A Critical Study of Ruskin Bond's Fiction in the Light of Indian Feminism

Ruskin Bond, a worshipper of nature; takes us to the misty hills and lush green valleys through his writings. He primarily focuses on the relationship between man and nature. A reader can easily get immersed in the beauty of Nature while reading livelier depiction of nature in his short stories and novellas. He deals with the gradual development of human beings in the lap of nature from early childhood to old age. Moreover, he is primarily known as a children’s writer. Most of his short stories are appealing equally to children as well as adults. He artistically infuses fiction with the element of reality and brings a fulfilling experience to the reader. He explores the inner psyche of his character while delineating a character. His characters are taken from every walk of life; from a common man and woman to a thief or from an adolescent to an ascetic. He delineates his characters as he meets and observes them in the society. Different shades of human psychology are revealed through his writings. Moreover, he also depicts the feminine face of adulthood through his writings. Men and women are depicted with equal zeal; in the true spirit of humanity. At the same time, he precisely portrays the subsidiary place given to women in Indian society. He not only talks about the female aspirations, emotions and mindset but also about the hierarchy that fosters the male-dominance. In the present paper an attempt has been made to study Ruskin Bond’s treatment given to the female characters in his short stories and novellas; selected for the study.