Feminist Insights in Anita Desai's Where Shall We Go This Summer? and Fasting, Feasting

This paper critically examines the place of women in the fictional world of Anita Desai through a Feminist perspective. To understand her outlook and standpoint on the socio-cultural issues of female freedom and empowerment the paper thoroughly explores the Feminine themes interwoven in her novels namely; Where Shall We Go This Summer, and Fasting, Feasting. The study finds that Desai while depicting the psychological plight of female characters in her novels makes clear that Indian feminism, faces discrimination, stereotyping, objectification, oppression, and patriarchy. Besides, this paper shows how authentically the writer represents the deplorable status of women in Indian patriarchal society. Anita Desai presents a woman as an embodiment of sacrifice, silent suffering, humility, faith, and knowledge in her novels from a feminist perspective. This paper explores the struggle of women in Desai’s novels.