Struggling to Find a Voice. Women’s Position in Hindu Tradition and The Novels of Shashi Deshpande

Masterarbeit , 2014 , 97 Seiten , Note: 1,0

Didaktik für das Fach Englisch - Literatur, Werke

The South Asian country of India immediately evokes an array of preconceptions in the Western mind: be it the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, of extreme poverty and extreme wealth, of colours, fragrances and spices, of the holy cow and its connected cultural and spiritual richness, or of Bollywood. Nowadays, however, the media focuses more and more on one issue: India’s ill treatment of women.

This master's thesis by the title of ‘Struggling to Find a Voice’ will be composed of two major pillars: women’s position in Hindu tradition and the study of two novels of Shashi Deshpande. The first part will focus on the changing role of Hindu women throughout Indian history, from its beginnings in the Vedic times until today. The paper intends to address the most important stages in what could be called a rollercoaster of prohibitions, submission and rights: from a quasi-equal position in ancient India, to a slave-like existence in the Middle Ages, a dawn of hope during the British Raj and the post-Independence period, up until recent events and struggles. As Deshpande’s protagonists, Saru and Jaya, both belong to the Hindu middle-class, the historical overview will concentrate first and foremost on Hindu women. The insights gained in the first part will then provide the backbone for the analysis of the novels to follow.

The second part will be an in-depth analysis of Shashi Dehpande’s novels The Dark Holds No Terrors (1980) and That Long Silence (1988). Both of the two novels’ protagonists, Saru and Jaya, form part of the educated, Indian middle-class and are – because of their sex – caught between the traditional, orthodox image of a Hindu housewife and the modern, ‘Western’, concepts of emancipation and equality. The paper intends to examine how they struggle to come to terms with this fragmentation of their selves and how they find a balance between their traditional roles as a housewife and mother and their own ‘modern’ expectations. The relationship of being silent to oppressing one’s own identity will be looked at more closely, as well as the factors which help them to raise their voices in the end. Finally, the conclusion will not only summarise the findings, but also link the first part of this Masterarbeit with the second part under the heading ‘Struggling to Find a Voice’.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Women's Position in Hindu Tradition
  • The Highs and Lows of the Role of Women in Ancient India
    • Relative Equality in the Early Vedic Age
    • The 'Ideal' Wife, Sita, in the Ramayana
    • The Condemnation of Women in the Code of Manu and the Puranas
  • The Degradation of the Role of Women during the Medieval Period
    • Domestication and Patriarchal Rule
    • Anti-Feminine Practices
    • The Bhakti Movement: A Way Out of Purdah
  • The Colonial Period: From British Non-Interference to the First Reforms
    • Social Reform Movements Discussing the 'Woman Question'
    • Women's Organisations Pressing for Change
    • Female Participation in Gandhi's Freedom Struggle
  • Post-Independent India: Caught Between Tradition and Modernity
    • The Constitution and the Hindu Code Bills Promising Equality
    • Women's Movements Defining Feminism
    • Rape as a Manifestation of Patriarchy
  • Summary: Changes in the Status of Hindu Women
• Breaking Free from Traditions and Prejudices in Shashi Deshpande's Novels
  • Shashi Deshpande - A Feminist Writer?
  • Saru's struggle in The Dark Holds No Terrors
    • Narrative Structure: A Fragmentation of the Self
    • The First Trauma: A Childhood between Patriarchy, Guilt and Rebellion
    • The Second Trauma: Caught Between Career Success and Marital Rape
    • Homecoming: Bringing Light into the Darkness
  • Jaya's struggle in That Long Silence
    • Narrative Structure: A First Step towards Agency
    • Marital Crisis: The Dream of the Ideal Wife Falls to Pieces
    • The Ambivalence of Writing: Between Expression and Suppression
    • Self-Realisation: Breaking the Silence

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to explore the historical and societal context of women’s struggles for voice and agency in India, particularly focusing on the position of Hindu women. It examines how traditional societal structures and practices contribute to the marginalization of women and their struggle to find their place in a society grappling with modernity and tradition.

• The historical evolution of women’s roles and status in Hindu tradition
• The impact of patriarchal structures and practices on women’s lives
• The intersection of tradition and modernity in shaping women’s experiences
• The struggle for female voice and self-determination in contemporary India
• The role of literature in portraying and understanding women’s experiences

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the changing position of women in Hindu tradition throughout history. It delves into the relative equality of the early Vedic age, the condemnation of women in later scriptures, and the evolution of women’s roles during the medieval period. It also examines the impact of colonial rule and social reform movements on women’s rights, culminating in the complexities of post-independence India.

Chapter three focuses on the novels of Shashi Deshpande, exploring how her works depict the challenges faced by Hindu women in a patriarchal society. It analyzes two of Deshpande’s novels, The Dark Holds No Terrors and That Long Silence, highlighting the narratives of Saru and Jaya, respectively, and their individual struggles to find a voice and navigate their identities.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper centers on the themes of women’s position in Hindu tradition, gender inequality, patriarchal structures, female voice, self-determination, tradition and modernity, and the role of literature in portraying women’s experiences in India. It uses the works of Shashi Deshpande to illustrate these themes and further explores concepts such as domestic violence, marital rape, and the impact of societal expectations on women’s lives.

• Hochschule: Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen (Englisches Seminar)
• Note: 1,0
• Autor: Eliana Briel (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2014
• Seiten: 97
• Katalognummer: V375588
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668529410
• ISBN (Buch): 9783668529427
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Indian Women, Hinduism, Women's Position, Novels of Shashi Deshpande, The Dark Holds No Terrors, That Long Silence, Women's Movements, Between Tradition and Modernity, Role of Women, Code of Manu, Puranas, The Bhakti Movement, Social Reform Movements, Sita in the Ramayana, Gandhi's Freedom Struggle, Women's Organisations, Constitution and Hindu Code Bills, Rape as Manifestation of Patriarchy, Struggling to Find a Voice