A Study of shifting Patterns of Women in Novel of Shashi Deshpande

The aim of this study is to explore, examine and analyze women‟s quest for a self-asserted independent/liberated identity; oppositional to the ones that are imposed upon them by the society. For that purpose the selected pieces of literary works are- Fire on the mountain, Cry the Peacock, Voices in the City by Anita Desai, & That Long Silence, Dark Holds NO Terror and Roots and Shadows by ShashiDeshpande. In all the texts mentioned above the age old notion of woman‟s position as innately inferior to man has been put into question. The authors have exposed the social and familial traditions through which women are trained to play a subservient sacrificial role in the family. The society portrayed the image of woman as a custodian of extra-ordinary moral virtues incorporated with devotion and sacrifice.