Women in Literature – A New Dimension into the World of Woman with Reference to Shashi Deshpande`s Writings

Abstract

In India, a woman is conditioned by tradition and cultural bindings in a society with family as a major situate of oppression. A woman is yet to seek identity as an individual with equal status in the family. The identity of women is through her family that creates a dominant ambience where she willingly accepts the responsibility of being a warden in a defined role. Modernization has transformed the life of Indians in many ways, although it has not altered the perceptions of family value system. The need for family continues to dominate the emotional life of women leaving her a mere performer of domestic chores, reproduction, rearing up children and fulfilling the desires of the male .The whole process leaves behind a traumatized woman who is discriminated, exploited, humiliated and oppressed in the male dominant society .A women suffer mainly due to the patriarchal psyche resulting in male prejudice and the prevalent tendency to impose their power over women by emotional abuse. The individuality of a woman is torn between social obligations and stereotypical gender roles. A woman who loses or foregoes her financial independence is caged both emotionally and economically leaving behind a vulnerable woman. To understand the socio-economic changes the role of women in households and the effect of these changes on women must be well understood. Many women writers have tried to challenge the patriarchal dogmas; this suppression is still prevalent in our society. The paper throws light on the dilemma of women and their inner voices in the male dominant society as they journey unto the realm of womanly sensibilities. The paper seeks to present the role of literature in voicing the identity and place of women in a patriarchal society with reference to Shashi Deshpande`s selected novels The Dark Holds No Terrors , Roots and Shadows and That Long Silence. A distinguished contemporary writer with concern on social dynamics that repress individuality of modern, educated, Indian women, her struggles and the distinctly female operative sensibility, Deshpande through her character depict women’s internal struggle to unravel the immense complexities of her identity and gender demarcations.