The Spirit and Reality of Indian Women: A Critical Perspective of Shashi Deshpande's the Dark Holds No Terror

Abstract

Shashi Deshpande is one of the veteran literary figures encompassing the field of Indian writing in English. The present article has been prepared keeping in view the spirit of the middle class Indian women who speak out their internal ideologies and expectations that are long dominated by the patriarchal framework of the contemporary conventional society. The novel, The Dark Holds No Terror has been brought into the analytical ground for proper justification of the spirit of the Indian women. Sarita, the protagonist of the novel has been taken as the central representative figure who raises her voice in favour of the common Indian women facing the same traumatic life. The life sketch of Sarita has really inspired and encouraged the other women who also have prepared themselves for struggling against the male dominance. Shashi Deshpande has tried to project a new identity for the women beings in lieu of their status in the household arena. She has also tried to show that women should not be confined inside the four walls of the house; rather they should be provided proper facilities to empower their potentialities both in the private as well as in the public spheres. 

Shashi Deshpande is one of the veteran literary figures encompassing the field of Indian writing in English. The present article has been prepared keeping in view the spirit of the middle class Indian women who speak out their internal ideologies and expectations that are long dominated by the patriarchal framework of the contemporary conventional society. The novel, The Dark Holds No Terror has been brought into the analytical ground for proper justification of the spirit of the Indian women. Sarita, the protagonist of the novel has been taken as the central representative figure who raises her voice in favour of the common Indian women facing the same traumatic life. The life sketch of Sarita has really inspired and encouraged the other women who also have prepared themselves for struggling against the male dominance. Shashi Deshpande has tried to project a new identity for the women beings in lieu of their status in the household arena. She has also tried to show that women should not be confined inside the four walls of the house; rather they should be provided proper facilities to empower their potentialities both in the private as well as in the public spheres.