JOURNEY OF WOMENHOOD – A CRITICAL STUDY IN THE NOVELS OF CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

Abstract

Arrange Marriage is a novel of short stories related to womanhood. The center theme of the stories is marriage. The stories not just revolve around the issues before marriage and after marriage but it’s the book of women lives. The stories are set both in India and USA. Showing cultural and traditional difference between the place, generations, and the effect of migration. The stories reveal the women situations and their concern about self-respect, independence, family expectation, identity, personal freedom, immigration, loneliness. The racism problem between American and Indians. Patriarchal social structure were male dominance is given more weightage but now it was a change where women questioned everything. The portrayal of women and the transition of evolving nature is shown in all the stories. Normally the women are expected to be obedient daughters, great wife, a dutiful daughter in law and sacrificing mother. Author raises a major problem of inequality between women and men. Women are supposed to be sacrificing in nature and take this unequal structure as their fate as patriarchy is seen since years and years. Feminism is the strongest theme of this collection of stories as the author has given the voice to her female protagonist. They were unheard till but with the ongoing stories they have raised their voice, their feelings, and their emotions. The social disparities are still there of dependence and equal respect but the author has given new wings to the voice of women.