Volume : III, Issue : III, March - 2013

Familial Relationships in Anita Desai�s �Cry, the Peacock�

Dr. Mrs. Asha Sharma

Abstract :

Anita Desai holds a significant place as modern Indian English novelist. Most of her critics have focussed their attention on the psychological and existentialist approach in her novels. For them ‘existentialism’ seems to be a favourite subject of Anita Desai where the characters recognize the world as negative and meaningless and feel alienated. Their critical attention revolves round her manner of individualising the characters and presenting them as hypersensitive, solitary and introspective. Such an approach to her novels completely ignores an important dimension of her fictional writing i.e. her attempt to record reactions and responses of her characters to each other in their effort to adjust in their respective familial relationships. The present paper attempts to focus that Anita Desai has made the theme of familial relationships basic and central in her novels and her first novel ‘Cry, the Peacock’ is concerned with failure of the central character Maya to have a meaningful and sustaining relationship with any other member of the family in general and her husband Gautama in particular. Anita Desai holds a significant place as modern Indian English novelist. Most of her critics have focussed their attention on the psychological and existentialist approach in her novels. For them ‘existentialism’ seems to be a favourite subject of Anita Desai where the characters recognize the world as negative and meaningless and feel alienated. Their critical attention revolves round her manner of individualising the characters and presenting them as hypersensitive, solitary and introspective. Such an approach to her novels completely ignores an important dimension of her fictional writing i.e. her attempt to record reactions and responses of her characters to each other in their effort to adjust in their respective familial relationships. The present paper attempts to focus that Anita Desai has made the theme of familial relationships basic and central in her novels and her first novel ‘Cry, the Peacock’ is concerned with failure of the central character Maya to have a meaningful and sustaining relationship with any other member of the family in general and her husband Gautama in particular.

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Article: Download PDF   DOI : 10.36106/ijar  

Cite This Article:

Dr. Mrs. Asha Sharma Familial Relationships in Anita Desai�s �Cry, the Peacock� Indian Journal of Applied Research, Vol.III, Issue.III March 2013

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