Transgressing the Contours of Domesticity

Abstract

Tracing the history of women, it becomes evident that all through the age-old practices, women have been expected of erasing their own identity in an environment where the male patriarch is the sole authority of the society. The society have targeted woman and made her understand that her ordeals are her destiny. Among a plethora of feminist writers, Yashpal has marked a niche in the literary world by unveiling the dreadful representation of women in the Indian society through his writings. His writings give an idea about his anxiety for the prejudices she faces in the Indian society. This paper proposes to highlight the retaliation of the female characters against gender discrimination by seeking an equal space and status for themselves. They break away from the conventional social norms, refuse to abide by the suffocating rules laid down by the traditionalist social order. His characters are customary born and brought up in a conventional milieu. Their consciousness to uphold the honour of the family does not stop them to unshackle themselves from the prejudiced value structure and annihilated cultural representation of gender in the pursuit of liberty and self-identity. The literary words of Yashpal voice the stubbornness of the women to not yield to the social norms and smash them completely. The paper elucidates how strongly they struggle to break away from subjugation and life of dilapidation.