Universal Experience of Female Tribulations in an Indian Milieu: A Study on Deshpande's Novels Small Remedies and Roots and Shadows

Abstract

Though sexual politics is not something new but a universal experience of women, third wave feminism has acknowledged the differences like colours, ethnicities, regions, etc. and has started analysing how the experience of women is something that cannot be universalised but is different for women depending on their cultural background. This paper analyses the experience of middle class women in Indian scenario and how the gap between traditionalists and the educated middle class women in India leads to chaos and confusions in the society and how it imposes great pressure on the women to act according to the rules of the patriarchal community in the society using the selected novels of Sashi Deshpande. It also examines different forms of gender-specific discrimination targeted against women in Indian society.