The present paper seeks to explore the role of female characters in the major novels of Anita Desai. No Society or country can ever progress without an active participation of women in its overall development. Although the place of women in society differs from culture to culture and from age to age , yet one fact common to almost all societies is that women have never been considered equal to men . The concept of emancipation of women didn’t confine itself to socio-political spheres but it found its articulation in the creative art in literature . Feminism, too is an outcome of suppression for ages. When freedom is limited by some people in the family or society, particularly in the case of female, it leads to frustration. The feminist movement, thus aims at providing equal social, economic and emotional status to women . The image of women in fiction has undergone a change. The women novelists have moved from traditional portrayals of enduring, self – sacrificing women towards female characters searching for identity. Anita Desai, through her novels , has highlighted the causes that make the women victims of tension , worries , disappointment , anxiety , anger, indignation, depression and alienation .The paper will present Anita Desai’s feminism as she is a strong voice of female identity and assertion in Indian writing in English. Being enlightened and exposed to the nuances of life in East and West, she is able to deal with the situation efficiently. Desai probes into the inner consciousness of women protagonists and explores the realities of their lives.
Research Scholar, Dept. of English Magadh University, Bodh-Gaya
