Neurotic Feminine Aspirations in the Characters of Maya, Bimla, Nanda and Monisha with Reference to Anita Desai’s Fictionracters of Maya, Bimla, Nanda and Monisha

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the representation of women by Anita Desai from psychoanalytical perspective.Desai, being a post-colonial writer has diverted the attention of many critics and perusers towards her astonishing style of portraying feminine desires and urges in such a minute way that startles the readers. Desai has amplified the unconscious desires of her female characters which are usually muted and suppressed in overarching patriarchal system. Desai has penetrated their unvoiced miseries and unfulfilled wishes which get chronic and later take the shape of neurotic trauma, so Desai debunks this aspect of ruthless chauvinistic society to give space to women voices in true sense. This angle of investigating characters remined unexplored by many writers for a very long time. Through her eminent novels like Fire on the Mountain, Cry the Peacock, Voices in the City and Clear light of the day, readers are well aware of the minute details she presents, these voices are echoed by her sorrowful and agonizing characters. Anita Desai has augmented these females with power of voice and reaction to challenge the power structures. The predicament and unaddressed sorrows of these female characters also pave way to recognize the miserable plight, contemporary women is facing in her life, in that way her characters supplement the perusers with fictional case studies to have broader comprehension of understanding the traumas of the females ultimately addressing those issues to build a healthy and balanced environment for women around.