Women and Nationalism: A Study of Manju Kapur’s Novels

Abstract

The paper will examine the nationalist perspectives of women in the novels Difficult Daughters and A Married Woman by Manju Kapur. It will also present the issues in the Pre- independence India and post- independence India. The focus is to understand and analyse the representation of women in Indian Nationalism by focusing on the active participation, ideology and resolution of social conflicts in presenting the idea of love for the nation. The embattled narrative of secular nationalism in A Married Woman encourages communal harmony and condemns the ideological entrenchment based on religion. On the other hand Difficult Daughters highlights the elevated and involved role of women as a leader of the freedom movement. It challenges the traditional roles of women and projects women as equal to men . It also magnify the role of single woman Sakuntala ,who seeks to contribute for the nation by refraining from the constructed role of women.