ImpactofMetropolitan CultureonMarriage:A StudyonDé’s Select Texts
Abstract
Shobhaa Dé, an advocate of Feminism in her writing, portrays her female protagonists assertively, utilizing thenarrativetounderscoreherargumentthatthepersonalrealmtranscendsmereprivacyandholdspoliticalsignificance.Thesecentralcharactersinherliteraryworksemergeasoutspokencriticschallengingsocietalnormsandregulations.Theydeviatefromtheconventionalmoldofwomenwhotolerateabusive,unsatisfactory,ordiscomfortingrelationshipsacross various dimensions, be it male dominance, objectification, sexual discontent, passion, or other facets. Breakingthe silence surrounding these issues, they reject the notion of it being a taboo. In contrast, Dé refrains from depictingmale characters as outright villains; instead, she subtly reveals that they are shaped by the patriarchal constructs evidentin the storyline. The gender issues exploredin her works extend beyond the realm of female oppression within domesticviolencescenarios.Rather,theydelveintotheunspokenvoidofsexualdissatisfactionexperiencedbyallfemalecharacters.Whilemalecharacterstraditionallybearrolesassociatedwithsexualprowess,power,andadistinctself-identity, the female figures in Dé’s narratives defy these stereotypical molds. They serve as representations of women,assertingtheiragencybyexpressingsexualdesires,wieldingpower,andyearningforasenseofself-identity.Consequently, this research centers on Shobhaa Dé’snovels, namelySocialite Evenings(1989),Sisters(1992),StarryNights(1991),andSecondThoughts(1996),allofwhichgrapplewithgender-relatedthemes.Thestudynotonlyscrutinizes the challenges and issues presented but also illuminates the struggles faced by the protagonists in their quest
for self-identity.
References
2.Dé, Shobhaa.Sisters. Gurgaon: Penguin Random House India Pvt. Ltd., 2013.
3.Dé, Shobhaa.Socialite Evenings. Gurgaon: Penguin Random House India Pvt. Ltd., 2013.
4.Dé, Shobhaa.Starry Nights. Gurugram: Penguin Random House India Pvt. Ltd., 2013.
5.Adhikari, Hemkala. Interface between Identity and Geography in Shobhaa De’s Superstar India. Diss. Department of
English, 2022.
6.Jonjua, Mehak. "Concept of new woman in shobha de." Mass Communicator:
International Journal of Communication Studies 13.3 (2019): 30-33.
7.Kashyap, Minu. "Shobha De-The Female Hero in Making of A More Expressive and
Explosive Indian Women."