The present paper intends to explore the identity crisis and growing need and desire of being self-dependent by women in the urban upper middle classes through Manju Kapur’s novel Home. The author has depicted through the character of Nisha, that it is not an easy task for a woman to choose the profession of her own choice. In order to do so, she has to struggle a lot in her life. She has to fight back the society which holds her by chains just because she is a woman. Tradition bound society has made restrictions and laws which she is not allowed to cross over. The protagonist rises in stature and moves towards attaining and experiencing an individual domain that has traditionally been related to men. She slowly becomes a beacon light for others in the family to follow in her footsteps. Money is no longer a means of survival, it is about one’s self-respect, vitality and means to prove the calibre. Gone are the days when family business was run by the male members of the hierarchy. Along with in literature, we see many otherwise situations in the society. No doubt, Nisha starts up her own enterprise, but her father emerges as one of the strongest supporters for her venture. This depicts the changing mind-set of patriarchal society.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of English Maharaja Aggrasen (P.G.) College for Women Jhajjar (Haryana)
