Family Relationships In Manju Kapur

Manju Kapur’s novels take shape in the family background. In an interview with Jai Arjun Manju Kapur says:
“Literature by women, about families, always has these larger considerations, with years of studying texts, it becomes almost second nature to look beneath the surface at social and economic forces, gender relationships and how they are played out in an arena that, in my writing happens to be the home. But then, all sort of things happening outside do affect what is happening inside the home.” (Singh) The present paper is study of family relations described in the novel Home.In her book Manju Kapur, once again goes back to her theme of three generations residing in one house, the women existing within the joint family set-up.

Home is

The story begins with two sisters: one is good looking and the other merely plain. The beautiful elder Sona is married to the elder son of Banwari Lal while the younger one, Rupa is attached to a junior Government officer of less value. At the initial stage the story revolves around the life of Sona and Rupa before it focuses on the whole family.

Each sister thinks that the other is luckier and each one has more difficulties than the other. Rupa has only a husband and a father-in-law in the family whereas Sona’s is a joint family. The only tension of Rupa’s life is a wicked tenant who lives upstairs in their house. He refuses to pay his rent on time. They have already spent a lot of money on the case to evict him. Rupa and her husband, Prem Nath remain childless couple throughout the story. But she is lucky enough because she is not subjected to bear the taunts of in-laws for having no child. Like Sona, after passing two years, Sona is still not pregnant. Her mother-in-law comments her occasionally, “What can you know of a mother’s feelings? All you do is enjoying life, no sorrow, only a husband to dance around you”. (H,18) Sona performs every duty as a daughter-in-law as she is trained from an early age to love, serving and obey her in-laws. Meanwhile, Yashpal’s younger brother, Pyarelal gets married

She refuses to reconcile with the patriarchal and male dominated family structure and tries to make her own individual identity. She spends a congested childhood where she is not allowed to play or go out by her own choice. She is provided with nice dresses and everything else yet, “unfortunately her outfits did not match her inclinations,’ I want to play in the park,’ she whined periodically”. (H,53)

Manju Kapur has portrayed the confused growing up years of Nisha in a heart rending manner as Nisha is sexually abused by her cousin Vicky in the early stage of her life. It affects the child psychologically and mentally.