Entrapment of the Psyche of Women in Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting

Abstract

The existence of duality across the universe has led to the dominance of one over the other. Man and woman are no exceptions and the advancements made in various arenas by mankind at an exponential pace is only peripheral and not holistic. The external progress in terms of physical, social, economic and political setup has made little or no impact on the internal psyche and attitude of the society towards women. Even the so-called liberated modern womanhood is often understood be another form of entrapment. Anita Desai portrays the complexities involved in the female psyche and a search for identity in a patriarchal society in Fasting, Feasting. The writer examines multiple woman characters caught between hegemonic gender ideology and their suppressed desire to realize their selfhood. Women are portrayed not just as victims of a male-dominant society but also as combatants who are actively vying to attain autonomy.

Keywords: dominance, internal psyche, liberated modern womanhood, entrapment, hegemonic gender ideology, autonomy