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’.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Women’s Position in Hindu Tradition
2.1. The Highs and Lows of the Role of Women in Ancient India
2.1.1. Relative Equality in the Early Vedic Age
2.1.2. The ‘Ideal’ Wife, Sita, in the Ramayana
2.1.3. The Condemnation of Women in the Code of Manu and the Puranas
2.2. The Degradation of the Role of Women during the Medieval Period
2.2.1. Domestication and Patriarchal Rule
2.2.2. Anti-Feminine Practices
2.2.3. The Bhakti Movement: A Way Out of Purdah
2.3. The Colonial Period: From British Non-Interference to the First Reforms
2.3.1. Social Reform Movements Discussing the ‘Woman Question’
2.3.2. Women’s Organisations Pressing for Change
2.3.3. Female Participation in Gandhi’s Freedom Struggle
2.4. Post-Independent India: Caught Between Tradition and Modernity
2.4.1. The Constitution and the Hindu Code Bills Promising Equality
2.4.2. Women’s Movements Defining Feminism
2.4.3. Rape as a Manifestation of Patriarchy
2.5. Summary: Changes in the Status of Hindu Women
3. Breaking Free from Traditions and Prejudices in Shashi Deshpande’s Novels
3.1. Shashi Deshpande – A Feminist Writer?
3.2. Saru’s struggle in The Dark Holds No Terrors
3.2.1. Narrative Structure: A Fragmentation of the Self
3.2.2. The First Trauma: A Childhood between Patriarchy, Guilt and Rebellion
3.2.3. The Second Trauma: Caught Between Career Success and Marital Rape
3.2.4. Homecoming: Bringing Light into the Darkness
3.3. Jaya’s struggle in That Long Silence
3.3.1. Narrative Structure: A First Step towards Agency
3.3.2. Marital Crisis: The Dream of the Ideal Wife Falls to Pieces
3.3.3. The Ambivalence of Writing: Between Expression and Suppression
3.3.4. Self-Realisation: Breaking the Silence
4. Conclusion: Struggling to Find a Voice
5. Works Cited
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this work is to explore the historical and sociological struggle of Hindu women to achieve an independent voice, examining how they have navigated the constraints of a patriarchal society, and how this struggle is mirrored in the literature of Shashi Deshpande. By analyzing the evolution of women's roles from the Vedic age to contemporary India, the paper investigates the deep-seated tensions between traditional cultural expectations and modern aspirations for self-determination.
- Historical trajectory of the status of Hindu women from antiquity to the present.
- The impact of patriarchal ideologies on domestic, social, and political life.
- The role of literature as a medium for representing fragmented identity and the search for agency.
- Comparative analysis of marital challenges and silence in selected novels of Shashi Deshpande.
- The interplay between silence as a survival mechanism and speaking out as an act of self-realization.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2.3. The Second Trauma: Caught Between Career Success and Marital Rape
Just when Saru thinks she has escaped her loveless childhood by entering a love-marriage and becoming a female doctor, traumatic experiences begin to haunt her. Therefore, S.P. Swain notes that “[h]er second home becomes the very prison she had escaped” (86). The prospect of a marriage with Manu foreshadowed the present rape, because Saru uses the metaphor of a trapped animal, which is a frequently repeated one in the novel: “Why did I feel trapped when he spoke of our marriage? Was this not Manu whom I loved and who loved me?” (DHNT 45) The traditional role of mother and housewife clashes with the modern ideal of women pursuing a career. Looked at from the outside, Saru lives the dream of a perfect life and especially her earlier married life seems to be a happy one: “It was Heaven, in spite of the corridors smelling of urine [...]. And we were happy” (DHNT 47). However, the more successful she becomes, the more often Saru has to endure nightly assaults, and the longer the silences between the couple become.
Dengel-Janic speaks of a “juxtaposition of different homes” (Home Fiction 132), i.e. Saru’s traditional childhood home and her marriage home (cf. Home Fiction 132). As a matter of fact, the internal structure of these homes is very similar. They count two children, a girl and a boy, and their parents. However, Saru’s role differs in these families. In one she is the daughter and in the other, the wife and mother. Her childhood family seems to be a case of a broken family, in which the son has died at a young age and the daughter distances herself from her parents. By contrast, the later family seems to be “[a] family the right size. The right kind. Like the ads. A happy family. Healthy, happy, smiling and in colour.” (DHNT 24). However, this image of the perfect family is only an illusion in Saru’s case, which she knows very well herself: “With the skeleton locked firmly in the cupboard” (DHNT 24).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the focus on the historical silencing of Hindu women and introduces the research question regarding the struggle for voice, setting the stage for an interdisciplinary analysis.
2. Women’s Position in Hindu Tradition: This chapter provides a comprehensive historical overview, detailing how women's status fluctuated from the relatively egalitarian Vedic era to the restrictive practices of the Middle Ages and the colonial influence.
3. Breaking Free from Traditions and Prejudices in Shashi Deshpande’s Novels: This chapter transitions to literary analysis, examining how Deshpande’s female protagonists in The Dark Holds No Terrors and That Long Silence navigate patriarchal expectations to construct their own identities.
4. Conclusion: Struggling to Find a Voice: This final chapter synthesizes the historical and literary findings, confirming that while legal and social strides have been made, Hindu women continue to face significant challenges in their pursuit of equality and authentic self-expression.
5. Works Cited: This section provides a complete bibliography of all primary and secondary literature referenced throughout the study.
Keywords
Hindu women, Indian history, Patriarchy, Shashi Deshpande, Marital rape, Domestic violence, Identity, Feminism, Silence, Tradition vs. Modernity, The Dark Holds No Terrors, That Long Silence, Social Reform, Gender roles, Agency
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the historical and cultural constraints placed on Hindu women in India and analyzes how these constraints are represented in the novels of Shashi Deshpande through the protagonists' struggle for voice and identity.
What are the key thematic areas addressed?
The work covers the evolution of gender roles, the impact of patriarchal scriptures and colonial policies, the rise of feminist social movements, and the psychological effects of domestic oppression on women.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to understand how Indian women have historically experienced silence and to explore how modern literary figures, specifically in Deshpande’s writing, move from passive suffering to active self-realization.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The paper uses an interdisciplinary approach, combining historical and sociological research on the status of women in India with in-depth literary analysis of primary texts.
What topics are discussed in the main part of the paper?
The main sections analyze the historical eras—Vedic, Medieval, Colonial, and Post-Independence—and then provide a close reading of the narrative structures and personal traumas faced by Saru and Jaya in the selected novels.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Hindu women, patriarchy, feminism, marital rape, silence, Shashi Deshpande, identity construction, and traditional vs. modern roles.
How does the author characterize the role of marriage in Deshpande’s novels?
Marriage is depicted as a complex site of both expected support and deep conflict, where protagonists often grapple with the loss of their own identity in favor of patriarchal constructs of the "ideal wife."
What significance is attributed to the concept of 'silence' in the study?
Silence is treated as both an imposed mechanism of patriarchal survival and a psychological barrier that the protagonists must actively break to achieve personal liberation and authentic self-identity.
- Quote paper
- Eliana Briel (Author), 2014, Struggling to Find a Voice. Women’s Position in Hindu Tradition and The Novels of Shashi Deshpande, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/375588
