Marriage In Radha's Husband

Modern women’s attitude to marriage has undergone changes. According to Radha, her love affair is nothing more than an act of defiance, and not a betrayal. She wants to express her defiance against androcentric social norms by indulging in adulterous relationships. It is her “loneliness and a funnelling need that had exploded into unbridled passion” (M 399-400). But she never had any feeling that she was committing a crime or betraying anybody by her relationship with Chris. She admits that she has robbed Shyam of his pride and has no love left for him.

Mistress highlights Radha’s courage to stand by her conviction and make her own decisions. So she has to choose whether to stay in her marriage or accept the fruits of extra-marital relationship

For example, Shyam is not a man of virility. Likewise, Sebastian, the new recruit to the resort, though an impressive looking man is inefficient. Koman and Chris suffer from identity crisis. Chris’s long search to find the identity of his father yields him no result. Koman, though a successful artist, is a failure in life. Thus Mistress is a powerful novel which questions the patriarchal and gender stereotypes of the society.

Radha’s search for understanding and true happiness ends in disappointment. But this act helps her to realise her self and identity without the help of men or to be more precise by the rejection of both men. All that Shyam wanted was Radha’s love and acceptance and for that he accepts her back with Chris’s illegitimate child.

Towards the end of the novel Radha chooses to exercise her individuality and independence by rejecting both Shyam and Chris. She realises that she cannot live with one or the other. To her, both Chris and Shyam stand for the same values and principles and one is a shadow of the other. The desire that Radha felt for Chris gradually loses its hold on her. That is the moment when she is able to experience shaantam or peace. It is “Detachment. Freedom. An absence of desire. A coming to terms with life” (M

They vehemently protest against their confinement in the family. They object to the traditional system of marital arrangement and value companionship in relationship. Education and exposure to western values and ways of life coupled with their sufferings have given them enormous energy to fight for their rights. They value women’s bodily experiences and are ready to throw away tormenting relationships for their emotional, sexual and psychological fulfillment.

Ancient Promises, Afterwards and Mistress reflect the attitudes of men of the post-1990s Kerala. Men treat women as objects and marital life is characterized by the absence of genuine concern and the attempt to annihilate women’s independence and initiatives. The women protagonists in these novels show remarkable courage and self-confidence to challenge the patriarchal authority. They challenge gender inequality and the patriarchal biases of the