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Cultural Identity and Identity Crisis in the Selected Novels of Githa Hariharan
Get PDFGitha Hariharan is a successful feminist writer. Her first novel The Thousand Faces of Night (1992) won the prestigious Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the best first novel in 1993. Her novels portray the struggle of female characters for their identities which are challenged by caste, religion, violence and nationality. The present paper is an attempt to examine and review the way Hariharan’s women characters encounter the orthodox roles and identity forced on them by the male-dominated social order as they try to rebuild a modern self-identity for them. For this purpose, her novels The Thousand Faces of Night, The Ghost of Vasu Master and Fugitive Histories are thoroughly studied in this paper. 
Gender Issues and Intricacies in Shobha De’s Select Novels
Get PDFShobha De, a feminist writer, depicts her female protagonists in a forceful way and uses the plot to emphasize her point that personal is not private but political. The protagonists in her works were outspoken critics of conventional society and its rules. They are not the typical women who accept abusive, unsatisfying, or uncomfortable relationships (in all aspects). It could be male dominance, objectification, sexual discontent, passion, or something else entirely. They don't keep it hidden because they believe it is taboo. On the other hand, the male characters are not shown as villains, but it is evident from the plot that they are products of patriarchal society. Gender issues in her works aren't about female oppression in terms of domestic violence; rather, they are about the sexual vacuum that all of the female characters experience. Male characters were traditionally assigned duties such as sexually active, powerful, and have self-identity, but these female figures defy such stereotypes. They represent women by demonstrating that they too have sexual wants, power, and a need for self-identity. As a result, this research focuses on Shobha De’s novels Socialite Evenings (1989), Sisters (1992), Starry Nights (1991), Second Thoughts (1996), which all deal with gender issues. The study not only examines issues but sheds light on the protagonists' struggles to find self-identity
Women’s Simmering Discontent, and Emancipatory Attempts in Margaret Laurence’s The Fire-Dwellers
Get PDFThe Fire-Dwellers (1969) is one of the Manawaka series novels of Margaret Laurence. The novel was written at the time when women’s emancipation movements were gaining momentum, primarily in the United States, but in other parts of the world as well. So, clearly, the narrative is largely affected by women’s simmering discontent with their stagnant lives in Canada too. The novel reflects Canadian women’s desire to free themselves from the common drudgery at home and to be part of a more active populace working outside the home, themselves writing the rules of their lives. The woman protagonist in the novel, Stacey MacAindra, is a common housewife taking care of her husband and their four children. She feels she is happy keeping the societal values intact but suddenly feels frustrated realizing one day that she is the only one in her family whose existence in the family is only for others, while to everyone else in the family their lives are important for themselves, not for others. However, my reading of The Fire-Dwellers is that Margaret Laurence was not in total disregard of family values, or for complete independence of women from the patriarchal system as we see it in women's emancipation movements today. 
Journey of Emancipation in R. K. Narayan’s Heroines
Get PDFR.K. Narayan conforms to his times and during the period he wrote, there was a radical change in the status of women. Moreover, he maintains an objective detachment from his themes and characters. However detached he is from his characters, it is possible to draw out a conception that the portrayal of women characters takes a definite shape through his novels. As we read his novels, we can trace a gradual transition of his women characters from silence to speech. His pre-independence novels like Swami and Friends, The English Teacher, Dark Room have women who are submissive and docile even though they nurture the desire for liberation. But, R. K. Narayan was a genius to picturise the ordinary middle-class milieu. Narayan takes a different attitude in portraying his post-independence heroines. The middle-class is considered the citadel of tradition but has shown its heroines courageously negotiating their way out from stereotyped notions about women and their roles. His women who are presented as votaries of emancipation educate themselves, long for economic independence and do not hesitate in leaving their parents or dumping their husbands and lovers in their search for individual identity and desired happiness
Ethical Conflict between Pragmatism and Idealism in Arun Joshi’s The Apprentice
Get PDFJoshi has occupied a great place in Indian writing in English Literature. He deals with the inner conflicting predicament of urban Indian society in all his five novels. The Apprentice is distinct from his other novels in its tone, style and theme. The Apprentice deals with the ethical conflict between pragmatism and idealism which traps its protagonist through his conscious action, decision and the reaction of those decisions based on his root and psyche. The protagonist suffers from his inner conflict of idealism and pragmatism which makes him a split personality in a phoney selfish society. Joshi deals with the psychological problems of modern men which make them unable to adjust to society in thirst for material pleasure and worldly values. Ratan Rathor is the main protagonist and narrator of the novel The Apprentice who is the son of a revolutionary patriot full of idealistic values. He finds his inner self grind between the conflict of pragmatism and idealism which creates a painful predicament of restlessness and suffering. He has two conflicting worlds in his inner self of which one idealism deals with the values of life, peace, humanity, selfless service and of another pragmatism deals with lust for material and sensual pleasure where money has all values for its credit
The Image of Woman in Hindi Fiction: An Outline of Krishna Sobti’s Select Novels in Translation
Get PDFKrishna Sobti’s all novels are unique. Each has different characters with different set of issues. She is a class in herself when it comes to portrayal of women characters. Woman, undoubtedly is an architect of herself, her individuality as an imaginative being. Her discourse in the novels of Sobti has been balancing. Most of the times, Sobti woman is a strong rebellion of her silence. Her discourse and attitudes are a challenge not only to marginalised position but also their repressed individuality and suppressed desires. Wherever and whenever they raise their voice, their discourse obtains unique identity and recognition. This paper talks about the image of woman in Hindi fiction in general and in the novels of Krishna Sobti in particular. Her three translated novels, to Hell with You Mitro (2007), Sunflower of the Dark (2008), and Memory’s Daughter (2007) have discussed. Sobti presents panoramic image of woman in her novel which have been unmatched hitherto. Her women characters are rebellious, submissive, timid, outspoken, sexually passionate, courtesan, widows, single parent, rape victims, so called Sati-Savitri, stereotype, archetype and many other kinds. She proves herself as the representative fiction writer of Hindi literature
Life and the World Around: Theme of Subjugation of the Downtrodden and Approaches in Indian culture as Revealed in My India
Get PDFThis paper is a descriptive work and is an attempt to study Jim Corbett’s approach, as an Indo-Anglian writer, towards the theme of caste related subjugation in the colonial era. Jim Corbett is one of the few Anglo-Indian writers, who through his non-fictional narrative reveals minute observation of the customs, traditions and rituals of Indian culture. Short stories based on real-life characters offer, as one of the major themes, a glimpse of the suffering and subjugation and taboo associated with the life of the untouchables. He understands the role of caste system in India and is aware of its relevance in shaping the destiny of a person. Corbett’s concern is not only class and caste conscious, but also socially relevant and the delineation of the anguish of the underprivileged is poignant and significant. He is sensitive towards their struggle and gives the message of equality and humanity. He is a moralist, who preaches the lesson of humanity
Quest for Revolt in Joothan by Omprakash Valmiki
Get PDFOmprakash Valmiki, like other writers of autobiographies, articulates the Dalit confrontation in his renowned story, Joothan. He describes every aspect of his disturbing social experiences, unfolding his complete life. Thus, Omprakash Valmiki's Joothan is about the voyage of Dalit discrimination and social boycott. The Valmiki kin is under pressure for schooling and position in the social order. In the meantime, it is also the fairy-tale of a Dalit family unit in search of self-esteem and identity in the Indian Hindu society. Omprakash Valmiki portrayed his life as an untouchable and Dalit in the newly self-governing India. The tale of Joothan refers to scraps of food left on a plate; this is meant for waste and animals. India's untouchables have been obligatory to acknowledge and eat leftovers for centuries, and these terms encompasses the pain, humiliation and poverty of the group of people enforced to survive at the underneath of India's societal pyramid. Although untouchability was abolished in 1949, But Dalits is being unrelenting to face prejudice, economic deficiency, aggression and mockery. Even after attaining Independence, the Dalits had to struggle a long time to get education; Joothan takes it seriously. Valmiki shares his daring resist to escape a prearranged life of steady physical and mental agony and his transformation into a speaking subject under the influence of the great Dalit political manager, BR Ambedkar. An article of the long silenced and long denied sufferings of Dalits, Joothan is a key role to the archives of Dalit history and a proposal for a radical transform of humanity and human consciousness. Dalits are being unrelenting to face unfairness, economic deprivation, hostility and ridicule. This paper is trying to portray the Quest for Revolt in Omprakash Valmiki’s Joothan
Religious Philosophy of Guru Nanak: Literary Speculation
Get PDFIndia has been a land of diverse culture and traditions. When we say culture it includes many things like language, social customs, food habits, religion and so on. Of this religion seems to be the most influential factor in the life of an individual. It is something which lends meaning and purpose to our life. It is that which binds human beings to the Divine. And this bond can be established through the practise of Bhakti. The concept of Bhakti is an old one. It emphasises devotion to the personal God. Bhakti movement is an important development in the cultural history of India which originated in the south. The saints of Bhakti movement preached personal devotion to God as a means of attaining Salvation. They made use of local language to spread the ideology of Bhakti. Guru Nanak is one of the most influential saints of the Bhakti movement. In his teaching he incorporated ideas both from Hinduism as well as Islam. He revealed the truth of monotheism, importance of the recitation of God’s name with utmost devotion, need of a Guru for salvation. He tried to bridge the gap between the two communities of Islam and Hinduism and eradicate social problems by focusing on the truth of monotheism and the concept of equality
Cultural Ecological Attitudes in Gita Mehta’s A River Sutra
Get PDFOne of the sparkling stars in the galaxy of Indian writers, Gita Mehta is the brightest. Her novels are written with Indian perspectives and they are explorations of the tension generated by the east-west encounters. Her novel A River Sutra is a colourful fictional account of India that mirrors Indian history and culture. It connects Indian mythology with various depictions of love in its many aspects. It told through a pen-pusher and his encounter with six pilgrims on the banks of the Narmada. In Western Feminist studies, the woman is always portrayed with a quest for freedom from the urban exploitative society to nature. It is appealing to determine that this concept receives a new dimension in a different cultural context. In this novel, Mehta has shifted her focus from the interactions between India and the west to exploring the diversity of cultures within India. Gita Mehta uses the Narmada as the thread, which holds together the main story and the six sub-stories. The present paper discusses in detail the theory of eco-criticism and it aims at highlighting an understanding of various terms like green studies and nature studies, as well as describes in fair detail, the different subfields of eco-criticism, namely, Cultural ecology, Eco-feminism and Gyno-Ecology