A Feminist Manifesto Loss And Recovery Of The Female Self In Margaret Atwood S The Edible Woman

Literaria, ISSN: 2278-2710
Literaria
ISSN: 2278 - 2710
Peer Reviewed Annual Print Journal of Literature and Culture of the
Department of English, Gurucharan College,
Silchar, Assam, India
VOLUME-VII
2018 - 2019
Editor
Dr. Panthapriyo Dhar
Published by
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Gurucharan College, Silchar, Assam, India - 788004

Literaria, ISSN: 2278-2710 I
Contents
Contents
Editorial III
AFeminist Manifesto: Loss and Recoveryofthe
Female Selfin MargaretAtwood’s the Edible Woman 1
Jaydeep Chakrabarty
Jhumpa Lahiri:Lives beyond Borders 7
Kishan Thingbijam
Fictionalizing History:AStudyofPartitionofthe Indian
Sub-Continent through select South-EastAsianNovels 32
Gaurab Sengupta
Literaryself-fashioning andthe trope ofsymbolism:
Negotiating theimaginative spaces inthewomenprotagonists
ofAnita Desai 45
Suroshikha Debnath
Surrealism, WomenandHarukiMurakami:AStudy
ofNarrative Perspectives 57
Abigail Fracia Lapang Sunn
George Ryga’s Dramatic art as Resistance 73
Satyajit Das
Women And Emancipation: An Analysis of
U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Samskara 90
Panthapriyo Dhar
AnAmalgamofModernismand Nihilism: Critiquing
Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March 104
Kinshuk Chakraborty
Surmise ofFood’s Function in the Creation of
Alternate Female StereotypesinPopular Fiction:
AStudy of Hunger Games Trilogy and Millennium
Trilogy inRelation to the MotifofFood 115
Parijat Biswas

Literaria, ISSN: 2278-2710 III
Editorial
Editorial
With its contemporary diversifying approaches and novel
manifestations, literature has intruded into newerspaces amalgamating
and adjustingitselfto the myriadhues ofother disciplines.Possessing a
marvelous capacityofgrowth, literature today is not confined to the
interpretationand analysis ofliterarytexts alone but also encompasses
such other aspects that have hitherto been part of socialsciences and
other allieddisciplines. In this sense,literature has tried to keep up with
the advances made in other branches ofstudybykeeping itselfabreast
of the requirements of inter-disciplinary studies. At one level, it has
incorporated andsuiteditselfto thetheoreticalformulationsofthe social
sciences therebyoffering a diversion from the ‘traditional’ aspects of
studying literature and offering newer perspectives of studying and
exploring texts.At another level, ithas lost muchofits “literariness” the
“jouissance” that a reader experiences ina certain context. While it is
true that literature cannot afford to remain ensconced in its traditional
avatar,itisalsoamatterofsomespeculation, theextentto whichliterature
canaffordto shed itslongheldattributeofverisimilitudeandincorporate
itselfinto thebroader spectrumofthe socialsciences, Perhaps literature
inthe nearfuture will, to useE.M. Forster’s phrase ‘onlyconnect’to its
readers and admirers shedding much ofits ‘literariness’in the process
ofappropriation.
The VIIth
Issue of Literaria encompasses the changing
vicissitudes ofliterature and explores the emerging areas through the
paperspresentedinthisVolume. JaydeepChakrabarty’spaper examines
the issue ofwoman’s liberation with reference to Margaret Atwood’s
novel The Edible Woman in which the desperate plea of the novelist
for women to refuse to be mere vegetative existences, is well marked

Literaria, ISSN: 2278-2710 V
Editorial
dissent and freedomthat characterize Ryga’s dramatic art. Panthapriyo
Dhar’spaperonaward winning IndianauthorU.R.Ananthamurthy’s novel
Samskara in its English translation explores the caste dynamics in a
hierarchicalset-upin which the stratifiedsocietyofa typicalSouthIndian
village undergoes a transformation and churning ofsorts. The low caste
womenact asemancipatorsoftheBrahminprotagonistthrowing thestable
and placid societyinto turmoil. Kinshuk Chakrabortyin his paperon Saul
Bellow critiquesthe NobelPrize winner’snovel TheAdventuresof Augie
March whichreveals a struggle against the tragic existentialviewpoint of
life. Thepaper while showcasing thenihilistictendencyofthenovelist lays
bare the defects of the protagonist who grows up during the Great
Depression. Parijat Biswasin her paper on the relationship betweenfood
andhumanbeingsfocusesonhowfoodasaculturalcomponent isingrained
in the ethos of a culture. The paper focuses on the heroines of Huger
Games Trilogy and Millenium Trilogy through the spectrum of food.
Anindita Dutta situates her paper onthe tension between the human and
naturalworldandthe need topreserve theharmonyofthe ecosystem. The
nature-culturedichotomyis analysedinherpaperthroughaselectstudyof
Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide and Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in
aSieve.Anamika Mazumderscrutinizestheconcept ofwomanisminAlice
Walker’s The Color Purple stressing on how feminismin incorporated
into womanismasa movement thatrisesaboveitsterminologyto designate
a pro-humanist stance. Contraryto the perceived notion of womanism,
the paper presentsAlice Walker’s conceptionofthe termas a metarphor
for thesurvivaloftheblackrace.TasminNazifa’s paperexploresthepower
dynamics ofsocietythrough the concept of studying down and how the
living conditions of the powerless are inextricably linked up with the
powerful. Suranjana Choudhury’s paper through a nuanced analysis of
Aparna SendirectedMr. andMrs. Iyer,aimsto show howmobilityoutside
conventionallyassigned lifetrajectoriesconstitutes different understanding

Literaria, ISSN: 2278-2710 1
Ananya S. Guha
A Feminist Manifesto: Loss and Recovery of the
Female Self in Margaret Atwood’s The Edible
Woman
Jaydeep Chakrabarty
One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman —
Simone de Beauvoir
This paper seeks to explore the major stakes and contentions of
MargaretAtwoodonwomen’sissuesas presented inher novelTheEdible
Woman. Published in 1969during the hightide ofsecond wave feminism,
the contribution ofMargaretAtwood’s The Edible Woman canbe said to
be a phenomenalone for bringing to the fore some ofthe most important
issues related to women’s liberation. To facilitate a critical backdrop, a
crisp recapitulationoffeminismand gender issues isbeing attempted first.
I
Since the beginningofthe historicaltime ifnot time immemorial,
the human society has been primarily divided into two different and at
times seen asopposed identities—male and female. While there seems to
be some biologicalbasis of this difference, feminist thinkers and gender
theorists have argued that those biological differences have been
overemphasized, blown out of proportion and made into watertight
compartments bythe predominant ideologies ofpatriarchywhichliterally
means “theruleofthefather,iemale.”While“WomenStudies”exclusively
focusesonthe status, role, sorrowsandsufferings ofthewomeninsociety,
“Gender Studies” has a wider ambit inso much as it talks about man and

Jaydeep Chakrabarty
who works in a market research firm. During the course of the linear
progression ofthe narrative, Mariandevelops fromanindecisive woman
withlowselfesteemto a figure ofstrong determinationand individuality.
The novelcan,thus, becalled afeminist bildungsromaninthat it charts the
loss andrecoveryofselfofits female protagonist who is finallysuccessful
intearingthroughthestructuresandstricturesofpatriarchy.MarianMcAlpin
is a struggling ladywith a demanding but low-paying job and a partially
sensible roommate who has some radicallyfeminist ideasbythe standards
ofitstimes. The narrative ina wayfollows thetypicalrising action-climax-
falling action schema, focussing on Marian’s engagement with Peter and
subsequent disenchantment and freedom.
Peter is a typicallyheteropatriarchalmale who starts controlling
everymove ofMarianand this makesMarianincreasinglyclaustrophobic.
She resents these moves even as she continues to be in some kind of a
romantic relationship with Peter until she decides to terminate the
relationship. It dawns onMarianthat onthepretexts oflove and marriage,
she is caught in almost an abusive relationship where she is denied any
agencyand is always sought to be acted upon byPeter. This leads to the
development ofhystericalsymptoms in Marian. In fact, even before the
formal proposal fromPeter comes, the narrative shows Marian getting
progressively uncomfortable with Peter.At the end of Chapter 8 of the
novel, one seesMarian running away fromPeter after they had met in a
restaurant, along withAinsleyandLen—another friend ofMarian: “Onthe
street theair was cooler; therewas a slight breeze. I let go ofPeter’s arm
and began to run” (73). This signals at her first decisive attempt to free
herselffromthe clutches ofwhat maybe termed “toxic masculinity.”The
immediate cause ofthe escapade was Peter’s flamboyant recounting ofa
brutalhunting experience in which he had mercilesslykilled a rabbit and
after the killing “slit the bellyand took her bythe hind legs and gave her
one hellofa crack, likea whip you see, and the next thing you know there

Jaydeep Chakrabarty
independence andindividualitymore. Intheprocess, she is also helped by
anon-patriarchalmanDuncan, whichseemsto suggest thegeneralfeminist
formula that it is not man who is the enemy of woman, but patriarchyor
patriarchalman. She gives Peter theshock ofhis life when she confronts
himheadlong,charginghimwithattemptsat destroyingherindividualityby
“assimilating” her to himself. She makes a cake in her own image and
offers it to Peter, suggesting that hisagenda can onlybe fulfilledbya food
item, nota woman:
She knelt, setting the platter onthe coffee table infront ofPeter.
“You’ve beentrying to destroyme, haven’t you,” she said. “You’ve been
trying to assimilate me. But I’vemade you a substitute, something you’ll
like much better.This is what you reallywanted allalong, isn’t it? I’llget
you afork,” she added somewhat prosaically. Peter stared fromthe cake
to her faceand back again. Shewasn’t smiling. His eyeswidened inalarm.
Apparentlyhe didn’t find her silly. Whenhe had gone – andhe went quite
rapidly, they didn’t have much of a conversation after all, he seemed
embarrassed and eager to leave andevenrefused a cup oftea (299-300).
Thisimpliesthattheauthorwantswomento refusetobecomeediblewomen
or mere vegetative existences for societyto be consumed by patriarchal
men. Peter’s discomfiture and departure also immediately brings back
Marian’s huger,as she is freeto haveher ownwayoflife. Shestarts eating
the cakeoriginallymade inherownimage, whichsignifiesher radicaland
unalterable break withtheimage androleofanedible womaninanovertly
patriarchalsetup. Thenarrative style adequatelycaptures itbyreturning to
the first personnarrationagain, inChapter31, the onlychapter inPart 3 of
the book.It immediatelyfollows thenarrationofPeter’s defeat inChapter
30. Marianunequivocallydeclares: “Now that I was thinking ofmyselfin
the first personsingular again, Ifound mysituationmoreinteresting” and
decides to look for a new job instead of a boyfriend (306). Thus, the

Ananya S. Guha
Jhumpa Lahiri: Lives beyond Borders
KishanThingbijam
This paper attempts to examine the three significant works of
Jhumpa Lahiri namely Interpreter of Maladies, The Namesake and
Unaccustomed Earth bytracing the writer’s life onto the fictionalworld
engendered byher. This approach facilitates a criticalassessment of the
complex relationshared between the writer and her works.
Born in London 11 July 1967, Jhumpa Lahiri along with the
members ofherfamilymoved to the US whenshe was barely3 years old.
Her father worked as a librarianat the UniversityofRhodes Island while
her mother wasa schoolteacher.Thoughshe lived inNewYork, she had
in her the trace ofbeing an Indianallalong.Indira Nityanandamwrites:
She had a divided identity – having to please her parents
by being Indian enough and her peer group by being
American enough (12).
The questionofidentitybecomes moreor less a crucialfactor for
a second generationexpatriate. For the first generations, their birthplace
clearlydefines their identity. However, in the case of Lahiriherselfwho
wasbornoutsideIndia, thewholeequationchanges.Shesaysinaninterview:
“I didn’t grow up there, I wasn’t a part ofthings. We visited oftenbut we
didn’t haveahome.We were clutchingat a worldthat wasneverfullywith
us” (“MaladiesofBelonging”). The notionofbeing an Indianwas “never

Kishan Thingbijam
being an Indian. The travels to India during her formative years were a
part ofeducationfromher parents. Itwas a legacygifted to her whichshe,
infact,carriedforwardtoherownchildren. She(Lahiri)taughtthemBengali,
the languagespokeninCalcutta, whichfor her means morethananyother
language. It wasas she says “thelanguage ofmyheart;thelanguage I was
raised and loved with” (Minzesheimer). How far this language intrudes
into her ownwritings in Englishisa questionwellintendedbut difficult to
give aproperjustice to heras anindividualandas awriter.Asanindividual,
she may choose to speak Bengali at home or elsewhere but as a writer,
she is confined bythe circumstances ofher fictionalcharacters.
Writing came naturallyto her. Evenwhen she was inschool, she
took specialinterest in writing. Her academic pursuit, however, would
have made someone to speculate that she would end up being a teacher.
ShetaughtCreativeWritingat BostonUniversity.Shetookmultipledegrees
fromBoston University– three Master Degrees, one in Creative writing
andothersinComparative Studies inLiteratureandArts. Furthershe went
ahead to get a Ph.D. degree in Renaissance Studies. Meanwhile she was
also engagedinpenningshort storiesand getting thempublishedinvarious
journals. In1999,a collectionofhershort stories was publishedina book
formcarrying the title ofone ofher works – Interpreter of Maladies.This
debut book catapulted her among thePulitzer Prize winners.1
Asa matter
of fact, only six books in the collection form have managed to win this
prestigious prize in the past fifty years. Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreters of
Maladies became the seventh one, winning the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction.
The Pulitzer Prizepromptlyput her as anestablished writer. Fame
and fortune apart, it increased the reader’s expectancy from her then
upcoming work. Sheresponded to the reader’santicipation without least
hampering herowncreative quest. Fromthe craft ofhandlingshort story,
she shifted to the larger canvas ofa novel. Short storyand noveldemand

Kishan Thingbijam
Apart fromwritingfiction, Jhumpa Lahirihadshownherinterest in
two other fields – acting and translationwork. She got a good chance to
act in Mira Nair’s The Namesake which as the title itselfsuggested was
based on her novel. She played the role of Gogol’s aunt. Even her then
five monthdaughter, Noor played therole ofbabySonia(Gogol’s sister).
At that time, her other daughterOctavia was around three years old. This
interest inacting as expected was short-lived – it depended heavilyupon
circumstances and opportunities (perhaps, which she might get again).
Unlike acting, her other interest – translation – had a long history. It all
began when she was merelya schoolgoing girl. She recounted in one of
her interviews that her mother would read out Ashapurna’s works (in
Bengali) and she would attempt translating theminto English. This naive
practicelatermadehergoodenoughto includesixtranslationsofAshapurna
Devi’s Bengali short stories for the M.A. dissertation. In 1995, Boston
UniversityPresspublished hertranslationswith the title: OnlyAnAddress.
It is, therefore, not astonishing that after these years ofinvolvement with
Ashapurna’s works, she should claimher as one ofher favorite writers.
Nonetheless, she did not let her own writing style to be influenced by
Ashapurna’s. She (Jhumpa Lahiri) had maintained her own distinctive
feature ofexpression:
Lahiriisgoodat capturingtheworld,inalanguagethat is chiselled,
unadorned, clear as crystal, as ifher narrative is a documentary oflittle
lives, displaced an dour, floating in an anonymous island, far awayfrom
home, and her empathyis as transparent as her words (Prasannarajan).
The novel The Namesake had occupied number one position in
the NewYork Times bestseller list for several weeks. This should have
motivatedherto carryonhernext work inthesamegenre.Yet, thisdidnot
happen. Sheretreated to her oldfamiliar short storymode.Expressing her
liking for short story, she said “Ifelt safer starting smallthanworking ona
larger format. Some people feelrestrictedbyshort stories, I enjoyparing

Kishan Thingbijam
recollects“it’s likeIndia…sometimes the current disappears forhours at a
stretch. I once had to attend anentire rice ceremonyinthe dark” (11).
Atemporarypowercutat night bringsShukumarandShobacloser,
and back to conversations after many months of estrangement and
avoidance. Thisgapwas theresultofone autumnalnight whenShobawas
desperatelyalone inthe hospitalfacing theworst time ofherlife: her first
babywas born dead. Her being alone at the crucialtime aggravated the
painoflosing her baby.Though,she never directlyblamedShukumar, she
stoppedseekingcompanionshipandsecurityfromhim.Thesceneoffemale
protagonistfacinglonelinessinhospitalduringherlabourtimeisre-depicted
in The Namesake. It shows how deeplyJhumpa Lahirihas been affected
bythe actualincident ofher mother’s loneliness and anxietyat the time of
labour inhospital.
Inthestory, the deathofthe babyconstitutesthe climax while the
resolution comes inthe form ofa surprise – Shukumar had come to the
hospital early enough to see and hold their baby before cremation. He
knew their baby was a baby boy. All this time, Shukumar had never
disclosed it to her.The storyends with bothsitting together and weeping.
“Theywept together for the things theynow knew” (23).
In“WhenMrPirzadaCametoDine”,theunnamedfatherisanxious
to teachherdaughter LiliahthehistoryandgeographyofIndia.Thisechoes
the effort ofLahiri’s parents to educateher about India.At the same time,
Lahiri’s ownpositionis wellput byher character Liliah:
We learned American history, of course, and American
geography…Duringtestsweweregivenblankmapsofthethirteencolonies,
and asked to fill in names, dates, capitals. I could do it with my eyes
closed (27).

Kishan Thingbijam
Like otherforeigners, he carries atour book and feelssuperior in
pointing out to Mr Kapasithat “Mina and I were borninAmerica” (45).
The absorption ofAmerican culture is apparent as Mr Das refers to his
wifebyher first name whenspeakingto Tina, theirdaughter. Furthermore,
Mr andMrs Das speak witha foreignaccent. It is onlytheir skincolor that
deceives them. Jhumpa Lahiri herself was born and raised in the US yet
her affiliationto India remains, thecredit ofwhichgoes her parents
IamIndianthanksto theeffortsoftwo individuals.IfeelIndiannot because
ofthe time I’ve spent in india or because of mygenetic composition but
rather because of my parents’steadfast presence in my life (“My Two
Lives”).
Jhumpa Lahirijuxtaposes Mr and MrsDas withMrs Senin“Mrs
Sen’s” to show the different facetsofIndianexpatriates.ThoughMrs Sen
stays in the US, she remains comfortable in her saree. “She wore a
shimmering white saripatterned withorange paisleys…”(112). Not only
her attire, includingher solemnapplication ofvermilliononthe forehead,
but her culinary effort exhibit Indianness. The memory of Indian life is
stronglyetchedonhermindwhichshefrequentlyrecollects withasenseof
loss anda feeling ofnostalgia.She tells Eliot:
Whenever there isa wedding inthe family…ora large celebration
…the neighborhood women (to) bring blades just like this onlyand then
they sit in an enormous circle on the roof of our building, laughing and
gossiping and slicing fifty kilos of vegetables through the night…it is
impossible to fallasleep those night, listening to their chatter (115).
Elsewhere, she asks Eliot if anyone would care to come if she
screams aloud. She reflects:
At home that is allyou haveto do.Not everybodyhas a telephone.
But just raise your voice a bit or express griefor joyofanykind and one

Kishan Thingbijam
Lahiri shifts the setting from the US to India for her next story,
“TheTreatment ofBibiHalder”. Inspiredbythe realaccount ofanIndian
woman who was suffering fromepilepsyand was anxious to get herself
married, Lahiribrings the character ofBibi Halder to life. Her ailment is
not categoricallydefined– it swings betweenphysicaland psychological.
However, ononestand,everybodyagreesthat“relationwillcalmherblood”
(162). In fact, it is the thirst of motherhood that leads her to behave
abnormally. Impregnated bya person whomshe refuses to disclose, she
delivers a healthybabyboy. She mothershimup and incourseoftime, she
is miraculouslycured. The psychologicalneed ofa womanto experience
motherhood is shown in this story as well as in the earlier one – “A
TemporaryMatter”.
The gradual adjustment of the protagonist in a new world is
remarkablyshownbyJhumpa Lahiriin“The Third and FinalContinent”.
Lahiridescribeshow ina foreignland, a complete stranger like Mrs Croft
becomes so dear to the protagonist. He mourns at the news of her
departure, and remembers her manyyears later. He even visits her place:
Whenever we make that drive, I always make it a point to take
MassachusettsAvenue,inspiteofthetraffic. Ibarelyrecognizethebuildings
now, buteachtime Iamthere Ireturninstantlyto thosesixweeksas ifthey
were onlythe other day… (197).
The alienation from the foreign place (the US, in this case) is
gradually shed down with the passage of time. It virtuallybecomes the
homeland thoughthe affiliationtowards thenatalhomelandis not fullycut
off. Theprotagonist declares:
We areAmericancitizens now…Though wevisit Calcutta every
few years…We have decided to grow old here (197).

Kishan Thingbijam
confused deshis). She claims another reason for choosing the genre of
novel. Inaninterview she says:
The original spark of the book was the fact that a friend of my
cousin in India has the pet name Gogol. I wanted to write about the pet
name/good name distinctionfora long timeand I knewIneeded thespace
ofa novelto explore the idea (“I have somehow”).
She was quick to include that “it’s almost too perfect a metaphor for the
experience ofgrowing up as a child immigrants having adivided identity,
divided loyalties etc” (“I have somehow”). She wasenvisioning a larger
issue than merelythe question of the name. She wanted to dealwith the
problem of “divided identity”, “divided loyalties” and foremost, the
experiences ofimmigrants.
Thenoveldiscussesthe struggleofthefirst generationimmigrants
through the lives and experiences ofAshima andAshoke Ganguly. While
the dilemmas confronted by Gogol are of a different structure, the
predicaments of the couple are of significance. Jhumpa Lahiri describes
the stateofAshima in theforeigncountry:
For being a foreigner,Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of
lifelong pregnancy – a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous
feeling out of sorts. It is an ongoing responsibility, a parenthesis in what
had once been ordinary life, only to discover that that previous life has
vanished, replacedbysomething more complicatedand demanding. Like
pregnancy, being aforeigner,Ashima believes, is somethingthat elicits the
same curiosityfromstrangers, the same combination of pity and respect
(49-50 italics mine).
Without usinganydifficult terminologiesthatdescribethediasporic
experiences,JhumpaLahirihasexpressedthestateandconditionofAshima
(whichare also ofher husband,Ashoke) ina remarkablyefficient manner.

Kishan Thingbijam
same theme recurs in stories like “OnlyGoodness” and “Hell-Heaven”.
Ruma realized that her father’s visit to her place was never meant for a
permanent stay, and that he felt “unaccustomed” in the new place. She
paid respect to her father’s desire ofliving in his own waybykeeping the
postcard (for the postman to send). The postcard was meant for his new
girlfriend (another Bengali woman) whom he had met and had a sort of
romantic relationship withafter the deathofhis wife. Helost the postcard
whichwas laterfound byhis daughter,Ruma. She acceptedthenew life of
her father.
The characters,not onlyinthisstorybut inotherstories also, have
shown an experience of an isolated existence and a disconnection from
their close ones. Is this a product ofAmerican culture?Is Indianculture
safe fromsuchindividualized existence? Perhaps, Jhumpa Lahirihas the
opinion that Indianculture promotes a more collective experience. Inthe
story, “Mrs. Sen”, included in Interpreter of Maladies, Mrs.Sentells the
little boyabout her life inBengal:
my mother sends out word in the evening for all the
neighbourhood womento bring blades just like this one, and
thentheysit inanenormouscircleonthe roofofour building,
laughing and gossiping and slicing fiftykilos of vegetables
throughthenight (115).
The exposure to American culture has caused deep disturbance
and fragmentationin the lives ofIndians especiallywithregardsto human
bonding. Thishumanbonding isquitevisibleinIndianculturewhichLahiri
has shown conspicuously. This perhaps might be her (Lahiri’s) way of
distinguishingAmericancultureand Indianculture.
Lahiri’s sensitive understanding of the diasporic experiences of
the Indian immigrants inAmerica has made TabishKhair comment that
she is at present the “pre-eminent purveyor in fictional form of Indian

Kishan Thingbijam
It was Sudha who’d introduced Rahul to alcohol…He’d
pronounced both beveragesrevolting…whenshe was home
the followingsummerheaskedher to buyhimsomesix-packs
(128).
Sudha hidesthis secret throughout herlife, but fails to do so when
she realizes that everyone is blaming her poor brother. Especially, when
her husband, Rogerdeclares “I don’t want your brother to set foot inour
home or come near our child ever again” (170), she cries out heavily
confessing her role:
Rahulhad come to visit her at Pennand how he hadn’t even
liked beer, and thenabout allthe cans they’d hiddenover the
years andhow eventuallyit wasno longer a gamefor himbut
a way of life, a way of life that had removed him from her
familyand ruined him(171).
The secretshavethepotentialto turnthings upsidedown.In“Only
Goodness”, Rogerfails to love Sudha like before after knowingthe truth.
Similarly, in“Year’s End”, the stepsisters – Rupa and Piu – discover the
secrets buried inthe heart ofKaushik that he hateshisstepmother;that he
considers her as a mere servant, that she is nowhere incomparison to his
ownmother.The relationsevers thenwith the girls choosingto maintaina
polite distancefromhim.
The reader’s attitudeis also altered with therevelationofsecrets.
In “Once in a Lifetime”, the reader is given the impression that Kaushik’s
parents are perhapstaking undue advantage ofHema’sparents bystaying
intheirhouse for a longertime than expected. Thisimpressionis suddenly
altered when it is revealed that she is on the verge of her death due to
breast cancer, and she wishes to spend her last days with them. Lahiri
must be appreciated for her awareness ofthe proper timing to revealthe

Kishan Thingbijam
Shoba could not remainthe same, her relation withShukumar suffered to
the extent that she decided to stay alone in a different apartment.
Denouement in the story is identified by the resolution of the crisis,
productionofcatharsisand establishment ofnormalcy.This happens when
Shukumar revealed his presence in the hospitalearlyenough to see their
babyboyand hold himbefore cremation.
Jhumpa Lahirihas what allgoodstorytellers possess –theabilityto arouse
interest andhold the reader’s attentiontillthe end.Asmentioned before, it
is the thematic concern that provides structural unity to her stories.
Therefore, it becomes imperative that for everynew story, a new theme
be introduced so as to retain the freshness of the story as well as the
interest ofthe reader. Broadlyspeaking, the theme ofher short stories is
alienation.Yet,the need offreshnesshas been achieved bythe variationof
degree, situationand nature ofalienation.This is an achievement initself.
Allthrough herstories, she hasbeenjuxtaposing the contrasting
cultures ofthe East and the West.The intention, however, is not to show
whichone is superior and which one is inferior. Her effort is to transcend
theculturalboundariesbypresentinga“contrapuntal”vision,to useEdward
Said’s term. This contrapuntal vision allows people to broaden their
perspective and become more accommodating. The juxtaposition ofthe
contrast has another purpose: it helps in creating a balance and universal
whole.The stories inInterpreter of Maladies bring out the diversityinthe
society. In the words of Antonia Navarro Tejero – “an exquisite
representationofindividualIndianliveswithallitsvariationsanditsdignity”
(130). Characters ofvaried ages and status are part ofher stories. IfEliot
in “Mrs.Sen” is just eleven, there is BooriMaa in “RealDurwan” who is
sixty-four. There are plentyofmarried couples in her stories like Shoba
and Shukumarin“ATemporaryMatter”.Furthermore,Jhumpa Lahirihas
delineated both the well-to-do people and povertystricken people. Her

Kishan Thingbijam
Lahirishowsthat herfaithinhimhasgonewasted.Still,indepicting
thefailureofMrKapasi, shehighlightsthefutilityofMrsDas’sexpectation.
In a subtle manner, she brings thereader to her own positionand hints at
the follyofothers who anticipate “somekind ofremedy” orthe attitude of
“say the right thing” from her. In assessing her as a writer of diasporic
consciousness, the critics need to bear this significant fact inmind.
Lahiri’sfemalecharactersarestrong,assertiveanddignified. Hardly,
theyarepaintedasstereotypicalwomenvictimizedbythepatriarchalsociety.
Perhaps, it is because six stories out of nine in Interpreter of Maladies
are set in the US where women are supposedly more independent and
emancipated. Evenwhere the setting isIndia, thetraceofvictimization(by
the male dominatedsociety) is hardlyvisible.It goes to thecredit ofLahiri
that in her stories, she has outgrown the traditionaldichotomyof man/
womanwherewomanisshownassubservient to man.Sheprimarilyfocuses
onvariedissues engendered bythecurrent globalizing world.Toldfroma
woman’s point ofview, her stories do not ignore the failings ofwoman. In
“Sexy”, Miranda knowinglyengages with Dev inan extra-marital affair
while MrsDas in “Interpreter ofMaladies” has an illicit relation with her
husband’s friend. Despite allthese, her womancharacters are memorable
andfascinating.
Her characters, both men and women, are complex and realistic
in nature – they are never black and white but rather they live in a grey
zone. They have the human frailty, at the same time, they possess the
strength and capacityto change orbe remorsefulonce the realizationhas
dawned upon them. Miranda realizes her folly and stops meeting Dev.
Mrs Das, onthe other hand, confessesto Mr Kapasi“offeeling so terrible
allthetime” (65).
Regarding Lahiri’s prose, Pradip Kumar Patra writes that it “is
freefromIndianflavor” (174). By“Indianflavor” he doesnot meanIndian

Kishan Thingbijam
Asastoryteller, JhumpaLahirihasbeenabletodevelopherfictional
world in a convincing manner primarilybecause it is supplemented with
her lifeexperiences.Asclearlyshownbyherworks, shelikes to experiment
with genres and themes, which reveals her varied creative interests. She
remains aprofound writer ofhumanlives beyond borders.
(Endnotes)
Notes
1
It also won other prizes and awards like the Pen/Hemmingway
Award, New Yorker Debut of the Year Award, Addison Metcalf
Award, O HenryAward, Louisana ReviewAward.
2
The Namesake
first appearedas anovellainTheNewYorker.Laterit was expanded
into afullyfledged novel.
3
“the three ofthem” refers to Mr Pirzada and Liliah’s parents.
4
Jhumpa Lahirihasincluded anepitaph in her work which is taken
from “The Custom-House” of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel
Hawthorne, where he writes: “My children have had other
birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes maybe withinmycontrol,
shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth”. The title is
evidentlytakenfromhere.

Kishan Thingbijam
Fiction: An Anthology of Female Writers. New Delhi: Sarup &
Sons, 2008.143-155. Print.
Patra,PradipKumar. “AlienationandAssimilationofDiasporic Life:
AStudyofJhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladiesand The
Namesake” in Balachandra K, ed. Critical Essays on Diasporic
Writings. New Delhi:Arise Publishers &Distributors, 2008. 168-
175. Print.
Prasannarajan, S. “Jhumpa Lahiri’s first novel‘The Namesake’
establishes her asa perfectionist”. < https://www.indiatoday.in/
magazine/society-the-arts/books/story/20030908-the-
namesake-establishes-jhumpa-lahiri-as-a-perfectionist-792469-
2003-09-08 >. Web.
Tejero,AntoniaNavarro. “LookingThroughtheGlass House:
Diasporic WomenWriters of BengalHeritage”inKuortti,
Joel and Mittapalli Rajeshwar, eds. Indian Women’s Short
Fiction. New Delhi:Atlantic, 2007. 122-136. Print.
“The 10 Best Books of2008”. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/
12/14/books/review/10Best-t.html>.Web.
Wiltz, Teresa. “TheWriter Who BeganWitha Hyphen: Jhumpa
Lahiri,BetweenTwo Cultures”. <https://
www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/10/08/the-
writer-who-began with-a-hyphen/3714e7f7-542b-4fab-
bea5-a256c9a3cd47/ >. Web.

Gaurab Sengupta
in a realconcrete form, therefore, the fiction writer has to seeit with the
help ofthe mentaleye.Afiction writer thus usesthe events ofthepast and
constructs a storyout ofthe given event. M. H.Abrams observes-
The historical novel not only takes its settings and some
characters and events from history butmakes the historical
events and issues crucial for the central characters and
also for the course of the narrative. (Abrams, 256)
Technique is the means by which a writer gives shape to his
thoughts. Mark Schorer, the American critic points out in his essay
‘Technique as Discovery’-
…technique is the only means the writer has of
discovering, exploring, developing his subject, of
conveying its meaning, and, finally of evaluating it.
Thus, whenwespeakoftechnique,we speakofeverything. Every
writerhasadifferent wayofpresentingtheexperiencesinadifferent manner.
This is because one single event mayhave different effects on different
writers. While mentioning about historicalwritings, HaydenWhite inhis
book Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth Century
Europe mentions,“The same event canserve as different kindsofelement
ofmanydifferent historicalstories.” (7)This happens not onlybecause of
the vivid experiences that an individual undergoes but also because the
individualwriterhandlestheseexperiencesuniquely.Theact oftransforming
these experiences into creative fictionalart requires high skills onthe part
ofthe writer. The creative writer thus has to choose the events and give
them story elements in such a way so that the event or the entire set of
events becomes acomprehensible process “witha beginning, middle and
an end.” (White, 7)

Gaurab Sengupta
orientalists’construction ofhistoryofour countryhadvast gaps, fissures
and dilemmas. Thus, historiographyin India has been a troubled formof
writing whichafter the advent ofthe Europeans, adhered to the Western
notions ofwriting history. It wasonlyduring the beginning ofthe 1980s
that thehistorians decided to dropout the traditionandorientalist method
of historiographyby including the voiceof the country fromthe Indian
point ofview that remained silent over theyearsunderthe colonialregime.
Apart fromthe standard historiographic mode ofwriting history,
there werealso other fields andgenres that captured thehistoriographyof
the country. One such genre is the Indian English Novelafter the 1930s
thatengagedwiththewritingofhistory,politicsandotherpoliticalideologies
fromthe colonialtimes to the present.AsA.K.Mehrotra observes-
The period spanningthe 1930s and 1940s wasmomentous inthe
historyofthe Indian nationalismand in the historyofthe lesser creature,
theIndiannovelinEnglish. Invariably,thesehistoriescame together. (190)
Train to Pakistan (1956) deals with Khushwant Singh’s
description ofa village located at the exact border ofIndia and Pakistan
named Mano Majra and the effects ofPartition on its people during the
divisionofIndia. Its actioncentersaroundtheconcernedvillageandcovers
the time periodofnot more thana particular month“Thesummer of1947
was not like other Indian summers.” (1) The village itself stands as the
microcosmoftheentire Indiansub-continent andthe subsequent division
ofthe country“…into a Hindu Indiaand a MuslimPakistan”(1) Singh in
the novel deals with the growing violence of the Hindus, Muslims and
Sikhstowardseachother,thesubsequent hostileattitudeofonecommunity
towards theother and the finaldivision ofthe landas wellas hearts ofthe
people livingin the village. Inhis autobiographyTruth, Love and a Little
Malice (2002), Singh depicts the atmosphere of Punjab that was highly
charged during Partition. “The atmosphere in the Punjabhad become so

Gaurab Sengupta
fromthe centerand produce multiplicityofideologies and meanings. The
centrifugalforceis thus decentralizing and stands as polar oppositeto the
centrifugalforce. This religious fanaticismfinds its voice inthe narrative
when Singhinthe opening ofthenarrative points out-
The summer before, communalriots, precipitated byreports
oftheproposed divisionofthecountryinto a HinduIndiaand
a MuslimPakistan, had broken out in Calcutta, and within a
few months the death tollhad mounted to severalthousand.
(1)
The characters in Train to Pakistan represent a strong bond, an
innatedesiretostickto eachotherandlivepeacefullywithpeopleofdifferent
faiths and cultures.At the opening ofthe novel, Singh triesto capture the
homogeneitythat is common in everyreligious group that operates as a
single entity in the novel. The people ofMano Majra are a united whole
rather than mere Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. The Sikh temple and the
Mosque stood near eachother. Singhdraws the character ofMeet Singh
who is the caretaker of the Gurudwara and Imam Baksh who is the
caretaker ofthe Mosque. The unityof these people canbe judged from
the view point of Meet Singh whenhe says “Everyone is welcome to his
religion. Here next door is a Muslimmosque. When I prayto my Guru,
Uncle Imam Baksh calls to Allah.” (39)The dialogue itselfis a prismto
judgehowpeopleinMano Majrawerecloselyknittedto eachothersharing
same amount oflove across religion. The Sikh fellow’s trustworthiness
towards theirfellow Muslimbeings isrepresented inthe aboveline. Singh
describesthe possibilitiesofco-existencewherethelocationofthemosque
is close to the Gurudwara and a “three foot slab ofsandstone” taken as
thelocalvillagetemple.ThespatialclosenessoftheGurudwara,themosque
and thetemple suggests that thethree communities lived inharmonywith
each other. But the force ofreligion takes a different turn and ultimately

Gaurab Sengupta
thinkingsetsin,theentirefellowfeelingisshattered.TheSikhsarerevengeful
oftheconditions oftheir relativesin Pakistan.
Our problemis: what are we to do with allthe pigs we have
withus?Theyhave beeneating our saltsfor generations and
see what have theydone? ...Theyhave behaved like snakes.
(130)
Thenovelalso dealswiththemindset ofthegeneralvillagersduring
independence. Indians gainedindependence fromthe Britishbut since the
countryis divided into two parts,the villagers are skepticenough. “What
is allthis about Pakistanand Hindustan?” (51)Thus independence meant
nothingforthesepeople. Theydidnot recognizethat suchpoliticalfreedom
fromthe outsiderswas necessaryto take the countryon theroads ofreal
economic freedom. This was the Nehruvian ideologythat the character
Iqbal in the novel upholds. Iqbal is a character who was sent to Mano
Majra bythe People’s PartyofIndia to bridge the gap between the Sikhs
and Muslims in the village. For him, Indian independence onlymeant to
turn “political freedom into a real economic one.” (51) Thus, Train to
Pakistanarticulatespoignantlythe pityofPartition and the fearand terror
in the minds ofpeople during the Partition. The third person omniscient
narrativeandtechniqueenablesustoenterinsidethemindsofthecharacters
that gives us a different point ofview and different shadesofthe tragedy.
The next novelunder consideration is Ice Candy Man(1988) by
BapsiSidhwa.This noveltoo exploresthe theme ofPartitionofthe Indian
sub-continent into a Hindu and Muslimstate though the eyes ofa young
narrator, a Parseegirlofeight who was a part ofundivided India, living in
Lahore withher familyduring the 1947riots.As regards to theplot ofthe
novel, the narrationcan be divided into three parts: pre-Partition period,
Partition period and post-Partition period. In the novel, Bapsi Sidhwa
accounts forthedivisiontheIndiansub-continent andthe subsequent riots

Gaurab Sengupta
who are herfriends gather around herand discuss their dailylives and it is
throughtheir conversationthat Lennylearns about the politicalupheavals
ofthe country.It is through theirconversationthat we come to know that
these people belongto different sections ofsociety,belonging to different
groups and religions.And as the characters meet and communicate, we
form the idea of the shared experiences of the multiple communities in
India priorto Partition.
Hayden White in his Metahistory: the Historical Imagination
in Nineteenth Century Europe gives the idea of ‘metaphor’ which is
used to describe different objects in a figurative discourse. White defines
metaphoras“…phenomenacanbecharacterizedintermsoftheirsimilarity
to, and difference from, one another, in the manner ofanalogyor simile.”
(34) In the novel,Ayahcan be taken as the metaphor ofIndia itselfwhich
is desired, seduced, raped and thus mutilated both figurativelyas wellas
literally.Ayah’s characterbecomesa dialogic site uponwhichthe Hindus,
Muslims, Sikhs and Parsees interact. It is just like the character ofAyah
that IndiabecomesadialogicsitewhereHindus,Muslims,Sikhs,Christians
and Parseesco-exist under the Britishrule wishing to possessmore ofher,
more of the exotic land of India in general. Ayah is thus the ‘goddess’
loved and enjoyed byall, yearnedbyall- Hindus, Muslims, Parsees, Sikhs
and Christians alike. Lennyreflects how everything slowlystarts to fall
apart, whentherumors are intheair regarding the Partitionofthe country
but “onlythegrouparoundAyahremainsunchanged.Hindu,Muslim, Sikh,
Parsee are, as always, unified around her.” (97) This group acts as the
point ofunitywhich is eventuallyserved bythe act ofPartitionofthe sub-
continent.
The idea ofPartitionhaunts her.During the JashnPrayer that was
to be organized by the Parsees at the temple hall in Warris Hall, Col.
Bharucha addresses the gathering. Soon the religious gathering takes a

Gaurab Sengupta
And the vision of a torn Punjab. Will the earth bleed?And
what about thesundered rivers?Won’t theirwater draininto
jagged cracks? Not satisfied by breaking India, they now
want to tear Punjab. (116)
Lennythus recognizesthat “one man’s religionis otherman’s
poison.” (117)
IceCandyMan becomesaninteresting read becausehere, Sidhwa
projects the alternative version of Partition from the Pakistani point of
view. Being a Pakistani Parsee herself, Sidhwa was able to project the
historyofPartitionofthe Indiansub-continent fromaneutralpoint ofview.
Thus we haveLennyas a Parsee child narrator, narrating theevents to the
readers throughherexperience. This makes the narrationobjective. Inthe
novel, what is interesting is how Sidhwa projects the image of Gandhi,
Nehru and Jinnah. In most Indiannarratives, wehave Gandhiand Nehru
as the chiefbuilders ofthe nation,the ‘heroes’ofthe nation.And we have
Jinnah onthe other hand as the apple ofdiscord.According to the novel,
the image ofJinnah is resurrected. The image of Gandhiand Nehru for
Sidhwa is not sublime. Thus, Sidhwa in Ice Candy Man is successfulin
portraying the events ofhistoryfroma Pakistanipoint ofview.
Thus, the abovediscussionhasportrayed fromthe beginning how
fictionwriters,taking onesingle event haschartedout two different novels,
fromtwo different perspectives, thus bringing out the devastating havocs
ofthe painfulevent that shook humanityduring the 1940s.

Shyamali Kar
Literaryself-fashioning andthe trope of
symbolism: Negotiating the imaginative spaces in
the women protagonists ofAnita Desai
Suroshikha Debnath
Thispaperaimsat understandingDesai’suseofliterature, language
andsuchotherrhetoricaldevicesinthecontext ofherwomenprotagonists’
innerworlds.It shallanalyse howtropesof literatureandsymbolismdefine
the existence for the womenprotagonists byeitherstrengthening themor
byunsettlingthemandhow theydiscoveranimaginarythirdspace through
literaryself-fashioning.Literature dominates to bea part and parcelofthe
lives ofthe women protagonists Nanda Kaul, Bim and Uma.To analyse
the manner in which Desai’s women protagonists imagine alternatives
through the fictional characters they read thus creating a space of their
ownwillbeofthemainobjectivesofthis paper.Withthetheoreticalframes
ofVirginia Woolf, Edward Soja and Stephan Greenblatt the paper shall
criticallyinterpret the juxtapositionofliterataryself-fashioning, symbolism
and metaphoricalspace inthe worldsofBim, Nanda Kauland Uma from
Desai’s novels.
Thephrase“aroomofone’sown”indeedbest capturestheessence
ofa woman’s private or personalspace.Therelationship betweenwomen
and the housestheyinhabit has beendealt with in literature manya times,
where the house operates as a complex, oftencontradictoryreferent for
women’s socialposition.The principallocation ofwomen’s lives through
history, a house represents, on the one hand, a space of restrictions and

Suroshikha Debnath
Literarytext iscentralto Greenblatt’s studyofself-fashioning.This article
shallarguehowthesame istruefor the womenprotagonistsofAnita Desai
as well. Literature theyread becamea means to fashiontheir selves. The
fictionsandpoetryoffercommentariesontheirlives.To analysehowDesai’s
womenprotagonistsimagine alternatives throughthe fictionalcharacters
they read, thus creating a third space of their own will be of the main
objectives ofthispaper. It aimsat criticallyinterpreting thejuxtapositionof
literataryself-fashioning,symbolismand metaphoricalspaceinthe worlds
of Bim, Nanda Kaul and Uma from Desai’s novels. The primary texts
selected for this article areAnita Desai’s Clear Light of the Day (2007),
Fasting Feasting (2008) and Fire on the Mountain (2008).
Virginia Woolf’s seminal work A Room of One’s Own (1929)
forms the basic theoreticalstructure for the paperconcerning womenand
space. It is in the formofan extended essaybased on a series of lectures
she delivered at two women’s colleges at CambridgeUniversityin 1928.
This extended essayemploys a fictionalnarrator andnarrative to explore
women bothas writers ofand characters in fiction. Theessayis generally
seen asa feminist text, and is noted in its argument both for a literaland
figuralspace for women writers within a literarytradition dominated by
men.Thefeminist workexplorestheproblemofpersonalspaceofwomen
whichhinderstheir creativity.
Anita Desai’s women characters approach literature and are
affected byit innumerous ways. Theyas ifdiscover themselves in a third
space in the world of literature. Third space generallyrefers to a kind of
hybrid, individualisticspacewherethedifferencebetweenrealityandillusion
is blurred. EdwardWilliamSoja, a notedpostmodernpoliticalgeographer
and urban theorist developed a theory of the third space in his work
Thirdspace (1996) where he defines third space as a place where:

Suroshikha Debnath
gave herstrengthand confidence amidst the burden ofsufferingsthat she
has otherwisegone through.
Another book whichis ofspecialimportanceto her, particularly
after her granddaughter Raka’s arrival, is, The Travels of Marco Polo.
When Raka is away, Nanda Kaul, to cheer herself up, reads the Travels.
It is quiteclear that these Travelsarethe major source forthe stories with
whichshe triesto entertainRakainthe hope ofbinding thechild to herself.
In the case of Nanda Kaul’s reading The Travels of Marco Polo, the
similarities betweenart andlife arestriking. Just as Marco Polo’s accounts
are inpart the fabric ofhisownimagination, inthe sameway, Nanda’s life,
as she presentsit to Raka, isa fabrication. But onedifference between the
two is, while art can actuallysustainthe fabric ofimagination, in reallife
this fabric is to break sooner or later, as happens in case ofNanda. Thus
literature helpssustainNanda’s life byoffering her an alternative world of
imagination despitethe harsh realities. It offers her a prospect ofthe third
space whereby she encounters both her past and present—the history
and the society and acquires the necessary zest to thrive and reconcile
withher loneliness.
Reading and discussiononliterature also playa significant role in
the formationofthe character ofBimand her relationshipwithher siblings
in Clear light of the Day. Desai associates appropriate books with the
appropriate persons such that it clearlygives the readers a glimpse ofthe
nature of the character concerned. Bim, always more realistic than her
idealistic brotherwho lived ina world ofdreams, wasattracted to history.
She didnot see the “needofimaginationwhenonecould have knowledge
instead”. HerreadingsofGibbon’s DeclineandFallof theRomanEmpire
is aninstance ofthe same.Bim’s interaction with thehistorybooks create
the third spacefor her. The harshrealityofher siblings’departure and her

Suroshikha Debnath
theirniece’swedding,Bim’sexhaustionandmentalturmoilmake hercrave
for historicalfacts which might somehow steady her restless mind. She
finds on her shelf the Life of Aurangzeb and opens it at the scene of his
death. The reading ofthis scene has a liberating, most cathartic effect on
her, andthisleads to herultimate self-realizationandforgivingofRaja.The
following extract inparticular makes her reconsider heranger and former
behaviour towards Raja: “Strange that Icame withnothing into the world
andnowgo awaywiththisstupendous caravanofsin!..Manywere around
me when I was born but now I am going alone. . .” (Desai 257)
Bimdoes not want to leavetheworld witha “caravanofsin”. She
realizes that there is stilltime to forgive Raja forthe letter in whichhe had
displayed thearrogance ofa landlord.Her willingness to forgiveleads to a
finalrecognitionofthe relationship betweenthe members ofher family. It
is again a line from T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, “Time the destroyer is
Time the preserver” which opens her eyes to the true nature of this
relationship. It is thus her readingwhich leads Bim’s understandingofthe
realworld; literatureis used not as a wayofescaping but as an instrument
with the help ofwhich realitycan be understood andtherefore lived with
lesserdifficulty.
Desai’s limited but apt insertion ofpoetryin Fasting Feasting is
also quite remarkable and worth noting in the context of the female
protagonist Uma. Uma,forever oppressed inher exilic,domestic life finds
retreat andanillusionaryfreedomintheworldofpoetry.Sheis apassionate
readerofEllaWheelerWilcox’s poems inPoemsof Pleasure.Thispractice
of secretly reading her poems give Uma a sense of hope, stability and
optimismin the otherwise gloomyand claustrophobic atmosphere ofher
home. She hardly gets time for herself in her house, under her parents’
oppressive spell.But when she oncemanages so after a lot ofdifficulties,
she reads fromWheeler:

Suroshikha Debnath
Descriptionfeelslike revelation:so it isrevealed to usthat watered
earth and refreshed plants have a ‘green scent’ ,that ‘spiky’
bougainvillaea should no longer be seenmerelyasbrushing but as
‘scraping’theworld ,that asnailclimbingclods ofearthonlyto fall
offisan‘eternalminiature Sisyphus.(Desaivii)
The novel Fire on the Mountain, set in the natural abode of
Kasauli, has a treasuryofintended metaphors and symbols. The plethora
ofnature andthe garden ofCarignano in Kasauliis a projectionofNanda
Kaul’s long yearning for loneliness and privacy, as she never had a space
on her ownowing to herduties as a mother and as a wife.The barrenness
and starkness ofKasaulibecome metaphoricalofNanda’s persona that is
reduced to barrenness following years of silent oppression. The fresh
fragrance of the flowers refresh her as she walks along the lawn. The
garden of Carignano also becomes symbolic of Nanda Kaul’s soul and
selfthat is bare and empty. She does not wish to plant a tree init like any
other owner but somehow enjoys its bareness. The garden is as lonelyas
its owner. Nanda’simagining herselfto bea tree and to belined withpines
and cicadas is not an elated feeling of participation in nature but is a
suggestion ofher stagnant, confined lifeand her preference to be reduced
to animmobile existence devoid ofanyhuman feelings or company. The
verytitle ofthe novelFire onthe Mountain juxtaposes the naturaland the
personal. Raka’s putting the mountain on fire becomes the metaphor for
the burningandshattering oftheillusionaryreclusive world ofNandaKaul.
Nature, withallits wild instinctstherefore symbolizes the spirit ofDesai’s
concept ofthe idealfree woman under the embrace ofsolitude and free
fromallkinds ofbondage.
The gardenin Clear Lightof the Day, becomes symbolic ofthe changing
roles and lives ofBim and Tara.The garden used to bloom with flowers
when Bimand Tara were children. But with Bimlosing her closed ones

Suroshikha Debnath
ofthe novels concerned. To conclude, Desai’s protagonists construct a
roomoftheirownthroughtherhetoricaltropesofliteratureandsymbolism.
WORKS CITEDand BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRIMARYSOURCES
Desai,Anita. Fire on the Mountain. Gurgaon: Penguin Random
House Pvt.Limited, 2008. Print.
Desai, Anita. Clear Light of the Day.2007 Gurgaon : Random
House Publishers IndiaPvtLimited,2016. Print.
Desai,Anita. Fasting Feasting. 2008. Gurgaon: RandomHouse
Publishers India Pvt. Limited, 2015. Print.
SECONDARYSOURCES
Asnani,ShyamM.“AnitaDesai’sFiction:ANewDimension”,Indian
Literature, 24. 2
(1981) : 44-54. JSTOR. Web. 10th
Dec. 2016.
Chakravertty, Neeru. Quest for Self-fulfilment in the Novels of
Anita Desai. Delhi:Authorspress, 2003. Print.
Daniels, Shouri.“ReviewofClear Light ofthe DaybyAnita Desai”,
Chicago Review, 33. 1
(1981): 107-112. JSTOR. Web. 10th
Dec. 2016.
Daruwalla, Keki N. “Review onAnita Desai”, Indian Literature,
52.2 (2008): 53-56. JSTOR.Web. 10th
Dec. 2016.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Renaissance Self-Fashioning. The University
ofChicago Press, 1980.

Moumita Das
Surrealism, Women and Haruki Murakami:
A Study of Narrative Perspectives
AbigailFraciaLapang Sunn
(I)
Japanese author, Haruki Murakami (b. 1949) has ensconced
himselfinthe companyofsome ofthe world’s best novelists, short story
writers, translators, essayists etc.Translated fromJapanese to numerous
languages, hisnovels have garnered ubiquitousaccolades.Murakamihas
engendered musings by his readers on a wide range of topics- gender,
spirituality, dreams, the potency of music, to name a few.He has often
beenconsideredbynumerous critics asone ofthe fewauthors excellent in
the art of fiction.While some disapprove him for the lack of social
consciousness in his novels, many others appreciated the fact that his
novelsthat came out after 1995 which showed the transformation of his
protagonists ‘fromdetachment to commitment’.
Matthew Stretcher’s research on Haruki Murakami links the
protagonist’s searchforidentityinanurbanlandscapewithmagicalrealism
and argues that Murakami’s magicalrealismand surrealismoperates as a
mediumthatillustratestheprotagonist’s subconscious.Murakami’s works
have also been critically scrutinized for their meditation on themes of
postmodernismandgenre definition.Although Murakami’searlier novels
aresprinkledwithmentionsofmostlyAmericanculture,musicandlifestyle,
histreatment ofhistory,andhisprotagonists’fragmentedsenseofbelonging
are appropriatelypostmodernincharacter.

TheEncyclopediaBritannicadefinesDadaasa“literaryandartistic
movement, internationalinscope and nihilistic incharacter, which lasted
from 1915 until 1922. The First World War (1914-18) had proven to
many to be the antecedent of the collapse of the intellectual and social
systems promptingartists (Cubists, Futurists, Impressionists)to radically
experiment withvariousforms ofartremoving themselves fromthepoolof
rationality and the ‘real world’. The main focus of these artists was to
capture theessence ofthe modernworld. In literature, symboliststook to
the forefront, their priority being the conjuring of the world of the sub-
conscious. It was against this backdrop that the Dada Movement had its
inception starting witha few avant-garde artists and writers repulsed by
the effects of the war. Hugo Ball captured the sentiment of the Dada
movement whenhe said “What we callDada is foolery,fooleryextracted
from the emptiness in which all the higher problems are wrapped, a
gladiator’s gesture, a game played with the shabby remnants…a public
execution of false morality.” (32) Surrealism was birthed by the Dada
Movement inthebeginningofthetwentiethcentury. In1919,AndreBreton,
often called the “Pope ofSurrealism” was struck bya bizarre revelation
that involved a phrase “there is a man cut in two bythe window” which
was also accompanied byunwarranted images and phrases his mind had
no controlover. Inspired byFreudian notions and ideas, Breton decided
to give freedomto the flow ofimages in his mind and recounted these in
various writings or ‘automatic texts’ considered to besome of the first
examples ofSurrealist writing. Throughthese Bretonwanted to redefine
reality and change our perception of the world. What started as an
experimentalmovement became a worldwide revolutionthat influenced
literature,visualarts,musicandfilm,philosophy,politicsandpoliticalthought
and socialtheory.Themood ofSurrealismis preservedinAndre Breton’s
Manifeste du Surrealisme published in1924 whichdelineates Surrealism
as“basedonthe beliefinthesuperiorrealityofcertainpreviouslyneglected

Variousevidenceshavebeenput forthbyvarious writers andcritics onthe
notionofobjectificationofwomenin Surrealismandthe relationbetween
SurrealismandMisogyny. Surrealismwasamovement createdexclusively
by male artists who more often than not produced art where women
“functioned … at best as an idealized Other, at worst as anobject for the
projectionofunresolvedanxieties.”Womenwho werepartofthemovement
were deprived of respect given to their male counterparts. While they
were celebratedin their circle ofsurrealists, theydo not;however receive
the samekindofrecognitionfortheir contributionsto themovement as did
themalesurrealists.Whenit comesto the portrayalofwomeninSurrealist
art,Art historianWhitneyChadwick has certainlyargued persuasivelythat
women inthe orbit ofthe Surrealist movement tended to be idealized as
muses, andthus stereotyped inthemale imaginationas archetypessuchas
the sorceress orchild-woman rather thancredited withautonomyoftheir
own. David Hopkins rightlyputs it when he says “Surrealismsmothered
womenwithidolatry”. (143)
Katherine Conley, inher critique onthe representation ofwomen
inSurrealism, appliedthelabel“AutomaticWoman”tothecompositeimage
ofwomendevelopedbyearlymale surrealists.Atermthat encompassesthe
viewthatawomanisnotonlyprovocativeandrevolutionarybutalso devoid
ofindividualityand volition.WomeninMale Surrealists’art wereseen as
deformed and fragmented, desired but feared- objects of eroticism and
terror.”L’écritureautomatique”isatechniqueusedbythesurrealiststoattain
purity in their automatic writing. This purity is obtained via a woman’s
body which becomes a medium of sorts between the artist’s conscious
andunconscious.CriticRogerShattuckstatesthat this‘woman’isidealized
and elevated as ‘embodiment of magic powers, creature of grace and
promise, always close in her sensibility and behavior to the two sacred
worlds ofchildhood and madness’. (25)

woman in that hotelworld.At the heart ofthe novel The Wind-Up Bird
Chronicle,is the story of Toru Okada and his quest to reconcile his
relationship withhis wife withwhomhe’s lost a connectionwithand who
has nowgonemissing.The female characters contributeto Toru’sjourney
through self-discoveryand functionina wayas“mediums”, as Murakami
himselfcallsthem, whose dutyisprimarily“is to make something happen
throughherself.It’s a kind ofsystemto be experienced.The protagonist is
always led somewhere by the medium and the visions that he sees are
shown to himbyher.” (Murakami’s interview with The Paris Review).
Murakami’s treatment ofhis female characters in this particular novel, all
of whomare not represented as mere objects lacking inidentity proves
the lack of prejudice towards the female sex. We see the independent
Kumiko; Toru’s wife, who is the bread earner in the familywho has her
ownshareofstruggles.Althoughwedo not see herthroughout the novel,
we perceive her presence in Toru’s description of her.At the end of the
novel she is able to remove the one person causing her self-discord, her
brother;NoboruWatayainorder to regainher “self”. Thenovelhas Toru
as itsmale protagonist insearchofa self-identity, but he isnot theonlyone
inpursuit ofanidentity, his wifealso is.Thetwo psychics,Creta Kano and
Malta Kano who are regarded asmediums are important inaidingToru in
his search for his wife and function as catalysts of action in the novel.
Susan Joliffe Napier remarks that ‘Murakami’s women are remarkable
for possessing their own independent personalities’. Just as music often
catalyzes ashift inthe narrative,the womeninMurakami’sfiction, Napier
notes, ‘are also clearlylinked to an escape into another ... world’.Alicia.
K. Harder seesthe novelas one passive man’spursuit ofonewomanwho
has transformed and finds himselfalso changed.
The studyofrepresentationofwomen inthe noveldemonstrates
how Murakami does not portray his female characters as idols lacking
individualityandidentitylike most malesurrealists do but ratheras people

speak ortoucheachother. But inthat short interval,he transformed many
things inside me. He literally stirres mymind and bodythe waya spoon
stirs a cup of cocoa, down to the depths of my internal organs and my
womb.” (808)
This novelfeaturesa female lead that is not onlyempowered and
confident but also a cold-blooded serial killer byprofession.Aomame’s
organized slaughter ofabusive husbands suggests an opposition to the
silent witnessing offemale victimization.Aomame exists as a kind ofan
avenger inflictinghurt onmen responsible for the miseryofthe women in
their lives..She was trained in martialarts and works as aninstructor in a
sports club in Hiroo District offering lessons on women’s self-defense
techniqueswheretraineeswouldspend timekickingamaleshapeddummy
complete with aset oftesticles “sewedwithblack work gloveinthe groin
area.”Aomame wasdefinitelya strong and capable woman confident in
her fighting abilities and never hesitated to fight a man if she has to, “If
there’s anyguycrazyenoughto attackme, I’mgoing to showhimthe end
ofthe world—close up. I’mgoing to let himsee the kingdomcome with
his owneyes. I’mgoing to send himstraight to the Southern Hemisphere
and let the ashes of death rain all over him and the kangaroos and the
wallabies.” (188)Aomamewas also highlyskilled indeep tissue massage.
She believedthat the human bodywas a temple, therefore she maintained
hers in everyway possible and protected it with all the strength that she
had. It wasthis resolve and this beliefthat aided in her victoryinthe end,
“It’s a questionofhow you live your life. The important thing is that you
adopt a stance ofalways being deadlyserious about protecting yourself.
You can’t go anywhere ifyou just resignyourselfto just being attacked.A
stateofchronic powerlessnesseats awayat a person.”(190)It isAomame
who, intheend, defeats the Leaderand sheis the onewho eventuallyfinds
Tengo. Infact, It is Tengo who wonders about his role inallofthis. Being
the male, hewanted to do more,he tellsAomame, “But what’s myrole in

excuse that “being a fulltime housewife was hard work” for not making
timeforherfriend.Thefactwasthat her husbanddominatedand controlled
her to thepoint where she couldno longer meet peopleoutside her house.
Tamakiwas subjected to constant domestic violencewhich finallydrove
her to commit suicide days beforeher twenty- sixthbirthday.This incident
marked a turning point inAomame’slife wherebyshe decidesshe willno
longer be the same as she vows to destroythe manwho was responsible
forher friend’suntimelydeath. “It wasafter thisthatAomamecame to feel
an intenseperiodic craving for men’s bodies.” (244) Suchinstancesin the
novelproves that Murakamidoes have knowledge about issues related to
women inJapan and is sympathetic to thembeing subjected to a number
ofemotionalandphysicalviolenceat the handsofmen.Aomame becomes
a sort ofhope for women withher unwavering beliefinher ownstrength
andidentity.
In an interview with Meiko Kawakami, Murakamihad this to say:
Iwillsaythat 1Q84wasthe most timeI’vespent engaging
witha female character.Aomame is incrediblyimportant to Tengo,
and Tengo is incrediblyimportant toAomame.Theynever seemto
wind up crossing paths. But the storycenters on their movement
toward each other.Theyhave shared status asprotagonists.At the
veryend,they’refinallybrought together.Two become one. There’s
nothing erotic,up untilthe end.Inthat sense, I’dsaythey’re equals,
in the broad scheme of the novel, since the book depends upon
thembothinequalmeasure. (MurakamiInterview)
The maingoalofAndre Breton’sManifesto ofSurrealismisto free
one’s mind fromthe past and fromeverydayrealityto arrive at truths one
has never known. Simply put it is the merging of dreams with reality
specificallyinart, but also inallaspects oflife. Breton argues that there is
no reason to make ordinary boring art that reflects realityand doing so

harmonious balance. Perhapsit’s less about making upfor what we
lack, so muchascancelling each otherout. (MurakamiInterview)
On the subject of gender and Murakami’s representation of
women, worth mentioning is another novel that also features a female
protagonist.After Dark whichwas publishedin 2004. In hisreview ofthe
EnglishtranslationofMurakami’s2004novelAfterDark,David Dalgleish
notesthat thisinclusionofafemaleleadinhisworksisevidentofMurakami’s
growthas awriter, opening up hisworldandpresentingus“withabroader
range of people from a more neutral perspective”.What the novel
underscores is Murakami’s reflection on gender violence in the formof
prostitutionand humantraffickinginJapanas representedbythe character
ofGuoDongli, aprostitute intheAlphavillehotel, who inthecourse ofthe
novel gets physically abused by a customer.Apart from that, the novel
also probesinto the alienationandisolationofwomeninmodernJapanese
societyas depictedbythe female protagonist in the novel.
One ofhis excellent short stories is “Sleep” published in1989, the
first storyMurakamihas writtenfroma woman’s vantage point.The story
features a narrator who is a womanin her thirties who has been deprived
of sleep for 17 days. Her life seemed normal on the surface—a family
woman who is simplysuffering fromsleeplessness. What is strange is the
fact that nobodynotices that she has not slept in more than two weeks.
What she feelsas she drifts to the “other side” isloneliness. This loneliness
is the kind of despair that takes over each one of us—men and women
alike—aswesailthroughlifewithtimetickingawaymomentsandmemories
that willsooncome to naughtwhenour lifeerodes.Murakamiherewanted
to express the universalhumanfeeling ofloneliness that is too difficult to
express thoughhe does mentiona kind ofresentment shehas against her
husband, something anywoman can relate to,”In everyother respect, I
wrote thecharacter to be ahumanbeing, without reallybeing conscious of

Secondary Sources:
Adria, Schwarber.“The Development ofWomen’sCulture and Media
inJapan”.
Aragon, Louis. Paris Peasant.Trans. SimonWatsonTaylor.London,
1971.
Bohn,Willard. The Rise of Surrealism. NewYork: State UnivofNew
York Press, 2002. Print.
Brahman, Diana, Tracy Kennan, Kathy Alcaine. Ed. Allison
Reid.Surrealist Art in NOMA’S Collection. New Orleans: n.p. 2004.
Print.
Breton, Andre. Manifestos of Surrealism. Ann Arbor: Univ of
Machigan Press, 1969. Print.
Caws, MaryAnn. Surrealism and Women. Cambridge: MIT Press,
1991.
Clement. Ernest W. “The New Woman in Japan”. The University of
Chicago Press Journals. 8.5 (1993): 693-698. Web. 11th
Nov, 2016.
Hansen, GitteMarrianne. “AFemale Serial Killer’s Literary Roots:
MurakamiHaruki, 1Q84 andAoamame”.AsiaPortal. September 19,
2011.
Herman, Kathryn. “The Female Gaze in Contemporary Japanese
Literature”.Diss.The UnivofPennsylvania, 2013. Print.
Hopkins, David. Dada and Surrealism: A very short Introduction.
NewYork: Oxford Univ Press. 2004. Print.
Mackie,Vera C.“NewWoman, ModenGirlsandtheshifting Semiotics
ofGender in EarlyTwentieth Century Japan.” Univ ofWollongong:
2013. Print.

Anwesha Chakraborty
George Ryga’s Dramatic art as Resistance
Satyajit Das
GeorgeRyga(1932-1987)asaCanadianplaywright hasattempted
to resist and answer back to the centre. He has pursued to dramatically
focus the interests and rights ofthe native Canadians inan overwhelming
aura ofimperialist desire and colonialcontrolofCanada. Hisplays appear
more significant whentreated fromthehistoricalpremises.
He emerges asa strong postcolonialcriticofruling discriminatory
orders and dominant power relations. His acute awarenessofpolitics and
other exploitativeconundrumare tested inthe light ofhisdramatic career
inwhichhisstruggle iswrittenlarge.
GeorgeRygawas borninDeepCreek ofNorthernAlbertain1932.
In1920, his parentsmigratedfromUkrainetoAlbertawhere George Ryga
grew up as a catholic raised ina Ukrainianfarming communityona small
farm which is near to a Cree reserve. When he was working with native
labourers he witnessed how much sufferings anddiscriminations done to
thembythe colonialmasters. The poor economic condition ofhis family
made him to discontinue his formal school education. He had only six
years’ formaleducationina one-roomschoolhouse and started do many
menial jobs such as farm labourer, road repairing and bridge building.
George completed his high schoolbycorrespondence. He worked very
hard inRadio andTelevisionscripts whichsomehowsustained his humble
living.

Satyajit Das
powerfuldramatistsofhis time is hissuccessfulemployment ofdramaturgy
as aninstrument ofresistance.
Using a large varietyofdevices on stage he intended not onlyhis
audience to appreciate the thematic aspects ofhis drama but also created
amongthemtheinterest to comecloserto theatre. Eachofhisplaysdisplays
a new freshness oftheme and technique whichofcourse gives noveltyto
his work.Fortheatregoers thisaspect is always enrichingandenticing. Be
it classicalidea or contemporary, Rygahas culledfromallsourcesadequate
technicalitiesto addressthe modern, localand relevant issues. Hence, he
is both traditional and modern, in his attempt to deal with social issues
while infusingfreshvigour intheatreofhis age.
InRyga,one canseeabeautifulblendoftheShavianand Brechtian
dramatic artsto a large extent. Like George Bernard Shaw,Ryga also has
a definite message to deliver. He is a debater ofsocialissues and acts as a
reformerthroughdrama. Thoughhestartedhiscareerasapoetandnovelist,
soon he finds that it is theatre which can be the best instrument for his
reformist and propagandist intentions. But, it would bewrong to consider
that Ryga usestheatre as a mediumjust to further his ideas.Heis earnestly
amanoftheatreandacompletedramatist.Hehasshownagreat knowledge
ofstagecraft inhis plays.The dramaturgyfoundinallhisplaysisas essential
as his philosophic ideas. Ryga has innovated greatlyto suit his purpose.
Like Shaw,Rygatoo uses elaboratestage directions withminutedetails to
enable the directors,actors and audience alike to comprehend the essence
ofhis drama. But, unlike Shaw,whose plays are criticized to be devoid of
conflicts and physicalactions and who uses comedyto a great extent to
present harshrealitiesofthe societywhichisevident inhisplays like Major
Barbara and Pygmalion, Ryga’s plays are fullofconflicts and serious in
nature. However,likeShaw, Rygaalsousesconflict ofthoughtandpassion.
Thematterandmannerofallhisplaysareseriousthoughsometimeshumour

andthenativeaudienceinparticular withthe plight ofthekeycharactersof
his plays. Thisenables themto comprehend fullythe frustrations, anguish,
struggle for voice and ultimate doomofthe characters ina societywhich
thwarts their everyattempt to find solace and recognition. His relentless
struggleinresistingtheEurocentrictheatrepracticethroughhiscraftsmanship
has ultimatelycontributed to establishanationaltheatre for Canadain the
sense ofa theatre traditionto portrayCanadianpeople withtheir essential
culture and languageonthe stage.
To substantiate that his craftsmanship is a weaponofresistance, a
detailed survey is intended of Ryga’s seminal play The Ecstasy of Rita
Joe, first staged in 1967 bytheVancouver Playhouse and whichwas also
the most popular playofthe season. Simplicity in presentationis the core
ofhis dramaturgy. The voice ofresistance is bothexplicitlyand implicitly
presented inthis play. His artistic devices are designed not onlyto show
the resisting elements individually but they are combined as an organic
whole to make his text a symbolofresistance in itself.
Stage directions are very important to activate and enhance the
thematic aspectsofanydramatic text.As, almost allthesignificant dramas
are read moreoften thantheyare watched ina theatre it necessitates to be
vigilant onthe non-verbalfactors ofthe givendrama.
In The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, Ryga has used stage direction to
implyhis ideas in such a richmanner which is uniqueinthe contemporary
era. ThoughthisplaydepictsarepressivesysteminCanadawhichfrustrates
the protagonist’s desire for freedom, its actual focus is to display the
characters’ suffering from alienation and self imprisonment. Such
environment,maintainsAbder-Rahim“enforcesadistinctivekindofgarrison
mentalityamong its inhabitants whose struggle for survival involves not
onlytheirphysicalwell-being but theirethicalandethnic identitiesas well.”
(Abu-Swailem161) Hence,inorderto enable theaudience to comprehend
77
Satyajit Das

Literaria
Magistrate:… aredeterminedand enrichedbylawsthat havegrown
out ofsocial realities. The qualityofthe law under which you live
and function determines the real quality of the freedom that was
yours today. (29)
This opening scene sets the tone ofa verymechanicalsystemdefining a
law under which everyone is ontrial including the audience. The clerk’s
recorded voice in paralleltone ofthe Magistrate also reinforcesthe fact
that there is no real freedom of the individual in a country where every
relationship isdetermined bylaw.
Ryga makes his message veryclear in his stage directionbothfor
the benefit of the theatre directors and the readers of his text. In the
backstage, “thereis cyclorama. In front ofthe cyclorama thereis a darker
maze curtain to suggest gloomand confusion, and a cityscape.”(29) The
setting of the play “creates a sense of compression of stage into the
auditorium.”Therecordedvoicesof“mutteringsandthroat clearings”give
the impressionofthe presence ofpeople inthe courtroom.Thenthe clerk
shouts:(recorded)“this court is insession.Allpresent willrise…” (29).All
these implythat it is not onlyRita but theaudiences are also ontrial. The
playwrightismakingthepointclearthattheaudienceswhoarerepresentative
of the society are also responsible for the sufferings of the aboriginals.
That the storyofthe plight oftheaboriginals does not start here, but rather
long ago, is substantiated in the useofthe curtains. As Ryga directs:
No curtainis used during theplay.At the opening,intermission and
conclusionofthe play,the curtainremains up.Theonusfor isolating
scenes fromthe past and present in Rita Joe’s life falls onhighlight
lighting.(29)
The playclearlyemphasizes that thereis a long historyofthe aboriginals’
sufferings and is more complicated than what is presented in the play.
What the audienceis witnessing is onlya piecefromthebigger picture.All
79
Satyajit Das

Thelight fades onthe magistrateand Rita and hersister areshown
in their youthfulstage fondling witheachother. Going back to memoryis
an occasional relief both on the part of Rita and the audience from the
harshness ofthetrialscene. But Ryga is fullyaware ofpresenting his point
of view. Even during the display of the fond memory between the two
sisters therelurks the sensationofimpending danger.The functionoflight
at this part is logicallyarranged.
Asuddencrushofthunder and alightningflash. The lights
turncold andblue. The three MURDERERS standinsilhouette on
a riserbehind them. Eileencringesinfear, afraid ofthe storm, aware
ofthe presence ofthe Murderers behind them. Rita Joe springs to
her feet, her being attached to the wildness of the atmosphere.
Lightning continues toflashand flicker. (33)
The two sisters shout and cryout of fear and tryto save eachother. The
danger of impending storm in the past and disaster at the hands of the
murderers in the present are simultaneouslypresentedbythe lights.
Ahighflashoflightning, silhouetting the MURDERERS
harshly,theytake astep forwardonthelightningflash.Eileendashes
into the arms of Rita Joe. She screams and drags Rita Joe down
with her.Rita Joe struggles against Eileen. (33)
In her struggle with Eileen Rita outbursts: “Let me go! What in
hell’s wrong withyou?Let me go!”to whichthe Magistrateonwhomthe
light isup replies: “I can’t let you go”.Thepast and present inRita’s life is
preciselyjuxtaposed throughthe employment oflightings.
The lighting does not onlyexhibit the different locales ofthe play
but also defines its mood in generaland the characters in particular. The
lights have a dual role to play. It separates the stage on one hand and
alienates the characters on the other. InAct II where Rita is imprisoned
the stage direction clearlyspecifies that the cellshould be suggested by
81
Satyajit Das

The singer sits here, turned away from the focus of the
play. Hersongs and accompaniment appearalmost accidental. She
hasallthe reactionsofawhiteliberalfolklorist withalimitedconcern
and understanding ofan ethnic dilemma which she touches in the
course ofherresearchandworkincompilingandwritingfolk songs.
She serves too as an alter ego to Rita Joe. (29)
It isnoteworthythat Rygafromthe verybeginning isconsistentlytrying to
emphasizethewhitemen’sindifferencetowardstheproblemsofthenatives.
Even inthe character oftheleast important singer (asfar as the plot ofthe
playisconcerned)who isawhitefolklorist singing forthenativecharacters,
this feeling ofdetachment is evident. Perhaps to project thisfeeling ofthe
whites the playwright, employs the singer on the stage who has “limited
concernand understanding ofanethnic dilemma…”.
Onherfirst appearance onthestageshesings“arecitivo searching
for amelody”:Willthe windsnot blow / Mywords to her /Like the seeds
/ Of the dandelion? (30) just at the moment when Rita tries to defend
herselfat the courtroomin the face ofthe false allegationfromthe white
world.The singer’scasualsingingexemplifies herindifference towardsthe
natives. Later in a scene where Rita Joe isseen withJaimie Pauland four
youngIndianmeninthereserveplayfullyarguingwithMr.Homer,acorrupt
white officialwho runs a store ofreliefmaterials for the Indians and when
Mr. Homer expresses his disgust at working for the Indians “ Let them
live an’work among the Indians for a few months . . . then they’d know
what it’s reallylike. “The music comes up sharplyand the singer sings:
Round and round the cenotaph,
The clumsyseagulls play.
Fed byfunnymen with hats
Who watch themnight and day. (36)
83
Satyajit Das

ActIareagainsunginajumbledupsingsongemphasizingtheutterconfusion
and a messed up destinyfor both Rita and Jaimie Paul. Rita Joe is finally
raped and brutally murdered. Even after her death Rita’s body has to
suffer necrophilic rape. Rita Joe finds her ecstatic release only through
death. Inthefinalscene the singersings: “Oh, the singing bird/ Has found
itswings/Andit’ssoaring!”Thoughtheselinesandtheimageofthe singing
birdwhichsymbolizesthesoultellaboutRita’sdeathbutshowsno sympathy
for Rita. Onthe contrary, the last two lines of the same song: “MyGod,
what a sight!/ Onthe cold Freshwind ofthe morning!…” reinforces the
detachment and indifference of the whites towards the death of an
aboriginal. Inthe playRita’s father David Joe, her sister Eileen Joe and
other Indians have seen enough of these fromtheir white counterparts.
Fed up ofthe pseudo concernofthe whites shownbythePriest and other
white mournersover Rita’s funeralEileenstops the Priest who is chanting
“HailMary, Mother ofGod… prayfor us sinners now and at the hour of
our death” and says: “No!... No!... No more!” In these words Ryga’s
voice of resistance is heard very emphatically. Eileen does not want to
hearanymoreofthe emptysolaceintheChristianprayeror religionwhich
has done nothing to save her sister rather perpetuated her doom.
Anotherdramatictechniquethat Rygausesinthe PlayTheEcstasy
of Rita Joe to put forward his voice of resistance is the Brechtian Epic
theatre which breaks the imaginary wallcalled the fourth wall between
the actors and the audience. This technique enables the audience to
experience the conditionsofthe native Canadians not as remote observers
but as active members in the theatricalprocess.At the outset ofthe play
weseetheMagistrate,arepresentativeoftheCanadianlegalsystemdirectly
“speaks to the audience” and tells how to understand life one must
understandthelawsofthat societyandhowallrelationshipsaredetermined
and enriches bylaws. He also says that the qualityoflaw determines the
realqualityofthe freedom“that was yours today.” Certainlythese words
85
Satyajit Das

downstage andconfronts a member ofthe audience” and tells him: “You
knowme?...YouthinkI’madirtyIndian,eh?”(36).Jaimieherechallenges
the white men’s notion ofthe stereotyped Indians who aregenerallyseen
as drunkards, worthless and low. Inthe beginning ofAct II Rita’s father
David Joe also directlytalks to the audience sharing hismemories ofRita
in the reserve.He tells themhow heavyhis heart gets to see his daughter
behind the bars now. How pathetic it is for a father to see his daughter
deteriorateintheprisoncellwho usedtorunfreelywithwhitegeesechasing
her. He says:
I watched her leave . . . and I seengeese running after Rita Joe the
same way. . . white geese . . . withtheir wings out an’their feet no
longer touchingthe ground.And I remembered it all, and myheart
got so heavyI wanted to cry…. (48)
Inthissegment David Joe repeatedlyusestheimageryofthe white
geese whichactuallysymbolizes the cruelwhite world that haschased Rita
tillherdeath. Later, whenDavidJoewantsto restrainEileenfromgoingto
the cityhe tells the Priest that the city is full of animals gesturing to the
audience who “sleep with sore stomachs because . . . they eat too
much?”(55) Thus, George Ryga does not allow the audience to be the
passive viewers ofthe Indian people’s struggle for existence inthe white
hegemonybut wantsthemto suffer with the characters. Ryga especially
tries to bringthe indigenous peoplecloserto andto livethe ongoing drama
ofsocialsegregation ofthe nativesand rethink to achieveactualfreedom
ofequalityand justice.
Ryga’s dramas suggest a tension betweenrealismand escapism.
However, noneofhis characters findssolace intheir struggleto cope with
the largersocialstructurewhose narrativeis made bythe“white surrogate
father” (Chander 79) represented by the Canadian Government and its
discriminatorypolicies. Rita Joe in The Ecstasy Of Rita Joe escapes the
87
Satyajit Das

Hoffman, James. Ed. George Ryga: The Other Plays. Talonbooks.
2004. Print.
Ryga, George. The Ecstasy Of Rita Joe. Vancouver: Talonbooks.
1970. Print.
Wasserman, Jerry, ed. Modern Canadian plays. 4th ed. Vol. II.
Vancouver: Talon, 2001. Print.
89
Satyajit Das

Panthapriyo Dhar
sensitiveaspectsofIndiansociety, hehas oftenbeencriticisedand labelled
as an anti-Brahmin. Ananthamurthy has been awarded the prestigious
Jnanpith award in 1994, the Padma Bhushan in 1998 and the Sahitya
Akademi Fellowship in 2004. His popular and controversial novel,
Samskara was published in Kannada inthe year 1965 and was translated
into EnglishbyA. K. Ramanujan and published in 1976. The verytitle of
the novel is polysemic though the translator sub-titles it as ‘Rites of a
Dead Man’ thereby limiting the scope of the title. Apart from the
connotationdenotedbythesub-title, ‘samskara’also meanstransformation,
traditionalmores,thelife-cycleceremony, arighteouspassageorrefinement
of spirit. The novel was a centre of much controversy as the Brahmin
community felt offended.Ananthamurthy had portrayed in the novel a
decadent Brahmin societywhich failed to address a crucial question—
how to perform the last rites of an anti-Brahminical Brahmin. The
protagonist,Praneshacharya,theheadoftheexclusiveBrahmincommunity
onwhomtheresponsibilitylayfor findinga wayout oftheimpasse, gropes
for answers evenafter carefullyscrutinising the sacred scriptures. In the
process,hehimselfundergoesatransformationthroughachanceencounter
withalow-caste womanwho wasincidentallythemistress ofthedeceased
renegade Brahmin.The actionofthenovelinthesecondhalfiscompletely
internalisedinthemindoftheprotagonist as he feelsliberated, emancipated
fromhis gruelling Brahmin orthodoxyand free to realise his true selfas a
man. The paper is an attempt to portrayPraneshacharya’s character as
emancipated after his encounter with the low-caste woman and his
subsequent transformationas he also courts other non-Brahminwomen.
Samskara can be read as an allegory because the story is
concerned withthequest ofthe protagonist, Praneshacharya,not so much
the questionasto who isarealBrahmin, but who isanauthentic individual.
The quest of the protagonist is at best an existential one because he is
confronted byfundamentalquestions about the self, suffering, salvation

Panthapriyo Dhar
epic war. (pg. 54) It was late evening whenPraneshacharya realised that
he had to returnto the agrahara forit wastime to administer medicines to
his invalid wife. With no food or water and totally exhausted after
continuouslyprayingtoMaruti, Praneshacharyawalkedwithunsteadysteps
through the dark forest on his way back to the agrahara. In the forest,
Naranappa’s low-caste mistress Chandriwho also happened to be there,
had achanceencounter with Praneshacharya.As she bowed to touch his
feet to payobeisance, she placed her head on his thigh and embraced his
legs and wept.Praneshacharya for the first time inhis lifeis bewildered by
the touch ofa young female and as he blessed her:
His bending hand felt her hot breath, her warm tears; his hair
rose in a thrill of tenderness and he caressed her loosened hair.
The Sanskrit formula of blessing got stuck in his throat. As his
hand played on her hair, Chandri’s intensity doubled. She held
his hands tightly and stood up and she pressed them to her
breasts now beating away like a pair of doves.
Touching full breasts he had never touched, Praneshacharya
felt faint. As in a dream, he pressed them. As the strength in his
legs was ebbing, Chandri sat the Acharya down, holding him
close. TheAcharya’s hunger, so far unconscious, suddenly raged,
and he cried out like a child in distress, ‘Amma! ’Chandri leaned
him against her breasts, took plantains out of her lap, peeled
them andfed them to him.Then she took off her sari, spread it
on the ground, and lay on it hugging Praneshacharya close to
her, weeping, flowing in helpless tears. (pg. 55)
This physical encounter with Chandri changes
Praneshacharya’slifedrastically.Thetransformationoftheprotagonist from
the ‘crest jewelofVedanta’to a man who is able to discover his true self
outside theconfines ofhis orthodoxcult, is completeafterthe ‘union’with

Panthapriyo Dhar
When he poured bath water over her, he noticed her sunken
breasts, her bulbous nose, her short narrow braid, and they
disgusted him...For the first time his eyes were beginning to see
the beautiful and the ugly. He had not so far desired any of the
beauty he’d read about in the classics. All earthly fragrance
was like the flowers that go only to adorn the god’s hair. All
female beauty was the beauty of Goddess Lakshmi, queen and
servant of Lord Vishnu. All sexual enjoyment was Krishna’s
when he stole the bathing cowgirls’ garments, and left them
naked in the water. Now he wanted for himself a share of all
that. (pg. 67)
The newworld that Praneshacharya experiences is, ironicallythe
one that he so long despised and denounced as antitheticalto Brahminic
codes. But, he was aware that Naranappa flouted all rules but lived a
daring and uninhibited life and mocked at the Brahmins ofDurvasapara.
He dared to discard his legallywedded Brahmin wife and live with a low
caste mistress. Mahabalawas another renegade Brahminwho studied the
scriptures along with Praneshacharya in Kashi, but denounced his
Brahminhoodbylivingwithaprostitute.Mahabalawasabrilliant, inquisitive
and intelligent student of the scriptures while in Kashi. Naranappa and
Mahabala were new models for the transformed Praneshacharya as he
desperatelywanted to chart a newcourse: Become like Mahabala. Like
him, find a clear-cut way for oneself. (pg. 87) There is a clear
transformationinPraneshacharyafromhis earlier constricting self;he has
begunto see the world ina new light. Infact, he justifies hisintimacywith
Chandri in the forest by citing examples of ancient lore, how the sages,
Visvamitra and Parashara fell for beautiful women, Maneka and
Matsyagandharespectively.Theinitiationinto thisnewlifehasbeenthrough
Chandri, the low-caste woman and it has been an an emancipatory one.
Chandri now occupies Praneshacharya’s thoughts more than ever

Panthapriyo Dhar
Though not prejudiced, greedyor double-dealing like the others, he had
also participated in the static life by harping on age old customs and
observinganunfailinglydailyroutine. But halfwaythroughthe novel, after
the encounter with Chandri, the mask of ritual and custom drops and
Praneshacharya sets his own code for he realises that he cannot be any
more a part ofthat stratified and coded existence; he had changed.After
his wife’s deathand cremation, Praneshacharya leavesthe agrahara and
for the first time realises its decadent rottenness: Why did I walk away
after cremating my wife? The agrahara was stinking; one couldn’t
bear to return to it. Certainly a good reason: the intolerable stench in
my nostril, the sense of pollution, certainly. (pg. 80) Infact, there is no
going backnow because more thanthestench, he hadtasted the pleasures
oflife for the first time: The agrahara comes to mind again and revives
the nausea. The agrahara stands there explicit form for what I’m
facing within, an entire chapter on the verse that’s me. The only thing
clear to me is that I should run. Maybe go where Chandri is. (pg. 87)
Praneshacharya’s deliverance as he realises, is not in going back to his
community and assuming his normal duties as the spiritual head of the
agrahara for he has transgressed his community’s code, and more
importantlyhe hasfound a new meaningoflife. He lusts after Chandrifor
his deliverancelies in her:
Therefore the root of all my anxiety is because I slept with
Chandri as in a dream. Hence the present ambiguity, the
Trishanku state. I’ll be free from it only through a free deliberate
wide-awake fully-willed act...Byan act of will I’ll become human
again. I’ll become responsible for myself. That is ...that is...I’ll
give up this decision to go where the legs take me, I’ll catch a
bus and go to Kundapura and live with Chandri. I’ll then end
all my troubles. I’ll remake myself in full wakefulness...(pg. 94)

Panthapriyo Dhar
beforeheencountersChandrifindrelevanceinSigmundFreud’sstatement:
The most important vicissitude which an instinct can undergo
seems to be sublimation; here both object and aim are changed,
so that what was originally a sexual instinct finds satisfaction
in some achievement which is no longer sexual but has a higher
social or ethical valuation. (1986; pg. 154-155)
The past comes back to haunt Praneshacharya inflashbacks as it
acquires new meanings and brings new dilemmas for him. Following his
new found experience, he seeks Mahabala whomhe had earlier scorned
and now hewould give anything to have the latter as hisfriend once more.
Naranappa and Mahabala become his signposts now that he has started
seeking the new world. He understands that morally he has no right to
continue as the spiritual head of the agrahara and that he must chart a
new path. He has transgressed and sinned against Brahmin theologyand
no longer wants to consult the scriptures, he will seek for answers by
himself.And, mostimportantly, thecarnalinstinctsgraduallyovertake him.
Theincident withChandrihasopenedthefloodgates forPraneshacharya’s
new lease of life; he desperately yearns for sensual pleasures and also
thinks ofBelli, the other low-caste woman: Who is it? Who could it be?
Belli of course; yes Belli. Imagining her earth-coloured breasts he had
never reckoned with, his body grew warm. (pg. 71) A complete
transformationtakes placein the protagonist, the ‘crest jewelofVedanta’
as he embarks ona quest afterthe superficialmask has been discarded. In
fact he is confronted by the universal dilemma of a man who finds no
supportunderneathasthe ground seems to slip awayfromunder his feet,
more so because he has been unseated from his secure, codified
existence. Thelossofhis earliersocialroleisperhapsawayorpathtowards
a new beginning, a sort of enlightenment. In a way, Praneshacharya
representsthecrisis ofhis ownsocietywhichcannot beperpetuallyguided

Panthapriyo Dhar
The Acharya stood up, looked at Padmavati. Long hair, not yet
oiled after a bath; plump fleshy thighs, buttocks, breasts. Tall,
long-limbed. A gleam in the eyes, an expectation. A waiting.
Must have had a ritual bath in the river afterher monthly period.
Breasts rise and fall as she breathes in and out. They’ll harden
at the tips if caressed in the dark. (pg. 107)
Praneshacharya’stransformationiscomplete.Amongthenumerous
vicissitudes ofthenew life, it is inthe carnalpleasures offered bythelow-
caste womenthat Praneshacharya finds solace, comfort and consolation.
MeenakshiMukherjee’scomment inthis context is veryrelevant:
The sensuousness of the women outside the agrahara
is raised to a symbolic level by repeated mythic references to
Urvashi, Menaka and Matsyagandha - ‘temptress of the sages’.
The apsaras stand outside social and ethical parameters and
embody in them the feminine essence unfettered by familial
relationships. Thus the withered Bhagirathi and the luscious
Chandri are both symbolic figures in the dream landscape of
Praneshacharya’s journey. (2009; pg. 88)
The protagonist experiences a newness, a sudden spurt, a
rejuvenationofsorts,and above allanew definitionoflife that canonlybe
fulfilled byphysicalpleasures offered bythe womenwho arethe lowest in
the socialhierarchy.
Emancipation has diverse connotations, and in Praneshacharya’s
case, it is a release fromthe shackles of religious orthodoxydictated by
strict scriptural codes. His sensualaspects, so long suppressed under a
self-inflictedabstinence, asasort ofreligiouspractice, islet offinfullvigour
and forceafter the encounter withChandri.As he facesthe world outside
the agrahara, hesoaks himselfinallits pleasures, the uninhibited life has
nothing ofthe starkness and sterilityofDurvasapura or eventhe stench

Panthapriyo Dhar
Rath, S.P. “ Samskara/Samsara/Shankara : Word -Play and
Construction ofMeaning in U.R.Anantha Murthy’s Samskara” in
Baral, K.C. et al. edited Samskara : A Critical Reader. Pencraft
International, Delhi, 2009.Print.

Kinshuk Chakraborty
existentialviewpointoflife. Thethemeofthemoralelevationofmanserves
as the sole basis for the work. And the readers leave the hero, Augie
March, at the moment where there is hope that hisfate willimprove.
If good and evil are equally unreasonable, it is impossible to
discriminate among the various senses inwhich reason maybe said to be
“beyond goodand evil” and the result is nihilism(Rosen57).WithHegel,
Cartesianidealismand the reductionofexistence to thought, that is to say,
to knowledge reachestheir zenithwiththe beliefthat God is onlyGod in-
so-far as He knows himself, and this self-knowledge is therefore both
God’s self-consciousness in man and man’s self-knowledge in God.
“Being”,saysMartinHeidegger,“isbeingtowardsdeathandnothingness”,
asourceofknowledge, whileforSartre, nothingnessisthebasisoffreedom
(20). Bellow’s attitude, like Hegelian system, finally close the cycle of
rationalismwiththe conclusionthat therationalis the realwhich becomes
his mind’s transparent sphere to which nothing more can be added.
Ever sincethepublicationof DanglingMan in1944, SaulBellow,
a Nobel-Prize winner, has been much inlight, and has beenthe focus of
the critical enquiries, and no American novelist since Melville has dared
moresuccessfullythanBellowto dramatizetheintellectuallife. Asignificant
example ofthis is his TheLast Analysis (1964), a playwhich both mocks
and builds uponpsychoanalysis. Inthe play, theclownturned psychiatrist,
lawyer, Winkleman complains, “The suckers had their mouths open for
sucks—he fed themAristotle, Kierkegaard, Freud.”(Bellow “The Last”
10) Its hero—anold comedian-seeks to rescue himselffromnonentityby
re-enacting his ownpsychic history. In Bellow’s ownversion, the play’s
“...realsubjectis themind’s comicalstruggle for survivalinanenvironment
ofIdeas.” (Bellow“The Last” 6). Onemaygo furtherandcontendthat the
mind’scomicalstruggle withideas hasbeenBellow’s realsubject since the
turnofhis career withtheappearance ofTheAdventuresof Augie March,

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