The Female Protagonists in the Select Novels of Shashi Deshpande: A Critical Study

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to trace the parallels and contrasts in the select novels of the Indian English woman novelist named Shashi Deshpande. The earliest and the latest novels of Shashi Deshpande especially with female protagonist are taken for the study. The Indian woman can take up a cause, espouse a rebellious or revolutionary standpoint, but she cannot escape the burden of her traditional roles, responsibilities and postures, all of which have been handed down as part of her Indian heritage. And so she is hardly ever an individual by herself. This is because the Indian psyche has been, over millennia, nurtured in such a tradition. Within these limitations, of course, the Indian woman can aspire for degrees of freedom and individuality. This is the Indian woman’s predicament. That is what Indian writers, particularly women writers, attempt to drive home in their writings. A close reading of the two novels of Shashi Deshpande shows a marked progression in the condition of the Indian woman. Despite the changing times, the woman keeps changing in outlook and action. She is more aware, more mature, more balanced and have a wider outlook.