A Feminist Analysis of Women's Trauma in Anita Desai's 'Fasting Feasting'

Komal Komal, Devendra Kumar Sharma

Abstract


Anita Desai's Fasting Feasting presents many issues surrounding ‘being a woman’ in India. It particularly deals with the trauma of three women and presents their sorrows. Uma and Aruna are two sisters, and Anamika is their cousin. Uma is forced to leave school to take care of her parents and younger brother's household chores. Aruna is married to a wealthy man, but her lifestyle is unacceptable to her old-fashioned parents. Anamika is a brilliant student who secures a prestigious fellowship at Oxford but cannot avail of it because she is a woman. She ends up in a toxic marriage and suffers from domestic violence, which ultimately leads to her death. These instances depict the subjugation of women in a male-dominated Indian society. The presents study explores the traumatic instances of women in a male-dominated society in India. Furthermore, it also presents the genesis of trauma of a woman. One major reason behind the trauma of women is the patriarchal mind-set of Indian society. Sometimes, even parents do not support their daughters due to their conserved mind-set and societal pressure. Although the novel presents trauma through three protagonists, Indian women continue to face similar issues in their lives even today.

Keywords


Fasting Feasting; Indian Feminism; patriarchy; trauma; women oppression

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