Mahesh Dattani is a contemporary Indian playwright and his play "Tara" revolves around the separation of conjoined twins. Gender discrimination is the reason for the separation and the exercise of the parental authority is also observed in the course of the play.
The research focuses on how parental authority and gender discrimination lead to the death of the daughter Tara and deterioration of Patel’s family. The gender discrimination and parental authority account for the death of the innocent girl, Tara. The paper also looks into the aspect of society playing an invisible role in the separation of the twins.
Table of Contents
1. Gender Discrimination and Parental authority in Mahesh Dattani’s play Tara
Objectives & Key Themes
This paper examines how parental authority and deeply ingrained gender discrimination within the Indian family structure contribute to the tragic death of the character Tara and the ultimate deterioration of the Patel family. It explores how societal expectations and the preference for a male child influence parental decisions, leading to profound psychological and physiological suffering for the conjoined twins.
- Analysis of parental authority and its role in the separation of conjoined twins.
- Exploration of gender discrimination and male child preference in Indian society.
- The impact of societal influence on the family unit and individual perceptions.
- Application of Jim O’Neil’s theory of gender role conflict to the characters.
- The consequences of suppressing the identity and needs of the girl child.
Excerpt from the book
Gender Discrimination and Parental authority in Mahesh Dattani’s play Tara
The play is set in the twenty-first century where gender conflicts still continue to pervade in the lives of the Indian families. The Gender conflicts and differences begin at home. The society plays an important invisible role for gender conflicts to begin at home. The society had different evils in the past like female infanticide, through this play Mahesh Dattani makes the readers think that there may be no female infanticide in the society in the present but it has taken a new form where the son is preferred over the daughter in terms of education and providing opportunities. So a girl child’s future takes a back seat and in this play the same happens and Tara is dead at the end. The male child preference had always been a dominant part of the society. Ram Sharma in his “A history of Indian English Drama” article also talks about how Mahesh Dattani talks about the contemporary issues of the society. Mahesh Dattani and his plays are eminent for his contemporaneity.
With education and exposure to knowledge we tend to believe that the male child preference does not happen in the educated urban spaces and it is the thing of the past. The male child is always considered to be prominent even till date and Tara holds this true because of the separation of twins to prefer Chandan, the son.
Summary of Chapters
1. Gender Discrimination and Parental authority in Mahesh Dattani’s play Tara: This chapter provides an introduction to the play and the core themes, arguing that the parental decision to separate the conjoined twins was fundamentally driven by gender-biased societal expectations and a preference for the son, resulting in the daughter's tragic death.
Keywords
Parental authority, Gender difference, Gender role conflict, Society, Separation, Indian Drama, Mahesh Dattani, Tara, Gender Discrimination, Family dynamics, Social evils, Male child preference, Psychological stress, Sacrifice
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on how parental authority and gender discrimination within a family lead to the death of the character Tara and the subsequent breakdown of the Patel family unit.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
The primary themes include gender role conflict, the invisible influence of societal expectations on parental decisions, the preference for male children, and the physical and psychological consequences of these biases.
What is the main research question or objective?
The main objective is to analyze how the exercise of parental power, fueled by gender prejudice, creates a destructive environment that victimizes the children, specifically Tara, and leads to tragic family consequences.
Which scientific or theoretical framework is utilized?
The research incorporates Jim O’Neil’s theory of gender role conflict to analyze the characters' experiences and the impact of rigid, sexist, or limiting gender roles.
What topics are covered in the main body of the text?
The main body covers the analysis of parental decisions, the impact of these decisions on the twins' health, the influence of the grandfather's gendered notions, and the broader societal implications of male child preference in 21st-century India.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The work is characterized by keywords such as Parental authority, Gender difference, Gender role conflict, Society, Separation, and Social evils.
How does the play represent the "invisible" role of society?
The play represents society through the characters' internalized biases and the absent but influential figure of the grandfather, whose traditional and patriarchal views dictate the family's actions.
What is the significance of the "third leg" in the operation?
The third leg serves as a symbol of the injustice meted out to Tara; it was medically Tara's, but the parents and doctor sacrificed her well-being to favor the son, Chandan, which directly led to Tara's eventual death.
Why is the family considered "broken beyond repair"?
The family is broken because the parents' faulty, biased decision caused the death of one child and the psychological alienation of the other, leading to total family collapse and irreparable guilt.
- Quote paper
- Nivethaa Ramanujam (Author), 2016, Gender Discrimination and Parental Authority in Mahesh Dattani’s Play "Tara", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/344796
