PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN CHARACTERS IN THE WORKS OF ANITA MAZUMDAR DESAI

Women have been the subject of discussion since times immemorial and they have been depicted in various hues and shades especially in the Indian English Literature. They have been an object of oppression and suppression in the male dominated society. However, with the passage of time, feminism has been established in India, setting aside the patriarchal predomination to a certain extent. As a result women have started snatching suitable spaces for themselves. Feminist writers in India today proudly advocate their cause of `womanhood`, through their writings. In the present paper, an attempt is made to study the women characters in the prominent works of Anita Desai. The authors intend to look at the behavior of women characters in adverse circumstances. Do the female characters act rationally and break the four walls of the boundary created by the society or do they suffer as it is because they are destined to do so by virtue of their nature? The paper lays stress on the emotional crisis of her protagonists who live in a chaotic society and delves deep to find out the factors responsible for such a despair. Further, it attempts to suggest solutions to overcome it. The paper takes into account the heroines of “Cry, The Peacock”, “Where shall we go this Summer”, “Clear Light of Day”, and “Fasting, Feasting”.