Concept of the 'Ideal Woman': A Critical Study Through The Female Characters of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's The Forest of Enchantments

Abstract

In Indian mythology there have been several female characters, whohave played prominent roles. They were women who had sacrificedgreatly to be idealized. An ideal woman is the one who is a perfectdaughter, following her parents' wishes; a perfect wife, obeying andfollowing her husband; a perfect mother, looking after her children.Throughout her life she hardly questions the oppression she suffered.She is the upholder of “culture” and its preservation is her duty andmakes sure that her daughter and daughter-in-law learn it from her. Inthe great epic, Ramayana, we come across several women characterswho are considered as ideal woman, good, meek, long suffering andbearing everything silently. However, in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's“The Forest of Enchantment” we see Sita in a different light and alsoother sides of an ideal woman. Although she suffers throughout thenovel but she has a voice and firmly puts her thoughts. The novelistsuccessfully brings new meaning to the concept of an ideal woman.