UNSHACKLING WOMEN’S POTENTIAL: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF
SUDHA MURTHY’S SELECT NOVELS
Dr. T. Ranjula Pushpa,
Asst.Professor of
English
Sona College of
Arts and Science
Salem
&
Dr. I. Abinaya
Asst. Professor of
English
Sona College of
Arts and Science
Salem
Abstract:
This
paper tries to examine how the image of woman in the society has reshaped and
acquired the self-identity. Women flourish in the society by fighting against
the social predicament. Her oppression is clearly seen in the hands of male
writers as it preconceived in their mind. However, the women writers sweep away
the darkness and bring light to the life of women through their works. It paves
the way for eradicating the silent suffering of women and managing the life
with courage in family as well as in society. It shows modern Indian women are
not a silent surrender, they are in particular about securing identity and
fulfillment in life. Sudha Murthy’s novel MahashwetaandDollar
Bahu explores the changing phase of women’s life from obstacles to stepping
stones to success.
Keywords: Predicament,
Identity, Patriarchy, Courage, Fulfillment.
Indian writing in English possesses a wide range of space
for women writings. Women writers play a pivotal role in creating the new
literary society. It focuses on the sensible issues that revolve around them.
The women novelists portray their characters as bold and sensible which make
the readers to think and interpret their life with the imaginative characters
in the novel. Women relationship with the family members is clearly visible
through their actions in the novel. The women novelists have offered new aspect
to Indian writers. They give severe blow to the taboos by portraying women issues
outwardly. The mental agony of the silent sufferers is being explicated by the
characters. The authors have given a solution to the problems of women in
society and family in the male chauvinistic society. It creates a great impact
on the readers and they started to march forwardto prove their identity.
Sudha Murthy’s characters are presented as a realistic
picture of sufferings and daily sacrifices of individual women. Women trauma
has been understood through her characters by the readers. She has depicted
inner voice of women and role of women in law’s house in her works. The
legitimate longings, dreams, hopes, fear, disappointments and psychological
experience have been dealt in the novels. The portrayal of the dependency and
struggling to survive independently has been elaborated in her works. The role
of women in India from the pre-Independence period to be dependent on their
family members especially their men, before their marriage they depend father
or brother after their marriage they depend husband or son
The
predicament of woman in her life is seen from her birth till her last breath as
she is being under the control of the dominated people. Woman accepts societal
norms and sacrifices her desires for the sake of family and society. The
patriarchal domination, individual identity, loneliness is the main concern of
women. She has to conquer against her values and desires. The control of the
family values and the norms of the culture bring a woman in a battle as she
fights hard between her desire and the values. So, the brave woman is
controlled by the emotional feelings. Women have been played as a toy in the
hands of men and old women in the family. She has toaccept all the orders that
is given by them in family and society. The present paper explores the inner
sufferings and mental agony of women and examines the problem of Indian middle-class
women. The women writers attempt to capture the real problem of women that are
based in the family constraints.
The
modern women fight against the obstacles through their strong mind. This has
been analysed by Sudha Murthy’s Mahaswartha and Dollar Bahu. They prove their
identity amidst of all challenges in the society. It has been analysed through
the characters behavior and actions in their life. The women issues like
isolation, domination, inferior, quest for identity and thirst for freedom are
some aspects that have been dealt with.
In the
family predicament women has to face challenges in her family and society. The
inner agony is clearlyportrayed by their silent suffering and she handles it
very normally and faces it boldly. Even the educated and economically
independent women are being treated as a mere object in the patriarchy society.
Education and mental awareness help them to move on in life. The different
aspects of woman face different issues in the society because of their gender
and their status. The pity state of woman in the family as well as their inner
self is revealed through their sufferings. Their inner pain and their silence
play a major role in their family as it clearly defines their nature of thought
about their life. The frustrations, longing, hope and promises make them to
realize their true reality of their life and people around them. The problems
they face and the ignorance they overcome and the partiality they undergo are
explained by the novels. The issues of balancing the responsibilities of both
career life and the family life have been discussed with the characters in the
novel. The women’s quest for identity and freedom is the main issue that has to
be focused on.
Women are denied from grabbing the opportunities of
education and refinement. Only few women of the nobility, the life of general
women is not worth living. Child marriage, infanticide and dowry deaths are
some of the evils that have been caused to pull down the position of women in
Indian society. After the Independence, women position increased in many
fields. But all these are one side of women’s life. If we keenly observe status
of women in domestic life, it is still dependent and deplorable. They are
powerless and ill-treated inside and outside of the home. In the work, DollarBahuVinuta
develops her inner conflict after seeing Jamuna in her life. She struggles to
cope with internal issues because of comparison between Jamuna and her. She
becomes isolated, helpless and afraid. She is finally sent to her childhood
house where she can have good emotional bondings. In Modern India women are
empowered by acquiring education but it is not true to the fullest at all if
sensed with reality. One of the most harrowing oppressions is marriage for many
women. It empowers men and disempowers women. Traditionally women are confined to
homes to discharge their household duties such as courteous of their husbands,
brought up child, obeying in-law’s commands and shouldering different burdens.
Sudha Murthy’s Novel Mahashweta is one of the best
examples for domestic violence. She an ingeniously focuses on realistic
problems faced by women in the society and family relationship and how they
encounter with the problems. This paper reflects on the educated woman’s role
as a wife in love marriage, her submission life to her husband, mother-in-law
and step- mother in the novel Mahashweta. Anupama who is protagonist in the
novel Mahashweta becomes subject of domestic violence. From Vedic period to
Digital period women undergoes sufferings. Sudha Murthy shows the pathetic
economic condition of poor father in front of a such mother-in-law, “Looking at
Radhakka’s ornaments, and Anand’s Mercedes-symbol of world totally alien to
him- Shamanna had grown so painfully aware of his limitations that he had not
spoken at all” (37).
Anupama was happy for the next few months of her
marriage. Radhakka compelled Anupama to stay back to join the Lakshmi Puja,
which would be after two months. When Anupama find out the illicit behaviour of
Girija, she never revealed to her mother-in-law due to the fear and poor relationship
between them. Anupama’s problems started from the day of Lakshmi Puja she
discovered the white patch on her leg and found it was Leukoderma or vitiligo
from the dermatologist. She missed all her freedom as she was allowed to go out
only in the car. She had to lie to Avva to make visits to the skin doctor. She
was caught by her mother-in-law. They treated her like untouchable; A feeling
of misery engulfed Anupama. She realized that her position had become lower
than that of a servant in just one day. “The servant could go home and sleep
after finishing the day’s work, but where she go? To her father’s house? Where
would she find kindness and trust? To her husband? but he is not here now” (55).
She sent out to her father’s house.
The social stigma of the married woman living with her
parents her stepmother’s continual barbs and the ostracism that accompanies her
skin condition force her to contemplate suicide. "Marriage is a gamble.
The result cannot be predicted beforehand. Finding the right match is matter of
chance. I was unlucky in this. (66) A small white patch had ruined her career
has well as her marriage. Sudha Murthy beautifully expresses the traumatic
experience. Anand is a doctor. He knews more about the disease but he is not
ready to understand the feelings of Anupama. Anupama writes many letters to
Anand but he never replied to her letter. Anupama is expecting soothing words
from Anand. He didn’t pacify her nor met her when he came to India for his
sister’s marriage. He forgets his promises, when he made at the time of their
marriage before the sacred Agni. Anand is oppressor because he is attracted by
physical beauty of Anu. He knows his mother character and also Anu’s family
background, but he keeps calm.
As a doctor knows
about the disease, he gives courage to Anu, he did not treat Anu as his wife
like patient. He is successful doctor but he failed in husband. He blindly
believes her mother words. They treated Anupama as a beautiful object but
forget giving importance to her feelings. Before Marriage Anu was caught by her
step mother, the only reason is she is more beautiful than her step-sister.
"Let us not educate her further, it might become difficult to find a
husband for her besides, she will not support us. She has to marry and go to
somebody else’s house" (23). Poor Anupama worried for three years,
suffering the humiliation of her step-mother, Sabakka as her daughter were not
married because of her. She moves to Sumitra’s house and stays for a year; she finds
the real man in Hari and moves to Dolly’s house. Anupama met with an accident
and was treated by Dr. Vasant, a good humanitarian and his friend Satya.
Meanwhile Anand, even in the west, were divorce was easy Anand’s patient who
did not give up his crippled wife because of his commitment to the marriage and
inner love between them but Anand left Anupama alone in the hands of loneliness
and poverty, at last Anand realizes his mistake and remember his words before
the sacred fire during the wedding ceremony. He searches Anupama, after a long
battle he finds her but Anupama rejects him. Anand’s mental changes had no way
melted Anupama. "you knew that i didn’t have this disease before our
marriage, you could have told your mother...... but you didn’t. Your mother and
sister disliked me because i was from poor family" (146). Even household
pets are treated with love and cared for when they are unwell. Anupama totally
dependent Anand after the marriage, she wants to hear a few words from him
which have
Anand worried about his unborn daughter’s future, but he
failed to realize Anupama also somebody’s daughter, he never worried about
Anupama’s present situation. “you never treated me as a human being. “I was
only a beautiful object that you wished to possess and flaunt” (146). To
Conclude Marriage is life-long commitment for better or worse, till the death
does part. No more she was the Mahashweta struggling for her Pundarika, the
play which brought them together. She wiped away her dream “Like Rohini to
Chandra, like Lakshmi to Narayana am I to him; Just as the creeper depends on a
tree emotionally, I depends on him” (126). The real success of marriage is not
on superficial matters such as those, but on love and mutual understanding
between husband and wife. Sudha Murthy clearly expressed by her work that the
present age women have realized that they are not helpless and are not
dependent. A woman is an equal competent just like a man. Today a woman has
also become a direct money earner and she is not only confined to household
works. The character Anand and Anupama is reflecting the mood and temperament
of present-day couple. The novel Mahashweta projects post-Independence
sentiments and attitudes crystal clearly making the readers to think that life
after marriage is not to live individual life butto life together with right
understanding to lead a clean and healthy life.Women like Vinuta and Anupama in
the society have taken a step ahead in proving her talentwith her own identity
which gained her a respect.
Works Cited
Murthy, Sudha. Mahashweta.
Penguin Books India, 2007.
"Sudha Murthy."
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sudha-murthy.
Epitome Journals,
https://www.epitomejournals.com.
IOSR Journals,
https://www.iosrjournals.org.
Elk Asia Pacific Journals,
https://www.elkasipacificjournals.com.