Existentialism In Anita Nair's Novel Ladies Illumination

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This paper explores Existentialism in terms of freedom and responsibility in Anita Nair’s novel Ladies Coupe. Alpna Rastogi in her article says that “The novel has also been called a novel in parts, perhaps because the life and experiences of six women have been welded together by the author into a consummate whole, with Akhila or Akhilendeswari, as a magnet in the centre”(2). The novel is about six culturally diversified women viz. Akhila, Sheela Vasudevan, Prabha Devi, Janaki Prabhakar, Margaret Paulraj and Marikolanthu and revolves around their lives, existential struggle to discover their identity, individuality, strength and independence with the succor of freedom and responsibility. The novel is the voice of those who break the image …show more content…

If we analyze this definition we find that basically Existentialism gives human beings strength by explaining that all human beings are not victims of circumstances but they are what they have chosen to be. It’s a fact that individuals are free and are responsible for their own choices and actions. On the whole, an individual is a self determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his/her choice.
Existentialism in Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe is reflected through the strength and self-determination of the characters. When we make in-depth analysis of different characters in Ladies Coupe, we find that each and every character flourishes as the promoter of existentialism in their own way. Some major issues related to women like ‘oppression, suppression and stereotyping of women as a second sex under patriarchal social organization’ and ‘oppression of women of low caste and sexuality’ are well projected in the …show more content…

The question raised by her is that ‘Can a woman stay single and be happy, or does a woman need a man to feel complete’? This question is about woman’s existence whether she is complete by herself or with presence of men in her life. She starts eating eggs to fight against injustices related to gender, class and religion; and also indulge in emotional and physical relationship with Hari, a younger man to rediscover the pleasure of being a woman; and starts journey to discover her own identity and finally she emerges as a skilled victor of life. When she starts her journey she says, “I will board a train and allow it to lead me into a horizon I will not recognize”(8). Finally in the end of her journey she regains herself when she thinks that “She will have the courage to pick up from where she left off and begin again”(275). During her journey, Akhila was accompanied by five other women who have their own confessions of life’s struggle and comeback to rediscover their existence. S. Suganya in her article “Enslavement to Autonomy in Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe” writes “The story of her co-passengers engenders in Akhila an aspiration for life, a life she required to lice on her own” (4). One of them is Marikolandu. Her name means ‘a plant’ that looks like lavender but it’s not lavender. Just

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