Untravelling the Complexities of Marriage: Fantasy and Reality in Olga Grushin's the Charmed Wife

Abstract

Literature is the expression of life in words of truth and beauty. It is an art form that can include works in various non-fiction genres such as biographies, diaries, memoirs, letters and essays. Diasporic literature often delves into the complexities of identity formation in a new cultural context. Fantasy literature is set in an imaginary world that often but not always includes real-world places, events and characters. The fantasy reveals the difference between reality and imagination. Olga Grushin is a Russian-American novelist born in Moscow to the family of Boris Grushin a prominent Soviet sociologist. The Charmed Wife explores feminism, love, family along self-identification. Cinderella is the protagonist of the tale. She is referred to as Jane in the fantasy tale and experiences challenges in her life. The writer addresses the reader and highlights the difference between imagination and reality in her writing. It portrays the pain of the woman particularly after her marriage. The main concept that you can learn from this story is that living in an imaginary world will not make your life smoother. This paper focuses on Jane’s pain and suffering of the women character who has decided to save their own life.