Abstract:

Shashi Deshpande and Anita Desai are better than some of the best Indian women novelists in writing psychological novels with reference to the inner psyche of Indian woman. They explore the psychic depth of their novel protagonists and analyses in detail their motives. Their characters are renowned by the qualities of introspection, introversion, and a rejection to abandon their individual selves. The ideal wifehood in Indian context is that of chastity, purity, faithfulness, and sincere devotion are expected to preserve by the women despite their husband’s rejections. In India motherhood is usually elevated. But the mental anguish and trauma that a woman encounters during marriage are often overlooked by patriarchy who carves the images of ideal wifehood and so as motherhood. Deshpande protagonist Jaya in That Long Silence and Maya in Anita Desai’s novel Cry, the Peacock includes the way for their emotional battles to establish their identity against the patriarchal norms who were forced into much trauma and agony. They kept their battle against the shackles of oppression until they reached their destination.

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