Breaking the Formula in Mother--Daughter Relationship with Reference to Geetanjali Shree's Mai

Abstract

The novel depicts how Sunaina grows up in a North Indian middle-class family under the tender care of her mother. The daughter belatedly recognizes her mother’s role in creating a fertile space of freedom in which she could cultivate herself despite the stifling patriarchal environment into which she was born. Sunaina also reevaluates her mother’s silence as a subtle effort to protect her against the stringencies of the society. Thus, the text exposes the rigid system that frames women within domestic confines but in doing so, advocates for borderline sites where women manifest themselves. Outlining the tradition and custom Mai stands for how the stereotype of womenhood is gradually changed through these three generation women.