women by Raju during the last phases of his life. It is also because she is fond of cobras. She is a mystery, vision and above the reach of both Marco and Raju. We understand that she is a woman of independent mind and thinking. She cannot be easily misled as she is intelligent. As a married woman she tries to adjust her husband’s wishes but Marco’s indifference and hatred for dancing pushed her towards Raju. She is an inferiority complex because of her low birth. She also becomes Raju’s trouble. She is Indian in appearance, thinking and spirit but she is modern in her action. Her marriage is a failure because of her split personality. The novelist has presented her successfully as an interesting character. She is a woman of tragic elements and materialism does not interest her. She is only an unhappy artist. She is also a pathetic teamer because she is a great person who deserves our sympathy. Her sense of rhythm in dancing faces to create harmony in her life. She is like a rainbow which can be only seen but cannot be touched or possessed.