The Strange Case of Billy Biswas: Character Mind Map & Summary
The key characters of Arun Joshi's The Strange Case of Billy Biswas (1971), grouped into branches, with the key episodes, a quick summary and the exam facts that come up again and again in UGC NET.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Billy (Bimal) Biswas
The son of a Supreme Court judge, educated in America in anthropology. He feels a strange call of the primitive and disappears into the forests of the Maikala hills to live with a tribe.
Fate: shot dead by the police👑 The Narrator
RomiRomi (Romesh Sahai)A civil servant
Role: Billy's friend from America; he narrates the story.
🏠 Billy's Women
Two worldsMeenaBilly's wife
Role: A sophisticated woman who cannot understand him.
BilasiaA tribal woman
Role: Billy's partner in the forest.
Tuula LindgrenA Swedish friend in America
Role: Understands Billy's restlessness.
Key Episodes
The turning points examiners love to ask about.
Quick Summary
The story, stage by stage.
Stage 1New York
- Romi and Billy's friendship.
Stage 2Marriage
- Billy's restless life in Delhi.
Stage 3The Forest
- His disappearance.
Stage 4Death
- Romi finds him; he is killed.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Theme
Existential alienation; civilisation vs the primitive.
Author
Arun Joshi won the Sahitya Akademi Award (1982) for The Last Labyrinth.
Narration
First-person narrator Romi, a detached observer.
Other Novels
The Foreigner (1968), The Apprentice (1974).
Additional Revision Notes
Deeper characters, themes and context for UGC NET English revision.
Billy's Double Life
Billy Biswas comes from a privileged, cosmopolitan background but feels estranged from the material values of his society. His anthropological interests draw him toward tribal communities.
Civilisation and Identity
His disappearance raises the question of whether the life described as 'civilised' can fulfil deep human needs. The novel juxtaposes urban rationality with alternative forms of belonging.
Narrative Angle
Billy's story is mediated through others, including his friend Romi Sahai. Consider how this narrative distance contributes to Billy's aura of mystery.
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