Furthermore, a common theme seen throughout the novella is appearance vs. reality. Passing in itself is a form of deception constantly being presented by mulatto women in the novel, more often than not, Clare Kendry, when earlier it is said “there were things that she wanted to ask Clare Kendry. She wished to find out about this hazardous business of passing.” (17) This passage enhances the theme of deception as well as passing. The author uses Clare to inform readers how “frightfully easy” passing is and not much background is needed to fit into the white community due to the fact that “there are so many more of them… they are secure and so don’t have to bother” (17). In conclusion, when describing the process of passing, the author uses different techniques to provide insightful meaning to the passage.
In the film, the character that serves as a role model to other women, is no other than Santoshi Maa. This character possess many qualities which other women can learn from. The most important traits that Santoshi Maa showed in the movie were: Solidarity, Forgiveness, and Trustworthiness. Santoshi Maa was kind to her followers and worshippers, she intended to help them when they needed her help by either saving their lives as she did with Birju and Satvyaty, in the film, or granting her followers their wishes as she did with satvyaty when she helped Birju to recover his memory. Even after satvyaty’s sisters in law made stavyaty’s life feel like hell on earth, she forgave the sisters after frustrating the ceremony on her honor, after teaching the sisters a lesson.
This text brought out a protective nature in me as I desperately want to give advice to settle the heart and mind of this character. The line, “That slowly I’d become someone, my heart no longer knew” makes me imagine a person so small and fragile. I wanted to pose as the older sister that could protect the innocence and pure heart of this character. I felt so disheartened reading the first part of the poem because it made me think of alike individuals that are fearful of letting go of things that are making them miserable. I found this text ‘Holding on and letting go’ a life-changing, inspirational poem.
But he is very astute in painting an equally stark picture of the seamier side of the glittery city with its chawls and brawls. The house in which Shiela lives is a ‘White two-storied mansion’ with paintings of M.F. Hussain on its walls. The Kholi in which Ganga, the counterpart of high society lives,is in lane that is “narrow, and whoever walked by had to brush close to the door. Across the lane, there was a narrow gutter which flooded in the rains, and behind that more shacks of wood, cloth, cardboard, and tin.” (1997:49), but “like all parents”, Shiela “never really believed” that her son “would fall in love” bitchiness and drollery, Chandra probes deep into the psyche of his characters in Shakti”, and lays bare the longing for love in a child that can turn even the best-laid plans of an astute mother topsy-turvey, and along with it, the social order too.
In western countries empowerment of women is linked with personal recognition segregated from the society irrespective of their kinship where as a woman in India is associated recognition with cooperation from members of family and society. As for the women novelists who focused on the problems regarding women are Kamala Markandaya, Nayantara Sahgal, Anita Desai, Bharati Mukherjee, Shashi Deshpande, Githa Hariharan, Arundathi Roy, Manju Kapur, Shobha De etc. Shashi Deshpande is a prolific writer reflecting the role played by the middle-class educated women in the hegemonic Hindu society in majority of her novels. Her characters seem natural ,and so come as typical stereotypes of the modern generation. Her novels bud natural and effortless throwing light on the common problems faced by women in the society.
This novel subtly shows the difference between the values ascribed to male and female traits in which man’s needs take precedence over women’s needs. Deshpande subverts stereotypical conventional ideals of motherhood, femininity, and masculinity. She shows both male and female sexes transcending their gender attributed traits. Female characters in this novel- Kalyani, Sumi, Aru exhibit masculine traits which are conventionally associated with males, on the other hand male characters- Shripati and Gopal, who escape their duty and responsibility towards their families, unveil feminine traits. Vinay Kirpal also is of the opinion that “Deshpande’s protagonists generally seek to come out of their tradional beliefs” (Geethamala, 196).
Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women (Wikipedia). Biswas views seem to differ from the other feminist critics, who try always to show Conrad as a person who marginalized the role of women, and chooses to kept them in shadows. Although he may seem to be like that, but if we go into a deep analysis we will notice the difference, which Biswas attempt to show and to clear. Throughout his text, he tries to evaluate the role played by women in Heart of Darkness, and to show that they carry more meaning than they suppose to. In conclusion, both Biswas and Mclntire try to evaluate the role played by women in heart of darkness, at first, before I read Biswas article, I was convinced 100% that Conrad attempts to exclude women from his story, and to make them invisible, but when I read Biswas text, my beliefs have totally changed, it’s true that Conrad sometime seems to be against women, but if you go into deep analysis you will reach a comprehensible thought which may lead to different perspectives and beliefs about Conrad and his novel Heart of
As postmodernism puts everything in doubt, it is very important to question and critique the position of woman in such a murky space. Feminism serves as a yard stick to fathom and measure the intense pain of the gentle and fair gender which puts forth the argument in a legitimate way by stating that woman is rendered helpless and reduced to a victim by being persistently hammered into non-entity in a patriarchal system. The paper intends to study the plethora of the chronic mental anguish as rendered by the dweller of the paradise on earth— Naseem Shafai. Naseem Shafai— a marvellous, subtle and intense poetess of Kashmir, whose literary talent conferred on her Sahitya Akademi award in 2011. She carved her space in the
A bad decision, a horrible decision, or a terrifying decision, these may lead to repressed memories. The person, who made the horrible decision, tries to forget about the dreadful happening, by repressing the memory. The person avoids small things, thereby, the repressed memory is not thought of, and the feelings associated with the happening are left out. Insignificant gestures could open the repressed memory, thereby, the decision maker and another person talk about the feelings associated, moreover, this might lead to new courses in life. The short story “insignificant gestures” written by Jo Cannon in 2007 enlightens these problems.
On par with Western novelists, Indian women writers have made a bench mark in creating an island of their own in voicing their views and perceptions about the pathetic plight of women in India. Ofcourse, Shshi Desh Pande is not exceptional because, in all her works feminism surfaces as a dominating theme one way or the other. The present paper mirrors her reflections for assertion of identity and crave for emancipation of women from the shackles of traditions and customs. So to say, in her novel, Roots and Shadows, the writer highlits the agony and suffering of the protagonist, Indu in male-dominated society. In The Dark Holds No Terrors, she touches upon male egoism and inferiority complex resulting in sexual sadism, as well the harrowing