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<8= 8=!! It was Dark and Other Stories ;/78 ;/78>= >=!! 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/<=
'he focus them shifts to VanitamamiKs niece +usum +usum who is not reall# a favorite with Ja#a who wants to keep her (ust because 9ohan tells her not to 6urden herself with the responsibilit# of looking after her. +usum was mentall# sick and the onl# thing that deters Ja#a is the fact that her children ma# be a3ected b# +usumKs mental condition. 'he response of all the men in the famil# was the same and this aroused all the more s#mpath# for /8
+usum in the mind of Ja#a. +usum also provided Ja#a a chance of knowing herself and her life b# contrasting it with the formerKs. Ja#aKs thoughts return to their present situation which Kthe nothingness of what had seemed a bus# and full life was frightening.K he feels that 9ohan alwa#s knew exactl# what he wanted whereas she had been unsure about her own wants. K'o know what #ou want... " have been denied that K At present it is 9ohan who is uneas# and she who is comfortable in their life. he he recal ecalls ls her her gran grandm dmot othe herr A((i A((i who who had had been been ver# ver# enticed
of
Ja#aKs
behavior
towards
9ohan.
'hese
thou though ghts ts are are inte interrrupt rupted ed b# the the soun sounds ds of -a#a -a#ana naKs Ks sweeping. he was pregnant and wanted a male child because girls rls su3er because of men all their lives acco accord rdin ing g to here hereve ven n thou though gh she she curse cursed d all all her her male male relat elativ ives es and and call called ed them them ‘wastes+ goo'-for-noth goo'-for-nothing ing an' an'
'run 'runa ar r's. 's.K
While
she
is
conversing
with
-a#ana9ohan is watching her and she realises in spite of all her assertiveness she is free. he can feel the burden of
his
wanting!
the
burden
of
his
clinging.
Ja#a also contempla contemplates tes on the issue of contentmen contentment. t. he realises she is restless because of the waiting that a womenKs life entails. 'he plight of women who have to /7
start pla#ing the waiting game at a ver# earl# age! Wait until #ou get married. Wait until #our husband comes... " had done nothing but wait...K and now with the disaster that had occurred in their lives there would be no more waiting
in
their
lives.
9en
never
shoulder
the
respo espons nsib ibil ilit it# # of the the disa disast ster er the# the# let let loos loose e upon upon the the famil# because the# claim whatever the# did was for the sake of the famil# and as a wife she would remain an accomplice in the crime. Women are taught to dwell their attention awa# from the wrongdoings of their husbands. 'he situation was not much di3erent in the west. 'he examples
of
ouria
and
Heskolnikov
and
Aunt
6ertranKscounselling of %ann# Erice re*ects this. "ronicall# Vanita anitama mami mi had had desc descri ribe bed d a husb husban and d as Ka shel shelte teri ring ng tree. tree. ‘With ‘Without out the tree tree #ouKre #ouKre danger dangerous ousl# l# unpro unprotec tected ted and vulnerable. 'he tree has to be kept and alive even if it is wate waterred with with dece deceit it and and lies lies.. ,esp ,espit ite e her her crit critic ical al overvi rview of her relationship with her husband she she realises that his mind is also lled with ghosts of the past and and thes these e need need to be exorci orcise sed. d. 4i 4is s memo memori ries es of his his childhood
were
lled
with
wistfulness
about
the
innocence of his desires and his clear unclouded vision of the future. 4e recalls the song of the mulberr# bush as if 2?
he means to sa# that one ma# think life is progressing but one is actuall# (ust moving around in circles back to the same point. 4e spoke of the unpleasant memories of his his chil childh dhood ood!! his his domi domina natin ting g fath father er whose whose need needs s his his mother catered to despite all odds. 4e calls his mother tough women whereas Ja#a realises the bitterness and desp despai airr of the the wome women n who had to remai main sile silen nt and and surrender...Kilence
was
the
onl#
weaponK.
he
understood her 6etter because she herself was a woman. As her sis sister ter in law Vimala ala tells her about 9ohanKs anKs motherKs death and remarks that she could not share this with 9ohan Ja#a talks about Conspirac# of women which binds them together and which makes them keep each otherKs secrets. Ja#aKs comment that something links the destinies of Vimala and her motherK...the silence in which which the# died.K ee also talks of Vimala d#ing within a week after going to the hospital for treatment! with her silence intact. 'his part of the novel begins with a reference reference to the long silence that women have been sub(ected to through centuries of subordination which can emerge at times in the form of the h#steria that 9ohan’s mother expressed a week befo beforre she she die died. 'his 'hisse sect ctiion also also ends ends with with a 2/
reference to the silence remaining intact even when a woman dies. 'he idea of female bonding and the better understanding between women is also referred to through the the relati ationsh onshiip betw betwee een n Ja#a Ja#a and and Vimal mala! Ja#a a#a and and +usum usum!! Ja#a Ja#aKs Ks conc concer ern n for -a#a -a#ana na re*e re*ects cts.. 4owe 4oweve ver! r! ,esh eshpand pande e is not not bli blind to the the oppr oppres essi sion on that that men experience in their lives and her treatment of 9ohan is not condemnator#. condemnator#. :ater on the title will assume a greater signicance as the silence will also refer to the lack of communication between Ja#a and 9ohan which she sa#s needs
to
end
and
a
fresh
start
to
be
made.
Eart 2 refers to the fact that the return to the *at in ,ada adar is like a (our ourne# through memor# lane. 'he complexit# of human relationships is brought out through Ja#aKs description of how she had got this *at which ori origin ginall# all# belo belon nged ged to 9ak 9akaran arandm dmam ama a. "t had bee been passed on to the brother b# her uncle and he had in turn passed it on to her. When she tried to protest b# asking him what his wife eeta would sa#G ,ada had simpl# asked
KCa n
#ou
imagine
eeta
living
hereGK
'he
transformation of eeta into an upper0class being after going abroad added to the hostilit# she harbored in her 22
mind for her husbandKs sister could lead to trouble but this did not a3ect the camaraderie camaraderie between Ja#a and her ,ada ,ada at all. ,espit ,espite e their their ood relatio relationsh nship ip with their their other
maternal
aunt
Vanitam tamami!
Ja#a
ob(ectivel#
describes her character and sa#s that she claimed that she had looked after Chandumama and had a right to get the *at. Another thing to be noticed about Ja#aKs narrative is that unlike Afro0American writers who talk of the bonding between mothers and daughters and other women. 4owever! here women are hostile towards men. 6oth the grandmothers are not ver# pleasant women and Ja#aKs
relationships
with
other
women
around
her
including her mother are not all that congenial. "n fact the wome women n are are agen agents ts of patri patriar arch chal al auth authori orit# t# mor more than than an#thing else. Ja#aKs anal#sis of all the characters is extremel# extremel# ob(ective$ whether the# are women or men it does not matter. 9akarandmama is also discussed or being a rebel who did not pa# heed to the ob(ections of his famil# on his selection of acting as a profession. 4is looks did not match his courage and determination!4e hadweak chin! vuln vulner erabl able! e! unsu unsure re e#es e#esDt Dthe he mann manner er in whic which h he had had ac&uired the *at from a 9uslim actor who was in a hurr# 25
to get to Eakistan before partitionand how Vanitamami suddenl# became good to him because she came to know abou aboutt his his owne owners rshi hip p of that that *a *at. t. AiKs AiKs ;Ja# ;Ja#aK aKs s moth mother er== attitude towards her sister0in0law is &uite t#pical of the relationship the# share. he is sarcastic and critical about Vanitamami. Ja#a simpl# terms these as Lfamil# friends.L ;page0 @@= 9ohan had wanted to live in this *at till he got better better accommodati accommodation on had brought brought him and Ja#a back to the *at and to the memories of 9akarandmama. 'hese continue to haunt her when she comes to ,adar with 9ohan when he is tr#ing to escape the conse&uences of some some rash rash act act whic which h has resul sulted ted in a thr threat to his his position in his oNce. +usum is introduced in this section of the novel she is childless VanitamamiKs niece and adopted daughter and the weakest of her siblings. 6ut Ja#a states that her aunt had never learnt to choose because after her marriage she she had had alwa alwa#s #s been been domi domina nate ted d over over b# othe otherr A((i A((i.. "t looks a long time for Vanitamami and +usum to have their wa#. 'he famil# had not accepted +usum easil# and she had been terried ever# time she was told KHun +usum! ChandumamaKs comingK. Oet as Ja#a remarks! Bh well there is alwa#s the terrible tenacit# of the weak.D 2@
'he iron# of life is all those who are condemned while the# live are respected after death. When Ja#a narrates about
AiKs
instruction
to
,ada
not
to
remove
9aharandmamaKs photographs from the walls of the *at. K'he beautication of 9aharandama had alread# begun. We! who had been the scorned! the despised failure had become that familiar clichP0 'ragic genius who died #oung unrecogni1ed b# a stupid cruel world.’ Ai claims to have forced Appa to keep him but this is lies and despite all e3ort e3orts s
made made b# 9ohan 9ohan late laterr on to erase erase trac traces es of the
phot photog ogra raph phs s thei theirr recta ectang ngul ular ar shap shapes es seem seemed ed to re0 emerge on the walls. 'his is suggestive of the in*uence of the past on one’s life. 'he passage of time since their initial sta# at ,adar has has chan change ged d &uit &uite e a numb number er of thin things gs thou though gh all all the the people are the same. As Ja#a narrates! 6ut " could not sustain for long even the illusion that things were as the# had been. 'hi 'hings can never be as the# were.D 'he underl#ing meaning of these lines is not onl# that the people around them are the same but! "t was -a#ana not her mother0in0law! ona! carr#ing out the garbage. And! And! if it was sti still Ja#a! a#a! swab swabbi bing ng the the *o *oor or!! it was was a
2
chan change ged d Ja#a Ja#a!! minu minus s all all the the s#mb s#mbol ols s of wife wifeho hood od0h 0her er +umkum! her green bangles! her black beads.D 'his section also records the absence of Hahul and Hati! Ja#a’s children who have gone for a holida# with thei theirr frie friend nd Hupa upa and and her her fami famil# l#.. 6oth 6oth Hupa upa and and her her husband had excellent famil# backgrounds and this was one of the reasons wh# 9ohan wanted to develop good relat elatio ions ns with ith the them. :urk rkiing in the the bac backgr kgroun ound is a shadow that is haunting 9ohan and Ja#a. Wh# have the# shifted to ,adarG Wh# dose Ja#a feel that it is good that the children are not hereG At the same time she also realises Hahul had not gone readil# for the vacation. 'he reader comes to know that while Hati is a more livel# and intelligent person! Hahul her brother is more of a dreamer! not too interested in studies and the target of his father’s rebukes. 9ohan is unhapp# with his school resul sults and tries to tel tell him abo about his own own diNcult childhood despite which he had alwa#s obtained a rst class. 'he narrative re*ects the stream of consciousness in Ja#a’s mind. Ja#a’s focus the shifts to their present cond condit itio ion n as bein being g lik like the the wome women n s&ua s&uatt ttin ing g behi behind nd 2>
bushes in the earl# morning hours. 'he# would hide their faces so that no one recognised them. 9ohan and Ja#a were also running awa# from something 6ut it didn’t workD because even maids like -a#ana were curious to know wh# the# had returned to the ,adar *at without their children. o the# could not escape the unwanted attention. ome of the comments Ja#a makes about Jee(a and and othe otherr worki working ng wome women n doin doing g thei theirr veni venial al (obs (obs one one realises how diNcult it is to be a women and survive. )nduran rance and tol toleran rance were the the most ost importa rtant lessons ons tau taught to them b# life. fe. ,omestic tic violence! ce! alco alcoho holi lism sm!! the the reper epercu cuss ssio ions ns of bein being g barr barren en are are all all seem b# Ja#a in the lives of these women who as she sa#s give her relief from the drudger# of her life. As she sa#s if she had ‘An# little freedom " had depended on them! the continuit# of a women’s sad plight is made with reference to Jee(a whose son has taken the father’s place in creating problems for her. 4is wife and three children are Jee(a’s responsibilit#. 'he contrast between her hometown aptagiri and 6omb 6omba# a# is also also brou brough ghtt out. out. 'he 'he natu natura rall beau beaut# t# and and &uietude of aptagiri! and the ugl# gre#ness of 6omba# which still had some magic in its teeming life. fe. 'he 2<
demonstrations of workers and other mobs fascinated her mind. 4ow interesting it was to watch from the balconies mann manne er in which hich the the pol police disp dispe erse rsed the them. 9ohan ohan disapproved of her watching such sight and felt that it was safer to be shut up inside the home. "t is in this part that Ja#a talks about her marital relationship. 4ow little the# the# comm commun unic icat ated ed with with each each other other as she she sa#s sa#s the# the# ‘sto ‘stopp pped ed spea speaki king ng!! except cept for for the the esse essent ntia ials ls of dail dail# # living.’ While talking about the strange sounds of life! that surround her she also describes an incident of a woman bein being g bul bullie lied b# a man man and and #et #et unab unable le to break her silence. 'he iron# which is hinted at on and o3 through the the comm commen ents ts that that 9oha 9ohan n pass passes es abou aboutt me who who are are irrespon sponsi sibl ble e and and call callou ous s and and bei being trou troubl ble e to the their families is also spoken about is himself worried that he ma# have behaved irresponsibl# towards Ja#a and the famil#. 'he (ourne# down memor# lane takes Ja#a back to :ohanagar and steel plant where 9ohan had taken up his rst (ob. 'hen life had seemed so fresh and fortied with a sense of purpose. 6ut the past was not totall# bereft of shadows. 'he memor# of the strike in the factor# and waminathan ! the frustration of not being able to fulll all their nancial needs. 'hough simple living and high 28
thinking the motto of the andhian era should prevail the#
had
failed
in
actuall#
achieving
it.
Ja#a’s
recollections of her miscarriage! their shift to 6omba#! thei theirr impr improv oved ed nan nanci cial al stat status us are are inte inters rspe pers rsed ed with with incidents from the present such as -ilima’s visit to them *att to en&u *a en&uir ire e whet whethe herr the# the# need needed ed vege vegetab table les s from from vender. "t is her here that that a refe eference is made made to the the bodi bodill# processes of a women. 4ow -ilima and Hati handle their menstrual c#cles! Ja#a’s own feeling of triumph that after marriage she had been able to control her bod# and its discomforts. 4owever her bod# had gone berserle. he had been unable to tackle the situation and the reali ealisa sati tion on that that all all the the drug drugs s had had seri seriou ous s side side e3ec e3ects ts further
disturbed
her.
'he
contrast
between
the
sophisticated Hati and the almost uncouth -ilima is also emphasised and then there is a sudden reference to man in Ja#a Ja#a’s ’s past past who who live lived d ‘ups ‘upsta tair irs’ s’.. Ja#a Ja#a reali ealise ses s once once agai again n that that cove coveri ring ng one’ one’s s face face does does not not keep eep reali ealit# t# hidden from others. +amat had lived upstairs and he had been been more more unde underst rstan andi ding ng and and suppo support rtiv ive e to Ja#a Ja#a than than even 9ohan. Ja#a a#a recalls her father’s r’s dea death it was followed b# blankness and nothingness. -ow a girl called 27
Qsha lived in that *at. Ja#a’s elaborate discussion of the ritu ritual als s and and prac practi tice ces s of "ndi "ndian an wome women n thei theirr fact facts s and and pu(as "ronicall#! at this (uncture Ja#a also recalls that she is a wife and a mother and also that she has been writing a column ‘eeta’ for a newspaper. he probes the diaries she had been writing and sees a record of her whole life which was spent in domesticit# concentrating on meals to be cooked for the famil#. 'he contrast between their own chil childh dhoo ood d and and that that of thei theirr chil childr dren en is also also disc discus usse sed. d. 'he# never en(o#ed comforts that Hati and Hahul had. Ja#a’s musing also re*ects her compassion for the povert# stricken workers of the lower class. 'heir terrible condition despite government policies is highlighted and hiatus between the statistics given in papers and in real life are pointed out. Ja#a’s relationship with 9ohan is described rst through some moments of discord that the# experienced due to her professional inclinations also because she had once rudel# referred to his mother’s being a cook. 'he attitude of woman who is born and brought up according to patriarchal norms is re*ected in a reference to her girl cousin who refused to work because their grandmother told them to. When the# told her to make the bo#s in the 5?
famil# do the work! the# had laughed. ,uring the earl# da#s of her pregnanc# Ja#a had re&uested 9ohan to cook at the food and he had smiled. "n her persistence to make him do as she wanted she referred to his mother as a cook and this had led to a bitter &uarrel between them. "n her description of marital relationships ,eshpande never gives onl# the wife’s perspective here too she talks about 9ohan being shattered b# her anger. Ja#a is not a person who can &uietl# obe# the commands of others! not even her own mother’s and does not like an# interference in her career or the part of her husband. 6ut she had learnt to ad(ust. he has also changed over the #ears. he also anal#ses the character of the children and remarks that Hati was somehow assumed against unhappiness which Hahul was totall# vulnerable. Eerhaps Hati being a girl has learnt to brace herself to all kinds of situations whereas Hahul is weak. 'his ma# be due to mother’s extraordinar# or subconscious concern for the son. 9ohan somehow does not get along with Hahul! he seems to prefer Hevati his
niece
over
Hahul
the
so0c o0called
unforgettable
landmarks of their life and glossed over b# Ja#a. While she is ob(ectivel# anal#sing their relationship Ja#a records ‘od! how terrible it was to know a man so well.’ Ja#a’s 5/
inner fears are re*ected in the dreams she describes. he also also dwe dwells lls upon upon the the cir circums cumsta tan nces ces that that led led to her marriage marriage with with 9ohan. 9ohan. 'he# 'he# had met met at herHamuk herHamukaka’s aka’s house! house! her )nglish )nglish educati education on and speech reminded reminded him him of some sophisticated women he had come across in one of the houses his mother had worked in. 4is proposal had been welcomed b# her brother though her mother was doubtful. A reference to 9ohan’s fair complexion and her own own ‘hone ‘hone#0 #0go gold ld’’ colo colorr re*e re*ect cts s the the dema demand nd of almo almost st ever# man to have a fair wife. 'he initial #ears of their mar marriag riage e wer were base based d on pur purel# el# ph#s ph#sic ical al desi desirres and and needs. he had obe#ed his ever# re&uest! her world was centered around him and she grew tense of he came home home late late.. With ith the the pass passag age e of time time her her indi indi3e 3errence ence towards him had grown but in the present situation she agai again n begi begins ns to reth rethin ink k abou aboutt their their rela relati tion onshi ship. p. 'he# 'he# were
ph#s ph#sic ical alll#
toge togeth the er
with with
sepa separa rate te
indi ndividu vidual als s
entities. As she thinks man and woman it was then that " reali ealise sed d the the deep deep chas chasm m betw betwee een n the the two two. 'he# 'he# are are separated for even! never more than at the moment of total total ph#s ph#sic ical al toget togethe hern rnes ess.D s.D
9oha 9ohan n who had neve neverr
wanted her to be too professional! now wants her to take up a (ob in the changed circumstances. he had been 52
doin doing g (our (ourna nali list stic ic piec pieces es but! but! feel feels s she she cann cannot ot do so an#m an#mor ore. e. -ow -owI I is the the time time to tell tell him him "’ve "’ve ab(u ab(ure red d them them!! all all thos those e thin things gs !ee !eeta ta m# week weekl# l# colu column mn!! m# stories. 6ut " said nothing. "t was so much simpler to sa# nothing. o much less complicated.D Just as 9ohan has been telling her that the trouble at his oNce has been the outcome of his concern for her and the children! Ja#a holds 9ohan responsible for her lack of condence as a writer. 4e had once rebuked her for writing a ver# personal experience in her stor#. 4e described it as an exaggeration and took it as a personal a3ront. Bnce again the signicance of the title of the nove novell is high highli ligh ghte ted d thr through ough Ja#a Ja#a’s ’s refer eferen ence ce to the the comfort of maintaining silence and avoiding controvers# to keep the peace between them. iving voice to her apprehensions would onl# lead to further complications as the# had done in the past whenever she had broken the silence. 'his is the plight of almost ever# woman who choo choose ses s to remai emain n &uie &uiett and and not not elab elabor orat ate e upon upon her her feelings feelings because she is rarel# rarel# understood understood or accepted accepted b# the famil# and societ#. "t is with this that the second part of the novel ends. 9ohan’s fears about the future and his thoughts about how to deal with it are also brought out 55
he is as vuln vulner erab able le as Hahul ahul thou though gh he pose poses s to be invi invin ncibl cible e in all all situ situat atio ion ns. 'he 'he sile silen nce and and habi habitt of restrain which Ja#a imbibed as a child continue to remain with ith her seve seven nteen teen #ea #ears afte afterr her mar marriag riage e. Ja#a Ja#a’s ’s relationship with her brother is also re*ected upon. he gets gets alon along g well well with with her her elde elderr brot brothe herr ,ink ,inkar ar but but her her relationship with her #ounger brother is not good because she she thin thinks ks he is a non0 on0seri seriou ous s kind kind of a pers person on who cannot reall# shoulder his responsibilities like a man. he also highlights how women of di3erent t#pes dominating like her mothe ther and gran randmothers submissiv sive like Vanitamami and+usum survive in this societ#. Ja#a remarks that normall# sex should follow after love but it can also be the other wa# around. ,uringthe earl# #ears of their marriage Ja#a had felt ver# deepl# for her husband. he cared for his love. he had obe#ed all his wishes and was expected to be grate ratefful to her husband even b# her own famil#. )xcept for Ai who felt doubtful about 9ohan! her uncle and ,ada had felt he was was ner ner than than her! her! a well well0& 0&ua uali lie ed d pers person on and and so he dese deserv rved ed to mar marr# her her. 'he 'he emph emphas asis is on a girl girl’s ’s fair fair complexion is other discussed b# women writers who tr# to expose the false h#pocritical notions of societ#. 5@
Lesson no. 2 Question Answers
R./ what is the signicance of the epigraph that refers to ‘that long silence of one half of the world’G Ans. 'he epigraph is taken from a speech of )li1abeth Hobins! actress! pla#wright! novelist and su3ragette that refers to the long silence that has prevailed in the world as women have not been allowed to express themselves freel#. 'he thrust of the novel deals with women and their sile silenc nce e whic which h mak makes them them beco become me supp suppre resse ssed d in the the patr patriar iarch chal al set0 set0up up.. Hobin obins s also also feel feels s that that even even if men men would be sensitive enough the# would realise that the# were were resp respon onsi sibl ble e for for nurtu nurturi ring ng this this habi habitt of sile silenc nce e in women and feel uneas# about it. 'hat long silence in the context of ,eshpande’s novel is not the silence of women onl#. "t is the silence that exists between 9ohan and Ja#a who who s#mb s#mbol olis ise e all all mar married ried coup couple les. s. "t is nece necess ssar ar# # to break that long silence and clarif# misunderstanding that have been bred because of it. R.2What kind of famil# life does Ja#a haveG Ans. Ja#a is a sensitive housewife who also has a talent for writing but as the novel progresses we nd that she is troubled b# the situation she is presentl# going through. 5
All is not well because her husband has been suspended from his (ob and some investigations are being carried out against him. 'heir children have gone for a holida# with friends and the# have had to shift to another house to escape the attention of people and references to the hardships faced b# people in distress hunt at the fact that Ja#a and 9ohan’s famil# life is not as good as it should be. 'here seems to be a sense of insecurit# prevailing in their lives! though the# are tr#ing to maintain a normal stance. R.5. "s Ja#a a conventional womanG Ans. Ja#a is tr# tr#ing to maintain ain a conventio tional and traditional wa# of life. he is tr#ing ver# hard to be a good wife wife!! and and moth mother er.. 6ut 6ut a spir spirit it of rebel ebelli lion on has has alwa alwa#s #s exist xiste ed in her her ps#c ps#ch he and and she she has to keep eep it unde underr control. Various instances of her being an unconventional women given A((i is not happ# with the wa# she talks to her husband. he is &uiet independent minded and does not like being controlled b# an#bod# not even her own mother. mother. he is tr#ing to maintain the norms prescribed for wome women n in the "ndia "ndian n societ societ#! #! but her her silenc silence e
5>
is also also a
kind
of
self0assertion
because
as
she
herself
acknowledges it disturbs others. Rus.h Rus.how ow is the the man0 man0wo woma man n relati elation onsh ship ip draw drawn n in the the novelG Ans. 'he man0woman relationship particularl# as depicted in marriage is supposed to be the most intimate. "deall# it is the meeting of souls as well as bodies. Although! Ja#a has alwa#s looked at her relationship with 9ohan as an indispensable bond she has now begun to feel that man and women will alwa#s remain separate entities. Eh#sical union does not signif# spiritual unit# as well and the# are two separat separate e entiti entities es #oked #oked togeth together er like like bulloc bullocks ks who who have to work in union because it would be diNcult to move in two separate directions.
R.. What is Ja#a’s attitude towards her childrenG Ans. Ja#a is a good housewife and mother but! she seem to think that her daughter is strong and self0suNcient and it is her son Hahul who is vulnerable and needs to be protected. Hahul is shown to be ver# di3erent from the normal expectations one has of bo#s. 4e is not interested 5<
in stu studie dies! does oes not like goi going out out much much.. 4e is sel self0 conscious much and does not like aggressive behavior. Hati is an extrovert and her mother is more condent about her than she is about Hahul.
Lesson no./
Eart 5 begins with a meeting between Ja#a and her #ounger brother Havi who is not a ver# straight forward person. As a result of this Ja#a can also lie to him about certain things without an# feeling of guilt. As this section progresses the reader comes to know that Havi being the #oungest in the the fami amil# had been pampered b# her mother. 4owever Ja#a deals with him as ob(ectivel# as she would discuss an#bod# who is not related to her. he describes him as being sh#! secretive and there never had been an# rapport between them as there had been in her her relat elatio ions nshi hip p with with her her elde elderr brot brothe herr ,ink ,inkar ar.. mal malll incidents of her childhood are narrated to show how Havi managed to get his wa# from a window seat in a train to bigger things because his mother supported him. 4e had got got awa# awa# with with ever ever#t #thi hing ng and and was was a basi basica call ll# # sel selsh sh 58
person. 4e is also ver# clever as is revealed b# how he graduall# veers the conversation to a point where despite Ja#a’s not wanting to do so she has to t o tell him about their present circumstances. 'he# discuss Chandumama and his complaint about Ja#a’s rare ra re visit to Ambegaon. Ja#a’s memories reveal that their mother who had been ver# dominating even when she was living in her brother’s home was an unwanted responsibilit# to all her thre three e chil childr dren en.. 6oth 6oth ,ada ,ada and and Havi avi had had shun shunne ned d this this responsibilit# so automaticall# she had borne the brunt of it0 As she observes Havi of course was *uid and irresponsibleD irresponsibleD but even ,ada who had now settled abroad would never return. 4e feared sudden death of like that their father’s but also felt that his case would be worse because he was so far awa# from ever#one. 'he t#pical forgiving attitude of mothers for their sons is re*ected in A((i’s defense of ,inu ;,ada= and calling him a ‘simple bo#’.
Ja#a
re*ects
that
a
person
who
could
so
‘successfull# evade an# kind of involvement of people’ could not be all that simple. he recalls his behavior of keeping distance with his mother and sister after Appa’s death.)ven his wife has to take tran&uillisers regularl#
57
mak makes Ja#a Ja#a comme ommen nt that that ‘suc ‘such h a man man coul could d not not be simple. Ja#a’s anal#sis of the characters of her near and dear ones does not re*ect an# kind of gender bias. he is e&uall# critical of her male and female relatives including her mother. All her life her mother has shown a preference for her sons over Ja#a and now when the# have abandoned her ever# time Ai parts with Ja#a she shows outburst of grief. grief. Havi also gives Ja#a the news that Vanitamami is not keeping well. he was some ‘female complaints’. Ja#a remarks even in m# distress! the iron# of it occurred to meM Vanitamami’s Vanitamami’s uterus! having failed in its life bearing purpose! was nall# carr#ing death.D 4er s#mpath# for women resurges when Havi (okingl# states that she is not getting her uterus removed despite the doctor’s advise because she is hoping to have a kid even now at this late age. Ja#a reacts harshl# and tells him not to be rude. As the narrative states suddenl# " was furious. What did he knowG What did he understand of womenG Was it the reeks who had said that a woman is her wombG " had laughed when " had read that. 6ut can an# wome omen den den# that that link linkG G 'hos 'hose e painf ainful ul spas spasms ms in the the middle
of
each ach
c#cle!
those massi ssive @?
div diving0on 0on0to0
madn madne ess con contrac tracti tin ng pai pains of chil child dbirt birth0 h0 cou could an# an# woman endure them if not for the fact that the# were reminders of that linkGD 4er anger and disgust for her brother is evident from her s#mpathetic attitude towards her sister0in0law Asha. When Havi accuses her of being childish and pretends not to have done an#thing to anger his his fath father er0i 0in0 n0la law! w! Ja#a Ja#a know knows s that that Asha Asha is a good good girl girl without an# meanness on malice. Havi in fact was not all that hone onest waverin ring betwe tween success and fail ailure ‘belonging nowhere.’ Havi wants her to talk to his wife and tell her to return home though this time her father is adamant not to send her. 'he secret reason of her shift to ,adar is also brought out and nall# Ja#a records how Ai and Vanitamami had doted on Asha. he was not (ealous till she saw Asha wearing her mother’s pearls. Ja#a had expected that she would get some of her other0 A((i’s(ewe A((i’s(eweller# ller# if she was nice to her because she was the onl# granddaughter. 6ut other0 A((i had nothing but this string of pearls to give Ai and Ja#a had been indi3erent abou aboutt them them till till she she saw saw Asha Asha wear wearin ing g them them.. he he had had wanted the pearls not for herself but for her daughter. Ja#a’s self0anal#sis self0anal#sis is brutal and she nall# avers wh# wh# was " tr#ing to fool m#selfG 'he (ustication ‘not for me! @/
for m# children’ could not change the meaning of the word words s ‘avar ‘avaric ice’ e’ and and ‘gre ‘greed ed’. ’. Eeel eel o3 the the excus xcuses es and and avarice remained.D he does not even spare herself and re*ects upon her own greed which surfaced when she saw Asha with the pearls. When she returns home 9ohan &uestions her about her outing. he tells him of her meeting meeting with Havi and all the information he has given her about Vanitamami and Ai. he also tells him of Havi’s &uarrel with his wife. he knows that her brother expects her to tell Asha to return to him as an# good girl would but she refuses to do so. 4er remark about husbands never doing an#thing wrong is ironical and it shows that she is well0versed with the norms of the patriarchal societ# that never nds faults with husbands and wives are told to obe# them silentl#. Ja#a has to tell him about Havi’s hint that he knew something was wrong and wh# the# had come to the ,adar *at. 9ohan is immediatel# on the defensive and an an adve advers rsar ar# # more more host hostil ile e than than " had had imag imagin ined ed!D !D 4e accuses her of indi3erence when she sa#s she has been b# his side through the crisis. 4e tells her that she could have helped him! avoid it b# ‘sucking up’ to the C)’s wife. Ja#a talks about each relationship having its own @2
vocabular#0 'he vocabular# of love had passed them b#! the vocabular# of anger almost rippedD their marriage apart! how 9ohan seemed to overtaken her b# starting that he was going through hell and she was unconcerned. 4e recalls that she had even made fuss about the rst hous house e the# the# had had live lived d in. in. An ugl# ugl# &uar &uarrrel ensu ensurres and and while 9ohan’s anger re*ects his feelings that he thinks his wife ‘uhasini’ no longer existed and is d#ing she had passed on the burden of wifehood on the shoulders of Ja#a. A blame game pla#ed b# the couple! Ja#a sa#s she gave up writi ritin ng for his sake. 'he 'he gap gap between her character as a writer and as a suppressed housewife is described. 9ohan’s accusations make her want to retaliate but she is struck with aphonic0the inabilit# to speak. he is bewi bewillder dered b# his his char harges ges of bein being g a bad bad wife! fe! bad bad mother and disrespectful daughter. Qltimatel# she breaks into h#sterical laughter which anno#s him so much that he leaves her and goes awa#. he thinks she would be able to explain her behavior to him but is not given a chance to do so.
@5
When hen she is left alone one Ja#a goes over 9ohan’s remark ‘Oou’ve cared for me.’ And asks ‘Ja#a what have " been been livi living ng with with him him all all thes these e #ear #earsG sG’’ 4e 4err mind mind goes goes ha#wi a#wirre! she she thi thinks nks of going oing upsta pstair irs s to shar share e here distress with +amat but! he is no more alive. he thinks she is going cra1# like +usum. he feels as aNnit# with her! as it is the famil# have clubbed them togethers as Ja#a and +usum +usum and now she states ‘And so here we were! both of us re(ected b# our husbands! our families! failu failure res s at ever everth thin ing.D g.D )arli )arlier er it was was +usum usum’s ’s insan insanit it# # which made her feel same but now she is not sure an# long longer er.. Wit Witho hout ut +usum usum m# sani sanit# t# seem seemed ed suspe suspect ct.D .D ;page0/2>= but she envies +usum because in her madn madnes ess s she she had had prob probab abl# l# been been hers hersel elff. 4e 4err suic suicid ide e sho showed tha that she she had been able to take ake the crit ritical decision of choosing death over life. he cannot imagine that 9ohan had actuall# actuall# left herDI her DI marriages marriages never never end! the# cannot0 the# are a state of beingD she imagines his return and his apologies but she acknowledges we had come to the end of this roadD. )ven she had attempted to prevent his departure she is not sure what would have happened.
@@
"n his his abse absenc nce e Ja#a Ja#a begi begins ns to recal ecalls ls his his posi positi tive ve traits 9ohan’ beliefs! when " listed them! were like pole that pulled me out of a &ua &uagmire of doubts.D
he
reiteratesthat faith that he would return. he also feels that that the the# have ave gent gentl# l#!! graci raciou ousl sl# # a3e a3ectio ction natel atel# # old old togetherID he accepts his departure as retribution for the wrongs she had done to +usum who begged her not to leav leave e her her alon alone. e. he he also also recal ecalls ls her her ‘gr ‘great eat act act of tre treach acher# agai again nst 9oha 9ohanM nM the the chil hild " had had dest destrro#e o#ed without his knowledge. Bnl# her brother knew about it and he wanted her to tell 9ohan but she had kept this secret to herself. -ow she is aware that 9ohan had not returned returned despite her belief that he would. -ilima her neighbour’sdaughter break her chain of thoughts b# coming to tell her that Jee(a the maid is on leav leave e for for the the da# da#. After ter she she depa depart rts s Ja#a Ja#a once once agai again n ponder ponders s over over her situat situation ion and feels feels that that ,ecept ,eception ions! s! lies! evasions0 was this all that we had been able to o3er each other in our #ears togetherG he recalls +arl 9arx’s description of the relationships between man and women as being most natural of all the wonders -aturalG When we are are for forever ever hurt hurtin ing! g!fo forrever ever wron wrongi ging ng each each othe otherG rG -aturalGWhen we are forever resenting own need of each @
othe otherG rGD D
"n 9oha 9ohan’ n’s s absenc absence e she does does not want want to do
things he did not like e.g. hanging clothes in the balcon#. he he also also recal ecalls ls Appa Appa’s ’s trea treatm tmen entt of her her as some someon one e special and di3erent from the others. %athers generall# encourage their daughters as Appa had supported her but he died when she was ver# #oung. he tries to revive her spirit and do something to break her stupor but she is overcome b# a ‘paral#sis of will.’ Ja#a recalls Vanitamami’s remark that a husband is like a sheltering tree but she does not agree with it. 4er whole famil# had advised her to be good to her husband she also thinks about the meaninglessness of the life of a women who does not have a husband. 'ime heals all wounds and this is emphasised b# the manner in which Ja#a recounts the gradual fading awa# of memor# and grief with the passage of the time. he also recalls the sta# of the sparrow who behavedI sta# in and #ou’re safe. 6ut what happened when ever#one went out and #ou were left alone insideGD he realises that the ha1ards of marriage lie inside and not outside the home. 'he onl# person she could turn to for comfort at such a time was :eena. 6ut there is a m#ster# regarding :eenawhich :eenawhich is left unexplored and unexplained when Ja#a came to know of @>
her a3air with a married man she had left her though the# had en(o#ed a ver# good relationship. 9an# #ears later she had come across :eena but the latter had never forgiven her so she refused to recognise her and Ja#a thinks 9ohan would do the same. A woman’s fate is that she remains invisible all her life in the patriarchal set up. Ja#a thinks of this when she remembers remembers being excluded excluded from from Hamuk amukak aka’ a’s s fami famil# l# tree tree.. 9oha 9ohan n had had (ust (ust smil smiled ed when she told him about it. Ja#a had ‘felt not (ust in conse&uential but wholl# blotted out.’ -one of the women who who wer were mar married ried into into the the fami famil# l# feig feigne ned d in the the tree tree though the# had knit the famil# together e.g. A((i had done so single0handedl#. 4owever she did not &uestion Hamukaka or 9ohan " had learnt it at last0 no &uestion! no resorts. Bnl# silenceD 9ohan had been hurt b# a stor# she had written and won a pri pri1e for for. 4e fel felt that that she she had reveal vealed ed thei theirr pers person onal al live lives s to the the worl world d and and won won as exhib xhibit itio ioni nist st.. 'hough she did not agree with him she could not explain herself or oppose him. he simpl# felt that perhaps she had taken the hobb# of writing too seriousl# and needed to curtail her talent because she wasI scared of (eopardi1ing the onl# career " had! m# marriage.D Ja#a @<
feels deserted b# her near and dear ones. )ven now she feels 'here was no room or m# anger in the room. 'he silence! the stillness frightened me.D he tries to bus# herself with housework and then she faces the truth that her talent had not been curtailed because of 9ohan! he was not the scapegoat for her failure but her stories had been re(ected and she had failed as a writer. he retrieves the le full or re(ected stories from the cupboard and realises that when +amat seemed to support her he was actuall# not being kind he seemed to have hinted S Qse m# knife to kill #ourself if #ou want to it makes no di3erence to me.D )dited criticism of her stor# of the child widow as irrelevant! middle0class! bourgeois had dwindled her. When she had told +amat angril# about it! he had asked wh# she had not used all the anger on her narrative. 4er repl# had been 6ecause no woman can be angr#.D 'o hear of angr# #oung manD as hero is acceptable but angr# #ou women are not acceptable to a societ# that wants them to remain subdued! submissive and and obed obedie ient nt!! +ama +amatt howe howeve ver! r! state states s that that wome women n are are angr#! he has seen them and heard them barging pots and pans in their frustrations because the# cannot voice thei theirr ange angerr. 6ut 6ut a woma woman n who who spea speaks ks out out is neur neurot otic ic @8
h#sterical and frustrated! she cannot experience anger and despair . ‘'here’s onl# order and routineI’ the dail# domestic chore chart to follow. +amat had told her that she was actuall# scared of writing and scared of failing and the excuse that she did not have time was not valid. he realises that like a women she had crawled into the safet# of her hole0 famil# and home when he had told her not to exaggerated the woman as victim bias. 'hat was when
eeta
the
light0hearted
humorous
column
describing the travails of a middle0class housewifeD was begun and ever#da# including 9ohan loved her for it. 'hough she would have loved to t o uphold the cause of women she I shut the door rml#! on all those other women who
had invaded m# being! receiving
for
attentionM women " had known " could not write about! beca becaus use e the the# migh might0 t0 it was (ust (ust poss possiible ble0 resemb semblle 9ohan’s mother! or aunt! or m# mother or aunt. eeta was safer.D ;page /@7= he could write about her and remain emain comf comfort ortabl able. e. :axa :axama mank nkak aka a had had comp compar ared ed her her writing with that of her father’s. 4e too had been a failure and she is haunted b# +amat’s words #ou are scared of failing. Ja#a is also haunted b# the memor# of having turned awa# from+amat when he had died. " knew #ou @7
were dead and #et " instantl# walked out on #ou! leaving #ou with onl# #our voice for compan# now wh# don’t #ou leave me aloneG Wh# don’t #ou sta# dead and leave me aloneGD;page /?='he predicament of a married woman is described through Ja#a’s condition. he had ignored +amat and come awa# from his house because she would never have been able to explain to the world wh# she had gone to meet him. 4er relationship with +amat had been ‘frighteningl# *uid’ and she realises it is not he but she who won’t let go his memories. he cannot anal#se or formulate an# method of naming this relationship. Various Various moments spent with him are revived in her mind! werealise that he is not a conventional t#pe of man. "t is in fron frontt of him him that that she she conf confes esse ses s her her ange angerr for for her her parents! her mother for rendering her homeless b# selling Ambe Ambega gaon on hous house e and and her her fath father er for for havi having ng died died and and dooming them this state. he feels that he had brought her up with special notions about herself and then passed awa# before helping her to fulll them. he felt betra#ed! the memories of the da# he died return to her mind along with the memories of her discovering of +amat’s death. ,espite her grief and sense of desolation she had coerced 9ohan into making love to her that night but she doesn’t ?
think that this is natural. -aturalG 'here’s onl# treacher# onl# deceit! onl# betra#al.D;page /8= Ja#a realises that marriage and other human relationships are not trouble0 free! comforting and fullling and that she herself has not stuck to the rules of delit# in marriage. Eart @ is the concluding part of the novel. "t begins with with Jee( Jee(a’s a’s desc descri ript ptio ion n of her her son Ha(ara a(aram m enco encoun unte terr with some goondas who in(ured him. he re&uests Ja#a to go and speak to the doctor in the hospital to take proper care ofHa(aram. 4er remark about 'ara having +umkum +umkum on her forehead is ver# telling. "t shows that even if the husband is a worthless man he is the ‘sheltering tree’ and nobod# can cast an evil e#e on women as long as their husbands are alive. Ja#a is rebu3ed whenJee(a refuses to accept mone# instead of the help she is asking for. When Jee(a refers to her husband as a big oNcer Ja#a recalls how the waves had washed awa# her name from the beach! with 9ohan’s departure she felt that she is not a wife wife an# an# long longer er.. 'he 'he doct doctor or .+. .+. V#as #as is her her brot brothe her’s r’s frie friend nd and and he reviv evives es his his memo memori ries es of ,ink ,inkar ar and and his his famil# when he meets her. 4is reference to her husband makes her wonder what his reaction would be if she told him that 9ohan had left her. he reassumes herselfthat /
he had not done so and had probabl# gone back to their Church gate home so decides to go and check. Ja#a does not nd him there. 'he neighbor’s servant comes to inform her that the telephone bell has been ringing incessantl#. incessantl#. "t rings again this is trunk call in which Hati informs her that Hahul has disappeared. 6ut Hati is more concerned about getting her brown shoes to be sent with 9ohan who is expected to go in search of Hahul. 4er son’s disappearance is a terrible blow to Ja#a’s mind. he is shattered b# the second betra#al in her life and the gloss# colored picture of a happ# famil# simpl# vanishes. Ja#a ruminates over the childhood memories of Hahul. he is now faced with another ma(or failure in her life. 4er failure as a mother is added to her failure as wife and as a writer. 'he dignit# of motherhood is lost to her now. he he comes omes to know know that that he has has gone gone to his his fath fathe er’s r’s brother Vasant’s house. he decides to return to ,adar. Bn the the wa# back back she she come comes s acr across oss a #ou #oung girl girl being molested b# two men but the# onl# laughed at her when she tried to stop them. he gets drenched in the rain and wakes up to nd herself being looked after b# 9ukta and 9anda. he knows now that the onl# desire 2
left in her mind is that her famil# should come together under one roof safe enclosed in a secure world.D;page /8/=he feels that ,arkness has invaded her. her. "f her famil# returned to her the# could start afresh. -ilima visits her and disturbs her b# talking about suicide but 9ukta is not upset when she is told this b# Ja#a. 9ukta is genuinel# worried about Ja#a and she is curious to know if all is well between her and 9ohan. 'hen 9ukta asks her whether thei theirr di3e di3ere renc nces es are are beca becaus use e of kama kamat. t. Ja#a Ja#a is tak taken abac aback k when she she learn learns s that that 9ukta 9ukta
had had alwa# alwa#s s know known n
about her visits to +amat’s *at and her leaving him alone afte afterr his deat death h. 9uk 9ukta is angr angr# # beca becaus use e +amat amat!! her her husband’s friend had supported her after Ai’s death and he had conded in her before he had died. Ja#a had abandoned him when he was d#ing but her marriage had prevented her from sta#ing with him. he explains it as ‘circumspection’ re&uired to be maintained b# marriage. he describes her narrative as a patriarchal &uilt and is nursing about it when 9anda announces Hahul arrival. he does not rebuke him! tells him that his father is in ,elhi and would return the next da# after which the# would go back to Churchgate . Ja#a records her departure from home on a da# she had felt she could cope no more 5
and her nding a gender in the midst of the suburban ugliness. 'he unwanted attention of a man had forced her to return home determined to express her frustration an inabilities. 4owever! the demands made b# her children and famil# made her remain &uiet and complacent. he thinks people are unhapp# because the# are bound b# fear. Ja#a tries to anal#se wh# she has written this text and states Well "’ve achieved this " am not afraid an# more! the panic has gone.D he accepted the realit# of being 9ohan’s wife and she refers to ,efoe’s denition of ction as a sort of l#ing that makes a great hole in the heart at which b# degrees a habit of l#ing enters in.D he wonders whether one can continue living with a hole in heartG he now revises her opinion b# sa#ing that b# calling 9ohan and herself two bullocks #oked together she she had onl# onl# prom promot ote ed disb disbel elie ieff in the themsel mselve ves. s. 4er perception that there is onl# one life and no reprieve was possible
is
also
wrong
because
life
o3ers
man#
crossr ssroads and and man# choices. he als also recalls the mess messag age e of the the 6hag 6hagaw awad adgi gita ta ‘,o ‘,o as #ou #ou desi desirre’ the the advice of :ord +rishna after he had given +nowledge to
@
Ar(una.’ he knows that if she is to be angr# with an#one it is herself. 'he novel has an open ending. Ja#a thinks of what would happen when 9ohan returns as per telegram she referred to. he knows that b# being a complacent wife she she can can reviv evive e his his auth author orit it# # over over her her. he he inte intend nds s to ‘era ‘erase se’’ the the sile silenc nce e betw betwee een n them them now! now! she she has has been been mar margin ginali ali1ed 1ed enou nough lik like the the women omen char charac acte ters rs in anskrit drama who could onl# speak Erakrit and she will not allow this to happen an# longer. 'he message in the telegram all wellD could mean returning to their positions before
the
mishap.
he
realises
the
truth
of
9ukta’sassertran that people don’t change but! we can alwa#s hope and sustain ourselves. he has learnt albeit in a ver# di3erent wa# thatI life has alwa#s to be made possible.D
Bne
cannot
get
a
read#made
comforts
existence one has to work for it achieve it. 'he
novel
thus
ends
with
the
message
that
introspection and understanding of self enables human bein being g to come ome to ter terms with with life ife. 'he 'he obst obstac acle les s and and hurdles in life are stepping stones on the path that teach us lessons and prepare us better for the future. 6oth the
nega negati tive ve and and the the posi positi tive ve aspe aspect cts s of fami famill# life life are are high highli ligh ghte ted d b# ,esh ,eshpa pand nde e and and as usua usuall she she does does not not think that escape can be the best remed#. he alwa#s reterates the necessit# to face life as it comes and nd solutions to the problems b# delving deep into them. Ja#a becomes the messenger who conve#s the most relevant truth of the art of living0 we have to made it possible and not give up the ght. Lesson no 0
'here is a characterisation of silence in That That Lo Long ng Silence& which hich hint hints s at the the deaf deafne ness ss of patri atriar arc chal hal
societ# to the voice of women. 'he burden of breaking that silence also rests on the shoulders of women in the novel. 'he silence can be broken onl# thr through the language of men e.g. Ja#a’s stories are not acceptable to the male worl orld but! her colu olumn ‘eeta’ is popu opular because she writers what men want her to write. 'he novel propounds the stor# of Ja#a who is threatened with nega negati tion on and and is for forced ced to act act to save save hers hersel elff from from it. it. enerall#! freedom to act at will can lead to chaos in human life. Ja#a the protagonist is torn between love and hate for her life. he has pla#ed the role of a traditional >
woman and embodies all the &ualities of a good woman su3ering with tolerance and courage and #et maintaining silence. At moments when the urge is uncontrollable she beco become mes s a self self 0asse 0asserti rtive ve!! rebe rebell llio ious us woma woman n show showin ing g signs of feminism. 6ut her true awakening is made onl# when she realises that even revolt is not the solution to calm down her troubled ps#che. As John tuart 9ill has pointed out marriage makes women a slave ,eshpande also describes Ja#a’s situation as being one in which she has
to
wipe
out
her
identit#.
he
metes
out
a
ps#chological treatment to her protagonist and allows her a temporar# outlet to air her grievances as a woman she is allowed to retrospect and suspend her duties as a wife and mother to anal#se her situation. 'he iron# of her situation is that in spite of maintaining the e&uipoise and silence she is accused of indi indi3e 3ere renc nce e b# her her dist distur urbe bed d and and frust frustrat rated ed husb husban and d whose insecurities take from in the outbursts against her. "n spite of being a non0conformist since her childhood Ja#a has learnt to control her emotions and even hopes her her A(( A((i is happ happ# # with with her her for for thi this. 'hi 'his ten tenden denc# to combine modernit# and tradition is the mark of Ja#a’s nature. he has a complex identit#! she is capable of <
being a t#pical housewife! #et she feels the attraction towa towarrds +amat amat.. he he also also has has altr altrui uist stic ic conc concer erns ns and and would like to help women in distress. he is expected to be
a
perfect
housewife
and
to
help
9ohan
out
professionall# as well b# befriending the chief engineer’s wife to protect his interests. 6ut Ja#a fails to do so and when she is accused of indi3erence she simpl# rebels against his life0long oppression. Ja#a’s consciousness of her condition is re*ected in her comments regarding the situation of women who are alwa#s made to curb their desire for self0expression. 'he distinctive feature of ,eshpande is that she deals with the issue of women across the boundaries of class and the condition of women seems to be the same across these. 'he wa# women are treated irrespective of class and economic status does not di3er much. Jee(a has to bear bear with with her her husb husban and’ d’s s seco second nd wife wife beca becaus use e she she is barren but! her whole life is spent in looking after the famil# of her stepson. Ha(eshwari under Ha(an has aptl# remar emark ked! ed! the the for force of ,esh ,eshap apan ande de’s ’s indi indict ctme ment nt of women’s lines lies in the wa# she is able to universalise their silence! chie*# b# drawing similarities among Ja#a and a variet# of other female gures! including characters 8
from
"ndian
histor#
and
m#th$
and
among
three
generations of women in her famil# ;Ja#a! her mother and her her gran grandm dmoth other er== $ amon among g di3e di3ere rent nt class classes es of wome women n ;Ja#a! her maid Jee(a=$ among di3erent kinds of women of the same class and generation ;Ja#a! her cousin +usum! her widowed neighbour9ukta=. At the end of the novel it becomes clear that Ja#a is no longer willing to remain passive. he must erase the silence. ,eshpande seems to think like the post0feminists that the power to reform lies within women! the# need to tap the right resources to reform and change their world. As Ja#a states at the end life can be made possible. As Eragatiobti
states
about
the
novel!
nall#
hashi,eshapande’s'hat :ong ilence is an expression of the silence of the moderan "ndian wife which has turned her into a non0entit#.D The%e of arriage That Long Silence has the potential of being discussed
from various anglesM as a feminist text in which the &uest for
identit#
is
connected
with
the
man0woman
relationship not (ust from the perspective of marriage.
7
Ha(e a(eshwari9i ri9itttap tapall alli
ana anal#ses
the the
trau rauma
of
a
housewife whose (ourne# of self0discover# leads to a new perception of life. 6.+. ,as studies it as revolt against patr patria iarrch# ch# and and . :aksh akshmi mi -ara -arasa saiiah high ighligh lights ts the the exist xisten enti tial al elem elemen entt of the the text textMM As he aptl aptl# # rema remark rksI sI Ja#a redenes her existential situation in her own terms! having it out ‘on her own premises.’ Bther critics point out Ja#a’s exploration of her self which is lost within the framework of marriage. Heferences have also been made ver# often to Ja#a’s search for release from the bondage of marria marriage ge and victim victim consci conscious ousnes ness. s. 9arria 9arriages ges even even when the# are love marriages are not trouble free and completel# successful. 'he institution of marriage is also threatened b# the con*ict between traditional limitations and and mode odern aspi aspira rati tion ons. s. 'hr 'hrough ough Ja#a Ja#a’s ’s stor stor# # man# man# issues related to marriage are explored and the concepts of marriage are interrogated afresh at various levels. ,eshpa ,eshpande nde explo explore res s women women belong belonging ing to di3er di3eren entt leve levels ls and and soci societ et# # and and expos xposes es the the harsh harsh real realit it# # that that marriage is oppressive for women of all classes. While the lower class women are su3ering and struggling to meet the needs of life! the women belonging to the middle class who are not nanciall# independent are remaining >?
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 /78
with the advent of globalisationmen became more career0 career0 oriented and women more conscious of their rights as indi indivi vidu dual als. s. 'he 'he trad tradit itio iona nall ati ati!! avi avitri tri!! eet eeta a imag images es deepl# ingrained in the ps#che of women began to be disturbed with the image of the emerging new women in the West. ocial conformit# was more necessar# in the case of women but with the exposure to Western fem feminism and gender stu studie dies no givens of gender cons constru truct cts s and and role0 ole0pl pla# a# rema remain ined ed acce accept ptab able le such such as men were the sheltering tree the protectors! breadwinners in the famil# and home and all expectations had to be full llled b# them. ,eshpande reveals als an atti attitu tude de that that is not anti anti0m 0me en as man man# of the the women omen writers who wrote earlier have depicted. 4er stance is humanistic and she knows that ad(ustments have to be made b# both men and women in marriage and other relationships. 'hough she is ver# sensitive to the pathetic we plight of women belonging to all classes. he never dehu dehuma mani nise ses s or vili vilie es s the the male male char charac acte ters rs in That Long Silence D. he &uestions patriarchal but is never completel# feminist in her stance. 4er heroines have a spir spirit it of rebel ebelli lion on in them them but but the# the# cann cannot ot re(e re(ect ct the the "ndian tradition completel#. completel#. Ja#a tries to establish her own identit# in the midst of her existence as a wife. )ducated women like Ja#a are torn between tradition and mode modern rnit it# #. 9oha 9ohan n her her husb husban and d is a mate materi rial alis istt who who is initiall# initiall# against. Ja#a’s working but when he is faced with adverse circumstance he tells her to look for a (ob. Ja#a >7
b# then has realised that she has been taken for granted and and that that happ happin ines ess s is an illu illusi sion on so she she has has beco become me indi3erent to his demands and needs. 9ohan’s reason for marr#ing her was her intelligence and *uenc# in )nglish but! he never gives her the freedom to use her intelligence as she wants. 4e expects her to assist him in rising professionall# b# befriending the Chief )ngineer’s wife. he &uietl# obe#s his wishes but! he still nds her wanti anting ng and and accu accuse ses s her of bein being g indi indi3e 3errent ent to his his anxiet# doubts and unhappiness. 4e is ambitious and his unfair illegal activities get him suspended from his (ob afte afterr whic which h he beco become mes s ver# ver# touch touch# # and and irri irrita tabl ble e and and wakes out of the house because he feels Ja#a is ignoring his tensions. 'he motives behind his materialistic attitude can be traced to his childhood which was povert#0stricken and dependent on the favors of a rich old man who supported his education. 4is father’s dictatorial attitude towards his mother and his image of wife was based on the image of tolerance that she personied. 4is image of a wife has been created b# submissive woman that he has seen in his famil# in his growing growing #ears.D ;'hat :ong ilence p085= 9ohan sees his mother’s silence as strength whereas whereas Ja#a looks at is as being the representation of su3ering and despair and a protest against tradition. Ja#a spends her whole life in tr#ing to follow the advice of the A((i and Vanitamami and be an ideal wife but 9ohan’s allegation that she has abandoned him in his failure comes as a last straw. he breaks out the h#sterical laughter and 9ohan
abrup ruptl# tl# leaves the home before Ja#a a#a can explain an#thing to him. 9ohan’s attitude towards Ja#a his erratic behaviour is never condemned b# ,eshpande. "n fact it is (ustied on the ground that his life is not exactl# eas# and problem0free. "t is due to his frustration that he loses his calm. Although initiall# the impression that is given is that 9ohan is responsible for Ja#a’s stunted career as a writer! the reader learns that it is her own weakness and not his fault that she has failed as a writer. 'here also seems to be a hidden fear in his mind of her abilit# to outside and overpo rpower him. "t must be noted tha that unlike most women’s writing in which the male is considered to be the enem enem# # of woma woman! n! Ja#a Ja#a’s ’s tend tenden enc# c# to blam blame e 9oha 9ohan n is proportionate to the tendenc# to explain and defend him. 'here is also a reference reference to Hahul the son of Ja#a and 9oha 9ohan n as bein being g a less less inte intell llig igen ent! t! more more intr introv over ert! t! and and unam unambi biti tiou ous s kind kind of chil child. d. 'he 'he trai traits ts of masc mascul ulin init it# # particularl# related to the bo#s of his age are an extrovert nature! a desire to impress and thus act accordingl# is one one boist boister erou ous s show showin ing0o g0o3 3 mann manner er.. 4owe 4oweve ver! r! all all the the references made to Hahul bespeak of his timidit# his lack of interest in leaving the comfort of his home. 4e has gone for the holida# with his sister and famil# friends because had he sta#ed back his fath ather would keep taunting him about it. Ja#a often indulges in an anal#sis of the contrast between Hati who is a self0condent extrovert! adventures child whereas Hahul is a Ruiet less0 spirited person. o the notion of masculinit# is &uestioned. Hahul’s relationship with 9ohan! his running
awa# from the place of his holida# to his uncle’s home! his fear of facing his famil# after that is contrasted with Hati’s carefree fun loving attitude. Vario arious us othe otherr male male chara charact cter ers s are are depi depict cted ed Appa Appa Ja#a’s father is encouraging and supportive towards her. her. 4e would like his daughter to get the best and do her best in life. Ja#a misses misses his encouragement. encouragement. 4er brothers brothers ,inkar and Havi also present contrasting images of men. ,inkar is more stable while Havi is a philanderer$ both are bus# bus# with with thei theirr own own fami famillies. ies. 9ak 9akaran arandm dmam ama a is an unconventional male gure! ph#sicall# he has no attributes of an actor but he dees famil# and tradition! leaves his home and becomes an actor in 6omba#. 4is preoccupation with himself is re*ected in the innu innume mera rabl blep epho hoto togr graph aphs s hang hangin ing g in his his home home!! but but his his gene generrousl ousl# # is reve reveal aled ed in his his gif gifting ting his his *a *att to dada dada.. :axmankaka is a t#pical representative of the patriarchal s#stem. 4e is proud of having drawn a famil# tree from which all women are excluded. 'his not onl# highlights the the sign signi ica canc nce e of men men but but also also re* e*ec ects ts the the plig plight ht of wome omen who are are not consi onside derred a part part of eithe ther the the parental home or the home the# go into after marriage. 'he# remain outsiders in both families. 'he men of the lowe ower class lasse es are are all all draw drawn n as vici viciou ous s and and para parasi siti tic c dependent on their women for their luxuries. 'he# cause a lot of distress to their women and families. 'he# are irre irrespo spons nsib ible le and and #et #et the# the# are are esse essent ntia iall beca because use thei theirr presence ensures the securit# of the women in this world. 'his is the iron# of their positions in the world. <2
)xtr )xtra a mari marita tall relat elatio ions nshi hips ps are are an expr xpressi ession on of feministic inclination and are commonl# found in ,eshpande’s novels. 7That Long Silen lence8 ce8 is no exception and in the relationship Ja#a has with 9r. +amat we nd another face of masculinit#. +amat is a domesticated man fond of cooking and housework and not ashamed to acknowledge this. 4is attitude is more s#mpathetic than others towards women and that is wh# he befriends 9ukta and Ja#a and helps them in di3erent wa#s. a#s. 4e has no rese eservat rvatiions ons regar garding ding the the chor chore es gene genera rall ll# # to be perf perfor orme med d b# wome omen and and he trea treats ts wome omen as e&ual &uals. s. 4e pre present sents s an utte utterr cont contra rast st to 9ohan! while the latter is discouraging +amat supports and guides her. 4e enables her to locate her lost self and Ja#a sheds her inhibition in his presence. What is to be noticed in this novel is that unlike the others extra marital relationships Ja#a’s relationship with +amat is platonic. 4is reassurance and advise is given in a paternal manner. "t is he who tells Ja#a to be honest and to be herself. 4e tells herI beware of this women are the victims theor# of #our #oursI sI 'ake ake #our #ourse self lf seri seriou ousl sl# # woma woman. n. ,on’ ,on’tt sulk sulk behind a false name. And work0work if #ou want others to take #ou seriousl#.D;p0 /@8= "t is +amat who awakens Ja#a to her emotional and ph#sical needs invite her to break her silence and show her anger if she has the courage to do so. When she comes with the child0window stor# and is upset b# the editor’s response to it. Ja#a can never come to terms with how she had ignored +amat’s death beca becaus use e she she was was afra afraid id of publ public ic cens censu ure. 4er gui guilt haunts her and she re*ects the plight of all women of her <5
kind who cannot resolve the con*ict between tradition and modernit#. Ja#a recognises that all the limitations are within her and is strengthened b# the return of Hahul and 9ohan at the end of the novel. he knows that if she has to give vent to her anger on someone it has to be herself. 4aving had the privilege of having a father who reposed condence in her and named her Ja#a ;victor#= and this inculcates in her a positive belief in herself. Ja#a is wise enough to understand that libert# does not mean total freedom. ,iscipline and an e#e on duties and respo espon nsibi sibillitie ities s towa towarrds fami famill# and and soc societ# iet# are are also also impo import rtan ant. t. 'hus 'hus all all the the male male char charac acte ters rs in the the nove novell repre eprese sent nt some some aspe aspect ct of "ndi "ndian an masc mascul ulin init it# # and and Ja#a Ja#a assesse assesses s each each charac character ter reali realisti sticall call# #. 'here 'herefor fore e she is able able to con conclu clude that that no one one else lse but but she she hers herse elf is responsible for her failure. ,eshpande also re*ects upon the limitations that ever# individual has to face and learn to survive in this world. he also knows that both have to co0exist in societ#. he also exposes the truth that the earli earlier er perc percep epti tion ons s of uni unied edD D homo homoge gene neou ous s in thei theirr performance. ,eshpade challenges conventional masculinit# and patriarch# b# presenting di3erent images of men she observers men as sons ! husbands! brothers and and fathe fathers rs who who re* e*ec ectt that that masc mascul ulin init it# # mean means s much much more than (ust some persona onalit# tra traits and and gen gender boun bounda dari ries es need need to be rede reden ned ed.. he he also also does does not not accuse men of oppressing women all the time. ,eshpade
<@
has has port portra ra#e #ed d masc mascul ulin init it# # as *uid *uid and and var# var#in ing g from from person to person. ,eshpade’s ‘husband’ character exhorts hegemonic masculinit# which implies all0inclusive dominance! which enables man to control women. 4owever! the# are also a3ected b# anxiet#! resistance! and a loss of sense of order when the# are face to face with the change in contempor porar# life and resultan tant change ange in gender e&uations. 'he sons in the novel are caught in a web of obligations which the# want to avoid. 'he# do not want to sho shoulder responsibilities like Havi! Ja#a’s brother. +aml +amla6h a6has asin in has has remark emarked ed Eat Eatri riar arch ch# # does does not not onl# onl# harm women! it harms men too! b# reducin cing their choices! putting then into strait(ackets and dehumani1ing them. 9en have to deal the pressure of personal and professional lives. 'he lives of the men depicted in the novel re*ect a departed from the gender roles assigned to them. Havi and and ,ink ,inkar ar ;,ad ;,ada= a= do not not want want to look look afte afterr thei theirr Ai. Ai. Chandumana’s desire to be an actior alienates him from the famil#. +amat is a good cook. Hahul is more timid than his sister Hati. ,eshpade seems to point out that even though men ma# be better o3 than women! there is a danger of their losing their core selves under pressure to live up to their gender roles. -o generalisation of either gend gender er is poss possib ible le acco accorrding ding to ,esh ,eshpa pand nde. e. Bnl# Bnl# the the father gures exhibit a masculinit# that is not traditional because the# support their daughters and do not prefer thei theirr sons sons over over daug daughte hters. rs. 'hus 'hus!! ,esh ,eshpan pande de sugge suggest sts s <
that that mascu ascullini init# is not a xe xed enti entit# t# it is evide viden nt in di3e di3errent ent patt patter erns ns of beha behavi viou ourr in di3e di3errent ent cont conte exts. xts. ,esh eshpand pande e’s writi riting ng is thus thus a depa depart rtu ure from from oth other women’s writing as she is sensiti sitiv ve to the need of main mainta taiinin ning har harmoni moniou ous s huma human n relati lation onsh ship ip.. I9 I9# search has led me to the discover# that above all we are human! that we share as human is far than what divides us as being men and women.D ;Writing from the 9argin and other )ssa#s= he advocates a change of attitude in ad(udging and practising the gender norms.
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