Author: -

Abstract: »Shashi Deshpande's novels are centered round female characters who play a vital role in establishing social harmony and prosperity. She depicts the miserable plight of the contemporary middle-class, urban Indian women who find themselves confused between the opposing forces of “modernity” and “tradition”. Her novel, Small Remedies focuses not only on a single woman character but on three women from three different backgrounds but with common plight of tragic suffering and alienation. The novel is structured as a biography within a biography. It is about Savitribai, the famous classical singer who has become old now. It is also about Leela who overcomes her personal tragedy to serve the poor workers of a Bombay suburban locality. The novel is also the story of Madhu who narrates and apparently builds a link between the other characters. Her another novel, The Binding Vine explores themes of rape, human relationships, woman's bonding, death and fear. It is also based on the story of two incidents of rape - one is marital rape while the other is the rape of a young Indian girl by one of her relatives. This also deals with the personal tragedy of Urmi who suffers both as a mother and as a wife. Urmi’s role as a mother is like an oak and her daughter, Anu, is like a creeper around her. However, as a wife, she faces a reverse situation - she is a sensitive vine and she needs her husband, Kishore as an oak to wind herself around and seek support. The novelist passes on the message through her novel to the Indian women that until the women have the courage and come ahead to make their own way of success, they will not achieve the status. One has to struggle hard and fight courageously to get and preserve the independent identity. No doubt, there are many problems but these may be overcome if there is hard determination and real will to resist.« (Source: Anusandhanvallari)

Contents:

	Abstract (p. 75)
	Introduction (p. 75)
	Representation of Female Characters in Small Remedies (p. 76)
	Representation of Female characters in The Binding Vine (p. 78)
	References (p. 80)

Wikipedia: History of Asia: History of India | Literature: Indian literature / Shashi Deshpande, Small Remedies | Sex and the law: Rape / Rape in India