Deshpande's That Long Silence Final
Short Description
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Description
Lesson No.1
As the preface to Jasbir Jain’s book Writing Women across Cultur Culture’s e’s points points out
‘Writ ‘Writing ing Women’ omen’ is a comple complex x
verbal unit in itself. As Virginia Wolf has points out about the phrase women and ction which can have multiple meanings! ‘Writing Women’ also has a number of implications.
"t
can
mean
women
as
the#
write
the themsel mselve ves! s! or cons constr tru uct woman omanh hood$ ood$ the the# ma# ma# be feminine or feminist in their approach. %or women writing becomes a platform from which the# &uestion! formulate! resist esist and and asser assertt them themse selv lves es.. 'he# 'he# writ write e thei theirr bodi bodies es!! &ues &uesti tion on fami famili lial al and and soci social al cons constr truc ucts ts and and ther there e is a noti notice ceab able le shift shift in thei theirr writ writin ing g from from sub( sub(ec ecti tivi vit# t# to a wider
per perspec pectiv tive
through
which
the#
discu scuss
the the
vuln vulner erabi abili lit# t# of all all huma human n bein beings gs irre irresp spec ecti tive ve of thei theirr being men or women. 'he# no longer accept social and religious institutions which are the given norm Women’s writing has grown immensel# in both regional and the )ngl )nglis ish h lang langua uage ge and and it re*e re*ect cts s thei theirr intel intelle lect ctua uall and and crea creati tive ve abili abiliti ties es.. 'her 'here e is no doubt doubt that that wome women n have have trav raverse rsed a long distan stanc ce from from the kin kind of writi ritin ng practiced b# +amata ,as and her generation of writers. -a#ant -a#antara araeh ehgal gal and Anita Anita ,esai ,esai began began with with femini feminine ne /
and feminist concerns but evolved into writers with post0 femini feminist st concer concerns. ns. %rom rom probi probing ng the ps#che ps#che of women women the# progressed to exploring the ps#che of man as well. 'he women characters the# portra# are not &uite! submis submissive sive$$ victim victims s but rebel rebelli lious! ous! bold! bold! asserti assertive ve and independent individuals. 'he# have the capacit# to face all the hardships of life and nd wa#s of compensating for their shortcomings in their relationships. 'he image of the married women has also undergone tre tremen mendous dous chan change ge in the the cti ction on writt ritten en b# women omen toda#. 'he ita! avitri image is replaced with that of a woman who combines modernit# and individualit# with tradition. 'he# are more vocal about their sexualit# and re(e e(ect the the ste stereot#p ot#piical cal roles oles gen generall rall# # assi assign gne ed to married women. Women writers no longer regard men as thei theirr enem enemie ies. s. 'he# 'he# chall challen enge ge the the earli earlier er per percepti ception ons s about men and re*ect the pressure on their minds to live up it the gender roles constructed b# patriarch#. Women’s writ writin ing g not not onl# onl# pro( pro(ec ects ts the the obse observ rvat ation ions! s! status status and and struggle of women it also re*ects the gender constructs framed b# ‘kinship! marriage and procreation.’ "t raises &uestions of oppression and coloni1ation. While the idea of female ‘self ’ has to some extent shown the concept of 2
all the inclusive male ‘"’! Women’s writing is engaged in changing traditional concepts and denitions. "t is also said that the writing of women is the literature of silence because it makes an e3ort to give voice is all that has been submerged and suppressed. "ndi "ndian an wome women’ n’s s writ writin ing g has has also also come come of age. age. All All earlier women’s writing dwellsupon the oppression and su3ering of women. 4owever! though the focus remains on the condition of women the image has changed from the oppressed to the dominating gure of women. -ow women are not the helpless creatures &uietl# bearing the behavior of the men who are too bus# is give them the love and attention that the# crave for. hashi,eshpande is one such writer who unlike some of her contemporaries presents the image of a new woman in "ndia! one who can combine tradition with modernit# and is never afraid. he takes things in her stride and nds solutions to all the problems that come her wa# she is not wallowing in self0 pit# pit# and and sorr sorrow ow!! she she is comp compas assi sion onate ate!! unde underst rstan andi ding ng and caring. he does not look at man as an enem# or opponent but gives him as much concern as she shows for for wome women. n. %amil amil#! #! trad tradit itio ions ns and and thei theirr in*u in*uen ence ce on people are carefull# studied and anal#1ed b# her. 5
Among
the
recent
women
novelists
of
"ndia
hashi,eshpande occupies a front0 ranking position. 6orn in /758 in ,harwad! +arnataka! daughter of the famous +ann +annad ada a dram dramat atis istt and and ans anskri kritt scho schola larr rir riran anga ga!! she she inherited the legac# of writing from her father who is a veteran writer and artist. he moved to 9umbai at the age of fteen! graduated in economics and then ac&uired a degr degree ee in law law at 6ang 6angal alor ore. e. he he also also did did her her post post00 graduation in :iterature and is now settled in 6angalore with her pathologist husband. ,espite her fora# into a number of elds! ,eshpande has a penchant for writing which also covers a vast arena of (ournalism! short0stor# writing and novel writing. ,eshpande’s short stories are collected collected in ve volumes entitled entitled The Legacy and Other ;/7= >=!! It Stories ;/7< was The Nightingale and Other Stories
;/78>= followed followed
b# The Miracle and Other Stories in the same #ear and The Intrusion and Other Stories ;/775=. he has written
ten novels The Dark Holds No Terror ;/78?=! ;/78?=! If I Die Today ;/782 ), Coe u! and "e Dead ;/ ;/785=! #oot #oots s and and ;/787=! =! $ Matter of Shadows ;/785 ), That Long Silence ;/787 Tie ;/77>= Sall #eedies ;2???=! "inding %ine ;2??2 ),
;2??8= Mo&ing On ;2??@=! and In the Country of Deceit ;2??8= @
,esh ,eshpan pande de mirr mirrors ors cont contem empo pora rar# r# soci societ et# # thro throug ugh h her work. A realist at heart she relates her stories with the the worl orld and and the the peop peoplle arou aroun nd her her. he he does oes not not erotic oticii1e or tr# tr# to crea create te a worl orld full full of wonde onderr and and fascination but keeps her characters deepl# rooted in the world the# occup#. 'he# are all ordinar# human beings struggling to survive in the world in which their desires are frustrated! their dreams unfullled! the drudger# of their existence persistent and the# are on the lookout for tang tangib ible le and and work workab able le solut solutio ions ns to the the prob proble lems ms the# the# face. 'he# are not escapists! if the# make an attempt to run run awa# awa# it is onl onl# a temp tempor orar ar#! #! mome moment ntar ar# # loss oss of courage but! the# ultimatel# return to face the situation bravel#. As ,eshpande believes running awa# is not the answer to an# problem! to face it! accept it and then to solve it should be the wa# to deal with life. ,eshpande generall# presents her stories through a single narrator’s mind mind.. :ik :ike in the the stre stream am of consc conscio ious usne ness ss nove novels ls the the reader embarks on a (ourne# through the mind of protagonist learning about the narrator and the world he inhabits.
'hus
memor#
pla#s
a
signicant
role
in
,eshpande’s novels and the chronological order or often
disrupted as the reader moves back and forth in time and learns about the protagonist’s life. Bfte Bften n labe labele led d a femi femini nist st she she prot protes ests ts Whe When n " sit sit down to write! "’m (ust a writer m# gender ceases to matter to me. " am concerned with the same problems an# writer is! the problem of language narrative structure! continuit#D ;'riting froThe Margins and Other (ssays p./@ p./@@= @= how howeve ever! women omen have ave alw alwa#s a#s occu occupi pie ed her attention and she does focus on the feminine ps#che. 9ost of her novels deal with troubled marital relationships and the loneliness and alienation experienced b# women in the apparentl# normal relationship that the# have with their husbands and families. A lot of research has been devoted to the stud# of her women protagonist and her feminist leanings. 4owever a deeper look into her work revea eveals ls that that ,esh ,eshpa pand nde e cons consid ider ers s men men to be e&ua e&uall ll# # oppr oppres esse sed d and and trou troubl ble ed not onl onl# due due to the the mari marita tall relationship but due to various other factors in their lives. 9ost of her novels ma# trace the lives of professional middle0class deant heroines who after having married men men of the their choi choice ce mome momen ntari taril# l# stra stra# # awa# awa# onl onl# to return after the reali1ation dawns on them that life has not been kind to the men as well. he does not alwa#s >
trea treatt wome women n as tar targets gets in the the patr patria iarrchal chal set set up but! but! re*ects upon the condition of men as well. he seems to believe like bell hooks that feministD writing does not tell us about the inner miser# of men. he bellies the claims of critics who state that for all women writers the male is a representation of patriarchal order and domination. he has a balanced point of view regarding the man0woman relationship and ob(ectivel# describes it in all her works. he realises that gender is a cultural construct and not necessaril# natural come out of the biological sex of an indi indivi vidu dual al.. As 6eau 6eauvo voir ir’s ’s famou famous s state stateme ment nt regar egardi ding ng women not being born a woman bespeaks of how women becomes a woman! ,eshpanderealises that man too is not totall totall# # capabl capable e of livin living g freel# freel#.. Eatriar atriarch# ch# has also also provided a framework of masculinit#! which needs to be practiced and followed b# men. 'his leads to the pressure on a man’s mind as to how he can fulll the expectations that societ# and his famil# have of him. ,eshpande shows the attitude of a humanist in dealing with men. he is bala balanc nced ed in her her view viewpo poin intt and and ob(e ob(ect ctiv ivel el# # disc discus usse ses s marriage and human relationships without re*ecting an# bias bias thou though gh her her
inclin clinat atio ion n
women’s issues. <
is towa towarrds high ighligh lighti tin ng
'hat :ong ilence is the stor# of Ja#a and 9ohan. "t begins at a (uncture when 9ohan is facing some trouble at work and is being asked to leave his (ob because some allegations of business malpractice are being investigated against him. Ja#a’s familiar world is shattered and them life is disrupted because her husband’s reputation is at stake and their future uncertain. Ja#a who is herself a writer who has not succeeded in her career is haunted b# past
memories.
4er
alienation
from
her
husband!
disappointment with her teenaged children added to the claustrophobia of her childhood F all begin to surface. he has lived as a wife and mother for the past seventeen #ears! but her return to her small suburban *at in 6omba# makes Ja#a introspect and grapple with the issues that have disturbed her peace. he also picks up courage to face the truth about herself as a wife! as a writer! as a daughter. "t is an existential anal#sis of Ja#a’s life. Ja#a is tr#ing to face the facts that she is afraid of certain things and has failed as a writer. he realises that a long silence has prevailed in her life and it is time to erase it! also there is an inherent fear of anger in her mind which makes her maintain that silence despite all odds odds ,esh ,eshpa pand nde e has has comp compas assi sion onat atel el# # rende enderred her her 8
understanding of human relationships with tolerance. 'his is what makes the novel strong and powerful in its e3ect. Lesson no 1 (Question -Answers)
/. What does the the phrase ‘writing women’ impl#G Ans. Ans. Writi riting ng wome women n is a comp comple lex x phra phrase se as Virgi irgini nia a Woolf’s ‘women and ction’. "t can mean various things. "t can mean women as the# write themselves! women as the# construct womanhood or how the# are written about b# men. 6ut general rall# women’s writi ritin ng becomes a platform from which the# &uestion! formulate! resist and assert themselves. 'he# write about their bodies! the# &ues &uesti tion on fami famillial ial and and soc social ial con constru struc cts and and the there is notice noticeabl able e change change in their their writin writing g more more recen recentl# tl#.. %rom rom sub(ectivit#
the#
have
shifted
focus
to
a
wider
pers perspe pect ctiv ive e whic which h talk talks s abou aboutt the the vuln vulner erab abil ilit it# # of all all human beings irrespective of their sex and gender. 2. 4ow
ha s
the
image
of
women
changed
in
contemporar# "ndian women’s writingG Ans. )arlier "ndian women writers focused on the married women. 9ost of these women were oppressed and felt victim victimi1e i1ed d b# relig religion ion and marria marriage. ge. 'hese 'hese instit instituti utions ons 7
forced them to remain passive recipients of whatever was given to them. 4owever! 'he 'he ita! avitri image has now been been repla eplace ced d b# the the prof profes essi sion onal al educ educat ated ed mode moderrn women
who
combine
tradition
and
modernit#.
"ndi "ndivi vidu dual alit it# # and and asser asserti tive vene ness ss are are the the &ual &ualit itie ies s the# the# possess. 'he# are vocal about their needs and desires and re(ect the stereot#pical roles generall# assigned to women. women. 'he# 'he# &uesti &uestion on relig religiou ious s and social social instit instituti utions ons.. 'he# also do not look at men as their greatest enemies as earlier writers did. 'he# are tr#ing to voice the concerns that that wer were earl earlie ierr subm submer erge ged d bene beneat ath h the the sile silenc nce e that that the# were forced to imbibe and practice. 5. 4ow is hashi,eshp hashi,eshpande ande di3erent di3erent from other "ndian women writersG Ans. hashi,eshpande has ve volumes of short stories! about ten novels and various other articles and essa#s to her credit. 'he# most noticeable di3erence is that she is realistic and does not fantasi1e or erotici1e facts she is rml# rooted in contemporar# realit#. he is also capable of rising above the anger and animosit# that some writers express for male characters in their ction. he shows compassion
and
places
greater /?
value
on
human
relationships than on the assertion of women’s rights. As she sa#s her gender ceases to matter to her when she begins to write. he does not like being called a feminist and shows an ob(ective undertaking of women well as women.
Lesson 2 That Long Silence : Textual Textual Analysis Analy sis
'he text has an epigraph from a speech b# )li1abeth Hobins! actress! pla#wright! novelist and su3ragette that refers toI 'hat long silence of one half of the world.D 'his is not (ust the source of the title but it refers to the thrust of the novel which deals with women and their generall# assumed silence. Women are not (ust re&uired to remain silent in a male0dominated world! the# become accustomed to keep &uiet and Hobins avers in the speech from from whic which h this this line line is tak taken that that if men men wer were cari caring ng enou enough gh the# the# woul would d them themse selv lves es feel feel unea uneas# s# abou aboutt the the silence the# have repressed women into. 'he# would not //
onl# onl# feel feel unco uncomf mfort ortab able le but but also also perh perhap aps s guil guilt# t# abou aboutt restr estric icti ting ng the the spee speech ch and and lang langua uage ge of wome women. n. John John!! tua tuart rt 9ill 9ill in his his !n the Su"#ection of $o%en& has also also spok spoken en about about one half of the worl'& as being oppressed and silenced. 4e feels that this silence should now be broken and (ustice be done to that half of the world rld
b#
providing
e&ual opportun tunities
to
wome omen.
Alth Althou ough gh has hashi hi,e ,esh shpa pan nde refuse fuses s to be labe abeled a feminist feminist and almost all her novels have protagoni protagonists sts who are women professionals temporaril# alienated from their husbands but the# return to their homes . 'his is because as she sa#s the situation is not resolved b# running awa# but b# sta#ing amidst the problem and nding a solution to it. Tha That Long Silen ilenc ce D is a novel in which ,eshpande describes the stor# of Ja#a and her husband who after leaving lived together for more than a decade and a half are unable to continue together in life an# more. While telling her own stor# Ja#a discusses about the lives of other women around her. 'he impression one gets is that ,eshpande is using Ja#a as a spokesman for her own s#mpathetic consideration of the lot of women. 'he text of the novel is divided into four parts with no chapter divisions except for spaces in between di3erent /2
sections to indicate a shift in the focus from one idea to another or one character to another. "t has a rst person narrative form and Ja#a the protagonist of the novel is herself a writer. 'he narrative begins with a statement regarding the need to be ruthless if one wants to be a saint saint!! pain painte terr or writ writer er.. )mot )motio iona nall invo involv lvem emen entt mak makes writing di3erent task as she sa#s ‘self0revelation is a cruel process’ ;p./= and the real ‘#ou’ never emerges because what di3erent people think about #ou is like ten di3erent face faces s re* e*ec ecte ted d in ten ten di3e di3errent ent mir mirrors. ors. he he want wants s to detach herself and write about herself from a distance and when she tries to make a bio0data of herself the onl# facts that seems relevant to her are her birth! the death of her father when she was fteen! her marriage with 9ohan and her two children ;the third was not allowed to live=. live=. 'hisanal#sis 'hisanal#sis of herself herself in a wa# wa# highligh highlights ts what is considered
important
about
a
women’s
life
in
a
patriarchal societ#. A woman is generall# thought of as performing an important role if she is a good daughter! wife or a mother. :aunching upon the (ourne# of self0revelation from these basic details Ja#a recalls the seu'o-uritanis%& after the death of 9ahatma andhi when as a #oung girl she /5
was discoura ourag ged from listenin ning to 4indi l lm m songs beca becaus use e the# the# were were rega regard rded ed!! as vulg vulgar ar b# her her fathe fatherr. 4owever! like all other desires a women has to control! she could never express her eagerness to listen to lm music or see the ads preceding a movie because even her husband did not like them. he found these ads with happ# families ver# ‘fair#0tale’ ‘f air#0tale’ like and attractive. 'he# spelt ‘sheer poetr#’ to her h er.. hethen thinks about the present state of her famil#! she recalls having come to the ,adar *at onl# ten da#s ago and the dinner time scene she recalls is of an apparentl# happ# famil# but the scu% of hostility oating to the to*+ %arring a
'his obvi obviou ousl sl# # desc descri ribe bes s the the *laci' *laci' clean clean surfa surface. ce.&& 'his undercurrent of tensions that are underl#ing the happ# life that the# are supposed to be leading. 9ar 9arriag riage e has has alwa alwa#s #s been been cons consid ider ered ed the the drea dream m and and destin# of a womanKs life but Ja#a realises that it simpl# provides an illusion of happiness. :ik :ike imone de 6eau 6eauvo voir ir who who talk talks s abou aboutt the the ter terribl rible e drudge drudger# r# of the the hous housew ewif ifeK eKs s exist xisten ence ce that that for forces ces her her into into the the same same activities da# in and da# out Ja#a too observes! L" had to admi admitt the the trut truth h to m#se m#self lf0t 0tha hatt " had had foun found d fami famil# l# life life /@
unen unendu durab rable le.. Worse orse than than an#t an#thi hing ng else else had had been been the the unchanging pattern! the unending monoton#. " remember now how often " had sighed for a catastrophe a disaster! no! not a personal one! but an#thing to shake us out of our dull grooves.D ;page0= All of a sudden her peace is broken b# Lm# own special disasterL. 9ohan! her husband had once told her how he had seen people like themselves brought to the streets. ,ue to some reason he felt felt thr threate eatene ned d with with the the same same fate fate and and thou though gh no details are given. 9ohan talks about the manner in which the families were placed in an awkward situation b# the men. men. "ma "magi gine ne putti putting ng #our #our fami famil# l# in such such situ situati ation on it seem seems s total totall# l# irre irresp spon onsi sibl ble e to me.D me.D Ja#a Ja#aKs Ks obse observa rvati tion on that she should have taken the stor# told b# 9ohan as an omen of their own future suggests that their life has gone awa#
and
the#
are
no
longer
secure.
When the# were were pushed pushed into a similar similar situation situation she felt like rebuking him for it but she realised this revenge would not be fair. 'he &uestion she asks is ver# telling K6ut have " ever been a trodden wormGK "n their relationship she had allowed him to have an upper hand initiall# but then the# had developed what she describes ‘as a 'eli K... in whi which 'elicat catel ely y "alanc "alance' e' relat relatio ions nshi* hi*K... /
the# had Ksni**e' o, "its of ourseles to ee* the scales on an een neel .K 'he give and take of the
marital situation! the compromises one has to make and her feeling tha that the# are Ka pai pair of bullocks #oked togetherK which is reiterated a number of times and is suggestive of the compulsion of two persons to remain toge togeth the er desp despiite the their di3 di3erence ences. s. 'he 'he# have ave bee been marrie ried for for sev seventeen #ears and #et the# are two person persons0 s0 KA 9an! 9an! A woman. woman.’’ )mphasi )mphasisin singth gtheir eir separat separate0 e0 ness. 4owever the the novel does not show an extreme feminist bias because of the understanding she shows towards her husband who has suddenl# changed from a conde condent nt self self0assur 0assured ed man was now a Ksad bewild bewilder ered ed manK... KA sad obsessed 9an reconciled to failure...K he also states that it was not Khe who had relin&uished his authorit#K but she who no longer allowed him to exercise it. he he tal talks abou aboutt the the gue guerrill rilla a warfa arfarre one one has has to practice in famil# life b# subtl# resisting the attempt of other to intrude into one’s space. 9ohan alwa#s felt he had been perfect in ever# role and relationship he was involved in. o much so that when he is caught up in some illegal case he tells Ja#a that whatever he had done />
was to prov proviide bett better er life life to her her and and thei theirr chil childr dre en. 4err thou 4e though ghts ts betra betra# # her her appr appreh ehen ensi sion ons s abou aboutt the the shame and ignoring the# would have to su3er because of his actions. he thinks that onl# suicide could save her famil# from social disgrace. 4owever! 9ohan refused to agree on the grounds that this would be scandalous. 4er fant fantas as# # had had made made her her thin think k of an esca escape pe that that woul would d move the hearts of people and prevent condemnation but as she thinks we who could not even decide upon a meal or a movi movie e with withou outt bick bicker erin ing0 g0 coul could d we have have chos chosen en death in such a harmon#G Bne of his colleagues colleagues -air had resorted to such a drastic action to save himself. 4e had been openl# corrupt. 6ut Aggarwal another colleague who was also involved was tr#ing to save them from disaster. o the# had shifted to the ,adar *at for some time and 9ohan had taken leave. :uckil#! the children were awa#. 'he condition of an "ndian wife who is taken for granted b# her husban band is re*ected in Ja#aKs ass asserti rtion M K" remember now that he had assured " would accompan# him! had taken for granted m# ac&uiescence in his plans. o had had "!i "!ita ta foll follow owin ing g her her husb husban and d into into exile xile! !av avit itri ri dogging death to reclaim her husband!,raupadi stoicall# sharing her husbandKs travails...K he re*ects she had (ust /<
gone along with his plans because the# were two bullocks #oked together and it is more comfortable for them to move together in one direction. Ja#a recalls 9ohanKs love for orderliness in the home which is contrasted with her parental home. he herself had cle cleane aned the the *at con consci scienti entiou ousl sl# # when hen the the# had shifted to this *at. he had been named KJa#aK for victor#. 'here is also a reference reference to a man named +amat who seems to know Ja#a and her nature ver# well. he recalls a stor# told to her when she was a child about a crow and a sparrow and the lesson to be inhibited from it was to become like the sparrow who sta#ed at home and looked afte afterr the babi babies es!! K
keep eep out the the rest rest of the wor world ld and and
#ouKre safeK. 6ut after the experiences she has had! she has learn arnt
the
lesso sson
K#o K#ouKre Kre
never
safe afeK.;p .;page/?
silent to maintain at least the faTade of an ideal marriage life. 9arriage which sounds like a magic ke# to ever#thing a girl desires in life it turns out to be a diNcult experience particularl# for girls belonging to lower classes. 9arriage dooms women to eternal drudger# and -a#ana does not want to have a daughter not because she is cra1# to have a son but because she does not want a girl child to su3er as she herself had done. 4owsoever! a man ma# treat his famil# and his wife the +umkum on a women’s forehead is the thing that gives a women respectabilit# in societ# 9iddle class women go outside the home to work out of choice. 'he# are not treated as badl# as the lower class wome omen but but mar marriag riage e remain mains s the their onl onl# car career and and dest destin in# #. 'he# 'he# are are torn torn betw betwee een n the the old old and and the the new new because the# are well0educated. 'heir fathers encourage their growth as individuals but other male members of the famil# represent patriarchal constraints. Ja#a! like all other girls is taught to regard her husband as a sheltering tree and to accept ever#thing without &uestion or retort. As a sheltering tree the husband has to be nourished and matured. As Virginia Woolf and other feminists assert it is in the e#es of the wife that the husband nds an in*ated image of himself and gains condence to face the world. >/
A womenKs anger can undermine his autho thorit rit# and and condence so she remains silent and learns to do onl# that which is expected of her and she is allowed to do withou withoutt censur censure. e. 6# renam renaming ing Ja#a ;victo ;victor#= r#=!! uhasi uhasini ni whic which h mean means s La soft soft!! smil smilin ing! g! plac placid id!! moth mother er moth motherl erl# # woman! 9ohan in a wa# assigns her the role he wants her to pla#. he is like cla# which moulds itself according to the wa# in which the sculptor shapes it. 6ut seventeen #ears after ter the their marri arria age she kno knows the the# are stil till separate A man. A woman. Ja#a tries her best to suppress her independent spirit! she feels su3ocated because her whole life is spent in pla#ing the role of daughter! sister! wife and mother and she can never be her KselfK. Waiting is the onl# thing that is permanent in her life. While living the life of a tra traditi dition onal al wife wife she she is temp tempte ted d to befr befrie ien nd +ama amat a midd middle le aged aged inte intell llec ectu tual al.. 4e enab enable les s her her to expr xpress ess hers hersel elff howe owever ver the their relat elatiionsh onshiip in spi spite of bein being g platonic is suspect in the e#es of neighbours like 9ukta. Ja#aKs fear of social disgrace makes her leave +amat alone l#ing dead in his *at. 4er creative urge is described as exhibitionism b# 9ohan so she has to curb her desire to write. 9arriage hinders Ja#aKs intellectual growth and >2
undermines her condence that a woman is a non0entit# without out her husban band is reiterated ted again and again through various incidents. )ven the educated ,r. . +. V#as tells her to come with her husband of course when he invites her over. over. he is granted no individualit# outside marriage. ,espite the ups and downs she experience! she cann cannot ot imag imagin ine e her her life life with withou outt 9oha 9ohan. n. 4i 4is s depa departu rture re deal deals s blow blow to her her and and she she begi begins ns to intr intros ospe pect ct and and examine their relationship afresh. he also begins to their con conde dent ntl# l# abou aboutt thei theirr futu future re as she she reali ealise ses s that that co0 existence is possible with compassion and understanding! not not thr through ough domi domina nati tion on!! sub( sub(ug ugat atio ion n or re(ec e(ecti tion on.. As aree
Earker
opinesML
the
important
insight
that
hashi hashi,es ,eshpa hpande nde imperi imperils ls throug through h Ja#a Ja#a is that that women women should accept their own responsibilit# for what the# are! see
how
much
the#
have
contributed
to
their
victimisation instead of putting the blame on ever#bod# except themselves. :ike post0feminist theorists Ja#a too shows the inherent strength in women. 'he# are capable of coming of the victim states and bracing themselves up for the their lives. 9ost wome omen su3 su3er silentl# tl# withou thoutt protesting or asserting themselves.
>5
'he existential dilemma of women is represented. represented. 'he# inhabit a hostile world with ver# little freedom of choi choice ce.. Ja#a Ja#a too too init initia iall ll# # blam blames es her her mar marriag riage e for for her her failures
but
nall#
acknowledges
that
our
own
inade&uacies are to blame for it. enerall# a husband is considered to be mentor and guide! to serve him is as good as serving od. 9ohan idealises his mother who neve neverr lost lost her her pati patien ence ce.. What Whatev ever er his his fath father er did did she she patientl# endured. :ooked fresh food for him and su3ered in silence. 'o him this was strength to Ja#a it is despair. A wife ife sacr sacri ice ces s her her nee needs for for the the sak sake of fami famil# l# gets gets exploited! su3ers! and die in silence like 9ohan’s mother and sister Vimila. Vanitamami Vanitamami and +usum are also passive and and subm submis issi sive ve.. 9ukta 9ukta is inde indepe pend nden entt and and is worki working ng afte afterr her her husba usban nd’s d’s deat death! h! but but she she repres presen ents ts how women who do not have a male child are treated in the societ#. Changes have come about in the s#stem and in the attitude towards marriage but the in*uence of patriarchal strictness have not been eliminated. Women accept the give given n cons constra train ints ts as the the natu natural ral wa# wa# of life life.. 'o foll follow ow tradi traditi tion on is the the grea greate test st virtu virtue. e. 'he 'he newe newerr0gen 0gener erate ated d whic which h are are more more enli enligh ghte tene ned d and and educ educat ated ed and and cann cannot ot >@
conform to the views of elderl# women. 'hus the rumb rumbllings ings of revol evoltt can be seen seen in Ja#a Ja#a.. he he can cannot not tolerate ate insults like 9oha ohan’s mother had don done. 4e measures her on the #ardstick of his mother’s behavior and this is what results in disharmon#. o! the institution of marriage has been thoroughl# anal#sed b# taking examples from the di3erent classes of societ#. 'he lower class women are more miserable as marriage is a slaver# for them! it a painful burden which is a necessar# evil as it gives them a dignit# without which the# would remain pla#things in the e#es of all men. 9arriage is a tool used to control the minds and bodie bodies s of wome women. n. 4owe 4oweve ver! r! ,eha ,ehapa pand nde e hold holds s woma woman n responsible to some extent for her own sub(ugation. 4er mind is not free from fear so self0assertion is not possible. "t is onl# when Ja#a acknowledges that she is free to choose that she breaks the self0 imposed barriers and has the courage to remain within the famil# and still emerge from the cocoon to erase the silenceD between herself and 9ohan. As long as a woman can think independentl# without male opinions to bias her she can full the aspirations of >
her mind. o ,eshpande suggests that b# accepting the respo espons nsib ibil ilit it# # for for one’ one’s s vict victim imis isat atio ion n is nece necess ssar ar# # to enab enable le wome women n
to
unde undert rtak ake e self self00anal anal#s #sis is and and self self00
understanding through vigilance and courage. Change is slow in coming but as Ja#a sa#s M I life has alwa#s to be made
possible.D
All
the
women
characters
in
,esh ,eshpa pand nde’ e’s s nove novels ls have have the the noti notion on thei theirr succ succes ess s is determined b# a successful marriage and her characters like Ja#a are attempting to make it succeed. esh*an'e&s Techni3ue
With the onset of feminism "ndian Women’s Writing has has also also engag engaged ed itse itself lf in devi devisi sing ng verb verbal al strate strateg# g# for for re(ecting the literac# conventions of the male tradition and the historicall# accepted ‘standards’. ,eshapnde is one of the prominent writers who have created ripples in the societ# dominated b# men. he uses the stream of consciousness techni&ues takes us into the consciousness of her women characters to present them plight! desires! fears and ambitious. he pro(ects a realistic picture of the middle middle class educated women who is struggling struggling between tradition and modernit#. "n 'hat :ong ilence she explores the reasons for the silence of women. 'he rst person >>
narrative techni&ue is used to resister women’s protest against the world and the doubts and fears that plague Ja#a’s mind are highlighted through her ps#che Ja#a unde underrgoes goes grea greatt ment mental al trau trauma ma and and nal nall# l# come comes s to terms with all the irregularities of their marriage and their situ situat atio ion n. "nit "nitia iall ll# # she she is a t#pi t#pica call role ole0mo 0model del of the the traditional wife but as the process of introspection goes forward Ja#a relates that she has to gather strength and cour courag age e to face face the the truth truth and and resol esolve ve the the di3e di3errence ences s between herself and 9ohan b# breaking the silence. 'he narr narrati ation on is not not strai straigh ghtt forw forwar ard d and and the the chro chrono nolo logi gica call order is not linear. %lashbacks are commonl# used and the reader is taken back and forth in time. 'he stor# begins in the present and the nal chapter ends in the present but in between chapters are anachronic in nature. 'here is a slow unravelling of past memories and exposition of souls like in the interior monologue. ,eshpande often uses 9arathi words in her narrative. he also states in the opening pages of her narrative that to be a writer one has to be ruthless. Huthless because ob(ectivit# is also an essential attribute of writing and emotional involvement will not allow her to be so. "nterspersed with the narrative is a record of the dreams ><
has had on and o3 in her life. fe. ometimes the# are s#mbolic
of
wish0fullment
and
sometimes
of
her
frus frustr trat atio ion. n. ,esh ,eshpa pand nde e is desc descri ribe bes s as a matu maturre and and technicall# accomplished stor#0teller and this is evident in That Long Silence D. enerall# a book writer in the rst person of other characters but ,eshpande gives us an insight into 9ohan’s mind as much as she exposes the nature of Ja#a in the novel. "n fact Ja#a becomes the spokesman of the author and ob(ectivel# describes all the characters in the novel. 'he reader is introduced to the strength and weakness of ever# signicant character in the novel. ,eshpande is an experienced writer who has rounded her texts according to the need of the stor#
Lesson No. 4 The 5nter*lay "etween 6e%ininity an' asculinity
Alth Althou ough gh ,esh ,eshpa pand nde e upho uphold lds s the the righ rights ts of wome women n and expresses the s#mpath# for them she does not a radical feminist stand. "n her novel it is the silence which s#mbol s#mbolise ises s the failur failure e of commun communica ication tion betwee between n man and woman rather than (ust social structures that a3ect human relationships. he does not think that men alone are are respo espons nsib ible le for for the the sile silenc nce e of wome women. n. 6efo 6efore re the the /7
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