THEME OF CONFLICT BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN SHASHI DESHPANDE'S NOVELS

THEME OF

BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN SHASHI DESHPANDE'S NOVELS

1 2

M.Sridevi,*S.Latharani

1M.PhilScholar(RegisterNo:207208EP289),DepartmentofEnglish,MotherTeresaWomen'sUniversity,Kodaikanal,TamilNadu, India.

2DepartmentofEnglish,N.M.S.S.V.N.College,Madurai,TamilNadu,India.

ABSTRACT

Traditionsareafundamentalcomponentofhumanexistencethatarepasseddownfromonegenerationtothenext.Whilewearestudyingwhathappenedinthepastwe willgraduallynoticethatsomethingshavechanged.ThesearedisplayedinthenovelswrittenbyShashiDeshpande.ShashiDeshpandehasalsomadeaneffortto demonstratehowtoprogressalongtheroadtomodernitywildmaintainingyearfirmgrasponthepast.Herworksstandoutforanumberofreasons,oneofwhichbeing theaccurateportrayalofIndiatheycontain. Herartisaroundaladywhoisbestoflove,companionshipandunderstanding.Hersubjectsaretherealityofwomen's exchangeandthefactsthatliebehindtherequotes.Specificallyseefocusesonthetruthsthatliebehindtheirsilenceitemsremedytotheproblembychangingthemind setsofthemanfolktowardsthewomen.ThisisdonewhilekeepinginmindthelongstandingtraditionsthathasbeenupheldinIndiansociety Theworldofmanis currentlyexperienceinthethirdprocessofwomenitisimpossibletoalteritwithoutfirstalertingthewaythatpeoplethink.

KEYWORDS:Womentradition;Existence;Indiansociety

INTRODUCTION:

ThemajorityofDeshpande'sworksaretoldfromthefirst-personperspectiveof theprotagonist.Inmostcases,theprotagonistalsoservesasthestory'snarrator Only from her pursue are the events that are taking place in the story being observed by the readers. Every one of her books is an investigation into the female mind and it also provides knowledge of where the heroine fits into that psychology This is biggest her books focus mostly only journey that woman embedon.WhenmostIndianwriters'extolthevirtueofIndianwomen,suchas theirpatience,virginity,selflessnessandsacrifice.Shedebunkstheillusionthata womanisthepersonificationofallbridgesintheworld.

ShashiDeshpandefellintothecareerofwritingbychance,andherascentinthe worldofliteraturehasbeennothingshortofmeteoric.Afterthebirthofhertwo sons,shedecidedtobeginhercareerasawriter Inthebeginning,shejustwrote aboutherownexperience,andherfatherpublishedsuchwritingintheDeccan Herald. Later on, when she was working for the magazine. On Looker, she penned a short tale that was eventually published and received a great deal of praise from the publication's audience.After that, she begins to compose short stories.InaninterviewthatshegavetoBBCWorldservice,shedescribedhow sheunexpectedlybeganhercareerasawriter Thethemesoffeminineconsciousness are prevalent in Shashi Deshpande's novels. There is little effort made to pick or focus on male characters, despite the fact that Shashi Deshpande's has beenquiteselectivewhenitcomestochoosingfemaleprotagonists.

However,asanumberofShashiDeshpande'sdetractorshavedemonstrated,her femalenarratorstranscendtheirgenderinordertoinvestigatethemailmentality ThequestionofbrotherornotShashiDeshpandeisafeministisadebatableone duetothefactthatshehasself-labelledherworkasfeministfiction.Anovelis,to yourconsiderableextentandinit'sentirelytheprivatevisionofitsauthorandis entirely subjective. In a same manner, Shashi Deshpande shares his individual perspectives inThat Long Silence regarding martial disharmony It is true that anyIndianwomencandiscoverherownstillnessinJaya'ssilence,andthisistrue ofallIndianwomen.ToarguethatShashiDeshpandeisafeministwriterandthat shedehumanisesmasculinecharactersis,howeveraperspectivethatisonlypartiallycorrect.

CULTUREANDTRADITIONINROOTSANDSHADOWS:

TheThirumathiRangamahalPricewasgiventotheauthorofthenovelRootsand Shadows,in1983. ThenovelwasdeemedtobethegreatestIndiannovelpublishedin1983."Roots"Standsfortraditionand"Shadows"representsthefringe culture.InthisbookbyDeshpande,themaincharacter,Induthinksbackonthe ways in which women are mistreated in society Emotionally, she is speaking releaseassheexperiencesfeelingsofunhappiness,beingsuppressed,andrestlessness. Her husband Naren's question asked as to why she has always fought forherwomenhoodmakesherthinkinretrospectaboutthedaywhenshewas firstmadeawareofit.Shebitterlyrecalledhowtheconceptofwomenhoodhad been push to upon her in a crude manner Naren had asked her why she had alwayssouthforherwomenhood.

Mywomenhood---Ihadneverthoughtofituntiltheknowledgehadbeentrust brutally,gracelesslyonmetheday,Ihadgrownup.ʻYouʼreawomannowKaki

hadtoldme.Youcanhavebabiesyourself---AndIwhohadallthechild'sunconsciousnessaboutmyownbodyhadforthefirsttimefeltonimmensehatredforit. And don't forget, she had ended for four days now you are unclean.You can't touch anyone or anything'.And that had been my introduction to the beautiful worldofbeingawoman.Iwasunclean.(RootsandShadow86-87).

Therelationshipbetweenamotherandherdaughterisanotherthemethatruns strongly through Deshpande's writings. She does not place a lot of faith in her mother, who in the Indian cultural tradition, is worshipped as a goddess. She explores many dimensions of the mother-daughter connection in her presentation. The female protagonists of Deshpande are unlike standard depictions of "Sita"figuresinanyway Theydecidetolivetheirlivesindependently,breaking awayfromthetraditionsoftheirfamily Everyoneofherbooksexploresaspects of the female mind and the feminine consciousness. It seems as though she is interestedinbringingattentiontothesubordinaterolethatwomenplay Shashi Deshpande articulates her concept of the "new women" or a woman who has rethoughtheridentity,inawaythatisbothclearandcompelling.Shestrivesto break free from the confines of her traditional role in order to become the new women she wants to be, one who chooses to confront her husband rather than flee.

IMPACTOFTRADITION:

The primary protagonist in Deshpande's work can be observed transitioning fromapositionofpassiveacceptancetooneofaggressiveassertion.Theydonot give in today process of society nor do they rebel against the traditional and socialstructuresthataregenerallyrecognized.Theyhavepreservedthemselves as strong, independence people. Even though they were born into traditional homesandreceivedtheirupbringingtheretheyaspiretobemorethanjustdaughters,wivesandmom's.Theyfallintoneitherthecategoryofrebelsnorconformists.Everywomanisthereonewhomaintainsthepeaceandcontentmentinthe home.Ifsomeoneweretosaythateveryhomeishappy,whattheyreallymeansis thatallofthewomenlivinginthosehomesarehappy,andthattheirhappiness ensuresandinfactmaintainsthehappinessoftheothermembersofthehousehold.Thisdoesnotmeanthateveryonelivinginthosehomesishappy Thiskind ofcontentmentresultsfromacalm,harmoniousandprosperouslifeinahouse anditismostlydependentonthewomenwhocontrolitforthehouse'simprovementandeconomicprogress.

"Ourownlands....forgenerationstheywereour...Andwehadtohandthemover justlikethat....Ifsomeonehadtoldmesomeyearsback.I'dneverhavebelieved it.Whenfatherwasalive,hejusthadtogothereandthefellowswouldfallathis feet. Now they have become too big. There know they have the upper hand. They'rearrogantanddisrespectful.Andforgenerationswewerekings".

Deshpandehasmadeanefforttobringattentiontotheissueofpatriarchalsociety and the problems it causes in general. She conveys the inner life and ideas of Indu, the protagonist through her performance. She is a revolutionary woman, anditseemsasthoughshehasbeenworkingagainsthegemonyfromthetimes shewasachild.SeedoesnotgivetoAkka,theoppressorwhoistakingoverher house,andallowsherselftobebullied.Sheisadamantlyopposedtotheideathat hadnewhusband;Jayantshouldbeabletomanipulateherlikeapuppetinany-

way She is unable to comprehend the nature of the life that he she is currently leading.

WhenAkka'shusbandsuffersastrokethatleaveshimcompletelyparalysed,we witnessapositivesidetohercharacter Shehasbeenobedienttoherhusbandfor two years, administrating his medication and providing him with meals at the appropriatetimes,andprovidingexcellentcareforhim;however,shehasnotforgottenthetormentthatherhusbandhascausedherandshehasmadethedecision to exact her revenge on him. She does not permit him to meet his concubine, whomhelovesmadlyandsheforcesthewomentoleavethehouse.Itcausesher greatanguishtorecallthosesleeplessandterrifyingnights;seedidnotgohere single nights without crying.The novelist is of the opinion that women do not receiveappropriaterespectandplaceinsociety,andthatarrangedweddingsare unfairlydiscriminatingtowardsfemales.

Induscoffsatthenotionthatawifeshouldavoidcallingherhusbandbyhisname becausedoingsomakeshimappeartobeyounger Seedoesnotcomprehendthe correlationbetweenaman'swifeaddressinghimbynameandhisabilitytolivea long and healthy life.According to her, doing so is on par with praying to the Tulsiplanttolengthenhislife.However,shevacillatesbetweenbeingtraditional and being modern. She is unable to break away from the shackles of tradition becauseheridentityisingrainedintime-honoredritualorpractise,andshecannotchangethepast.Shecomestotheagonizingrealizationthatdespitehereducationandexposure,sheisnotanydifferentfromtheladieswhocircledthetulsi plantinanefforttolengthenthelivesoftheirhusbands.

Eventhoughhehasandeducationandgivesoftheimpressionofbeingacontemporary guy, her spouse is still the stereotypical Indian husband. He enjoys the companyofawifewhoisdocileandundemanding.Hiswifeputsforthalotof efforttoensurethatheiscontentandhappyallofthetime.Thejobofwritingfor themagazineisextremelyfrustratingforher,yetshecontinuoustodoitbecause shewantstomakesurethathusbandissatisfied.Duringthecourseofyourcareer, shelearnedofsocialworkerwhohadbeenhonouredforhercontributionstothe communitybyreceivinganaward.Seefeltthatthesoft-spokenwomen'sbehaviour,whichappearedtoberealanddedicated,hadasignificantimpactonher,so muchsothatseedecidedtowriteanarticleabouther

AWAKINGOFMODERNITY:

ButitturnsoutthatdaysocialworkerisquitedifferentfromwhatInduhadanticipatedshewouldbelike.Shehasanysenseofdecencyormoralityandisrelentlessinherfewpursuitofwealth,powerandnotoriety.Indufindsanotherpiece that criticises the women and shows it to her editor, who is experienced and knowledgeable in the world, but he decides against publishig the story since it criticizesthewomen.Afterbeingtakenbackbytheotherwoman'shypocrisyand theeditors'behavior,Sherunstoherhusbandandspillsthebeanstohimabout city situation. Her husband, who is immersed in the principles of the middle class, tells her that he is powerless to change the entire system and asks her to keepworkingsotheycanaffordtolive.Seebeginswritingwhatisappropriate forthemagazineratherthanwhatisrightinherownconscience.Shecomesto the conclusion that in yeah hypocritical culture, success is recognized as the sweetest, there for she makes a deal with the circumstances in order to keep as spouseinhighspirits.

Inducomestounderstandthehumourlessnatureofrealitywithincreasingrapidity.Hernewlifeasawifehasalteredher.Shediscovers,muchtoherastonishmentandsurprise,thatnotonlyhadJayantexpectedhertosubmitbuthehadalso takenhersubmissionforgranted.Shealsodiscovers,muchtoherownsurprise thatshehad,withoutrealisingit,graduallyresignedherselftohiminthenameof love.Becausesheneverwantstheretobeanytensioninhermaritallife,shehas cometotheconclusionthatitisnotlovebutratherandadjustment.Becauseshe hasalreadywedforlove,shedoesnotwanttoleaveanyroomforherparentsto holdherresponsiblefortheactionthatshehasalreadyperformed.Sheiseagerto demonstrateherlevelofachievement.

Theauthorofthisnovelhasveryaccuratelyandpreciouslydescribedthepredicamentthatyoungcontemporarywomenfindthemselvesin,whichisthattheyare calledinthemiddleoftraditionandmodernityandmustdecidewhetherornotto abandonthenormsofthepastinordertoparticipateinmodernsociety According to Indu, one ought to give heed to the urging of one's own conscience and behave in a manner that is congruent with who one is, both in times of one's wordsandone'sdeeds.

As a consequence of this, she begins to have second thoughts about various aspectsofherlife,includinghermarriage,herpositionasajournalist, andthe independenceshehadalwaysbelievedshehadearnedthroughhardwork.Sheis introducedtoNaren,hercousinandimmediatelyhastheimpressionthathecomprehendsherbetterthanJayantdose.Shefindsherselfattractedtohimandopens uptohimaboutherstrugglesandherlife.Atlonglast,shemakesthedecisionto gobacktoJayant.It'sdemonstratesbothherindependentandheroriginality

The love-hate relationship that exist between the protagonist and the author in ShashiDespande'snovel"rootsandshadows"ismetaphorforthestrugglethat existsbetweenmodernityandtradition.Inthenovel,theothertakesanobjective look at the man-woman relationship and concludes that men are not only to

blamefortheoppressionofwomen.

Asarealisticwriter,Deshpandepreferstobroadenthescopeandcreatenewenvironmentsinwhichthewifeandhusbandmightlivetogetherpeacefullyandcontentedly Healsoenjoysthechallengeofwritingrealisticprose.Shealsobelieves thatitisimportanttostrikeabalancebetweentraditionalfamilyvaluesandupto-datefashiontrends,aswellaspersonalandfinancialautonomy.Accordingto Deshpande,asuddenjumptomodernitymaybedetrimentaltothewell-beingof Indian women because of the deeply ingrained culture and civilization of the Indianpeople,whichisfundamentallydistinctfromthatofthoseleavinginthe West.

Deshpandeisparticularlyconcernedwiththeissuesofthechallengesrightsand successesofwomen.Her"newwomen"aren'tafraidtoquestionandsubvertthe normsthathavebeenaroundfordecades.Heroneandonlygoalistobringmen andwomentogetherasequalparticipantsinaharmoniouspartnership.Herprotagonist is a risk-tacker who is also independent and defiant.They come to the conclusionthat"goingout"isnotthesolutiontothedifficultiesthatface.

PORTABLEOFWOMENBONDTOTRADITION:

In The Long Silence the two distinct images of Indian women are shown in ShashiDeshpande'swork:oneisoflower-castewomenwhoseprimarymeansof subsistenceistheperformanceofdomesticlabour,andtheotherisofeducated middle-castewomen.Theycomefromavarietyofsocialbackgrounds,butthey shareonethingincommon;theyareoftheopinionthatthesuccessofawomanis dependentonthesuccessofhermarriage.Itdoesn'tmatterwhatsocialclassthe womeninthisbookbelongto;theyallwanttogetmarriedandkeeptheirmarriagestogetherbecausebreakingupamarriageisseenastheworstpossibleoutcomeforawomen'slife.

Asaresult,thewomanisrequiredtomaintainhersilencewheneveritisrequired. Shemust,attimes,breakthatextendedquietifitisconsfortheminordertoget thereplaceintheworldthatisdominatedbymen.Themaincharacter,Jaya,in ThatLongQuite,toowentthroughalotofpainoftheresultofyoursilence.She did not defend herself alone by her own efforts. It is possible to describe her fighterfortheliberationofwomen.Theshacklesofaconventionalmarriageare difficulttobeer.Inthesekindsofsituations,womenfrequentlyhavenochoice buttobequite.

Itisimportantforallwomentohavethisrealisationabouttheirstatusandhow males treat them. They have a responsibility to make sure that they are of the implicationsoftheirsilenceandrespondappropriately Theyshouldn'tmentiona stateofcompletesilence.Theycanonlyhaveanidentityiftherecancommunicate.Additionally, Shashi argues that the ladies do not have to transform all at once.Howeverifthereishopeandcourageintheirlife,itisfeasibleforthemto makeadifference.Thepeople'slivesimproveasaresultoftheirhope.

Aladydoesnotoftentalkaboutherself.Undertypicalconditions,theonlything she discusses is her role. Even while see occasionally discusses her responses, sheneverrevealshertrueemotions.Sheneverletson(2).

Theultimatesubjugationofwomenhasbeenbroughtaboutresultofthevenerationofsilenceinfemales.Hersubjectionistheunintendedresultofdenyingright tospeakandmakingassumptionsaboutheragreementtothings.Asaresult,the Womenhasbecomesasilenceshadowasaresultofhersilence.

Thelackofspeechthatoccursinthelivesofalloftheladiesisevidenceofthepessimismanddespondencethatexistintheirlives.Theyhavecometotermswith thefactthattheyhavenootheroptionexcepttogothroughthedaysinsilence. However,becauseofthismentality,theyareforcedintoapositionofsubordination,whichcontributestotheestablishmentofoppressivepatriarchalpatterns.

ThatlongsilenceisaworkoffictionthatdelvesintothepsychologicalandethicalconundrumsthatcontemporaryIndianladyfacesonherjourneytofindfreedomandanewharmonywithbothherselfandherenvironment,whichsheultimatelyaccomplishesatthenovel'sconclusion.Despandegivesanintimateand domestic chronicle of the subtle tyranny faced by women and the difficulty of coming to terms with one selfie inThat Long Silence, which explores the portrayaloftheman-womanconnectioninthenovel.ThatLongSilencewaswritten byDespande.Despandeinvestigatesthementalstateofcontemporarywomenof themiddleclass,whoarecaughtbetweensorrowandfeeling,patienceandtoleranceontheonehand,andegoisticalassertionandemotionalexplosionsonthe other

MODERNWOMENOFDESPANDE:

In the novella, "That Long Silence" by Shashi Despande, the main character, Jaya,isabletogainherindependence,dignity,self-respectandfreedombyworking for her own satisfaction within the context of family and community This runsagainsttotheegalitarianideasthatareprevalentinwesternculture.Sheconveys the silent sorrow that the protagonist Jaya endured and how she was repressed from expressing her own ideas in the story Because of the chain of events,wenowhaveabetterunderstandingofthat.FromthetimeJayawasatoddler,shewasbarredfromtherighttofreelyexpressyouropinions.Whenshewas achildshewasachild,shewasinstructedtosolelyacceptherfather'spointof

view She was deprived of the joy that see experienced during her childhood sinceshewasnotpermittedtointeractwithchildrenofotherhouseholds.

Despitethefactthatsheisupsetaboutit,shedidnotmusterupthegutstoexpress herdecidestoherfather Ifshehadbeenmoreoutspokenwhenshewasyounger, shewouldhavebeenabletofullyappreciatethejoythatcharacterizedheryouth. Onceitislost,thereisnowaytogetitback.Thedaysshespentasachildwill nevercomebacktoheragain.Insimilarvein,hermarriagedidnotturnoutthe waythatshehadhopeditwould.Herbrotherwassuccessfulinpersuadingherto concentratetoMohan'sproposalofmarriage.Shecouldhavehadthehappylife shedesiredifshehadonlysaidnotoMohanandlistentoherhusbandinstead. However,shewassilencedasaresultofthecircumstancesaroundherfamily In spiteofherimageasahousewife,shewantstobuildareputationforherselftalented writer Because her husband did not adopt a new vision for his wife, she wastreatedsubordinatebyherhusband.Herhusbanddidnotembraceanewattitudeforhiswife.

Jaya now finds herself confirming to the archetype of the submissive, selfeffacingwifewhichissomethingshepreviouslyabhorred.Shewasagoodwife and always respected husband, Mohan, no matter what he liked or disliked. It wasstrictlyforbiddenforhertoshareherthoughtsandemotionswithMohanin anyway Ifshehadbeenmoreopenaboutbeliefs,itmighthavecausedfrictionin whatwasotherwiseaharmoniousmarriageforher

CONCLUSION:

ThebookswrittenbyDespandedon'tjustfocusonwomen'splightandwomen's needforidentityandspaceasanindividual;rather,theydemonstratehowtheconflict between tradition and modernity deals with each other, as well as how it affects human relationships inside families. The idea that life is not merely acceptanceorrejectioninitspurestformbutratherthecombinationofbothhas beenbrilliantlycommunicatedbyShashiDeshpande.Thefamilyunitservesas thebedrockuponwhichhumanhistoryisbuilt,andevenaseeminglyinsignificantshiftinthetraditionalpositionofwomeninsocietyhasthepotentialtojeopardisethecontinuedexistenceoffamiliesthatadheretoparticularnormsandcustoms.Thewaysinwhichcustomsandbeliefscanhaveaneffectonfamilialconnections, such as those between parents and children, brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives. In this passage, Shashi Deshpande dose a good job of exploringthepaththataprotagonisttakesfromherinitialrejectionoftraditions andattractiontomodernitytohereventualembraceofbothonanequalandbalancedlevel.Andeveryoneofthesealterationshasanimpactontheconceptof thefamily However,thisdemonstrateshowtheideaoffamilycancoexistwith bothtraditionalandcontemporarywaysofliving.Becauseitdemonstratesboth culturalcohesionanddiversitythatexistwithinthesociety,ifmightbeofuseto studentsofliteraturewhoareinterestedinsociology Studentsofliteraturemay alsofindtheanalysisoftheworksofliteraturethatisofferedtobehelpfulforconductingadditionalresearchinthetopic.

REFERENCES:

I. Deshpande,Shashir(1988).TheDarkHoldsNoTerror NewDelhi:Peng.

II. Dhavan,R.K.IndianWomenNovelists.SetI,Volume5,NewDelhi;Prestige,N.D.

III. Mies,Maria(1980).IndianWomenandPatrianchy NewDelhi:Concept,1980.

IV Sree,PrassanaSed.(2005).IndianWomenWritinginEnglish:NewPerspectives,New Delhi:Sarup&Sons.

V Abraham,M.H.GlossaryofLiteraryTerms.PrimesBookPvt.Ltd.,1993.Print.

VI. AnInterviewwithShashiDeshpande.BBCWroldService.BushHouse.Strand.London.N.d.Web.