Representation of Postcolonial Indian Women: Bimla and Nanda Kaul in Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day and Fire on the Mountain

Abstract

Patriarchal societies in many respects, as history witnesses, sideline women and consider them inferior to men. In these societies, men treat women as servants and use tools of patriarchy to silence their voices, although they contribute equally, and sometimes more substantially, to the development of a nation where their contributions are not duly acknowledged. In postcolonial Indian society, women are regarded as mere “objects” and “others.” As a leading figure of the twentieth century Indo-Anglican fiction, Anita Desai holds a vision of feminism that addresses the confrontation of women against patriarchal oppression. In most of her novels, middle-class women in contemporary India strive to overcome societal limitations imposed by patriarchy. Desai differs from other feminists as she emphasizes individual salvation through self-exploration and motivation. This article is an attempt to discover how women suffer silently and look for freedom in Desai’s famous novels Clear Light of Day and Fire on the Mountain. The article highlights two of her leading characters, Bimla and Nanda Kaul, who struggle to conquer the challenges of patriarchy, and seek freedom, identity, voice and dignity.

Keywords:

• Silence
• postcolonial
• patriarchy
• alienation
• identity crisis
• freedom

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohammad Shafiqul Islam

Mohammad Shafiqul Islam is Associate Professor in the Department of English, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh. The areas he is interested in include poetry and literary translation. In addition to Postcolonialism and Translation Studies, he likes to work on Modern, Postmodern and South Asian literatures. Dr. Islam is the author of Wings of Winds, and translator of Humayun Ahmed: Selected Short Stories and Aphorisms of Humayun Azad. His poetry, translation and research articles have appeared in Critical Survey, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, Asia Pacific Translation and Intercultural Studies, The NEHU Journal, Poem: International English Language Quarterly, Lunch Ticket, Dibur, Crossings, Chaos, Bengal Lights, and elsewhere.

Rama Islam

Rama Islam, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Metropolitan University, Sylhet, Bangladesh, is a PhD candidate in the Department of Indian Comparative Literature, Assam University, India. Her areas of interest include Feminism, Postcolonialism, Cultural Studies, Transnational Literature and Comparative Literature. Her research articles have appeared in various journals at home and abroad.