Gender Role as Relative Phenomenon in Bharati Mukherjee’s Novel Desirable Daughters

Abstract

Gender is a relative, fluid and dynamic phenomenon. In a traditional society woman has always been treated as “other” which needs to be changed. Human beings unconsciously remain engaged to absorb notions of gender-based manhood and womanhood. Gender construction is not static but changes with circumstances. Women who live in different environment face different problems and whole pattern of their lives changes when they change their living conditions and social set up. Gender is basically an aggregate of cultural and sociological traits which are associated with a particular being and leads to marginalization of one gender namely women. A particular behaviour is expected from that gender and vice versa. This concept is visible in the novel ‘Desirable Daughters’ by Bharati Mukherjee which is primary text for current research. The characters in this novel violate traditional limitations and gender role becomes a fluid and relative concept. So, this work focuses on highlighting that gender role is a relative term primarily a product of environment. The theoretical framework used here is third wave of feminism and the methodology employed to conduct this research is textual analysis.