Society Defined Woman: Patriarchy and Gender Role as Depicted in Anita Desai’s Fasting Feasting

Abstract

Gender issues were profoundly ingrained as patriarchal standards in English literature from the ancient period, when women were confined to domestic roles as spouses, mothers, and caregivers for the family, and males were typically portrayed as warriors, rulers, and breadwinners of the family. Anita Desai’s works portray gender issues where women are considered the second sex and they suffer at the hands of men in the form of brothers, fathers, husbands, lovers, or other family members. Anita Desai’s Fasting Feasting deals with the roles of male and female in two different cultures, the culture of India and that of America. The novel outlines how women are psychologically trapped in a world where men rule and oppress women. She groans that despite gaining independence from colonial authority, India is unable to free its women from the restrictive ideals associated with women. In the novel, men dedicate themselves to education, but women are expected to take up the family responsibilities. Arun’s parents willfully satisfy Arun’s desire to study in the USA, but Uma is forced to drop her schooling to care for her brother. In Indian society, a girl cannot leave her house without hurdles. The novel Fasting Feasting reveals gender issues, focusing on Uma and Arun. The novel illustrates women's lives through the character of Uma, whose personal aspirations are unsatisfied. It also pictures a male-dominated society.