Delineation of Women Attributes in Select Fictions of Bapsi Sidhwa – A Study

Abstract

Literature reflects the societal perceptions and its attitudes. It has witnessed the evolution of women over time. In spite of her inherent talent, women have always been relegated to margins. Their identity is obscured, their potential and abilities are undervalued. The women characters are defined with a sense of struggle and their evolution and empowerment can be seen in the different roles of women characters in literature from the past to the present. The women characters in most of the works are victimized and this cannot be denied. But in the case of Bapsi Sidhwa, one of the finest novelists of Indian sub-continent, it’s different. It is because she draws the attention of the readers with the brilliant depiction of women’s sufferings as well as their courageous actions in her novels. Almost all Sidhwa’s fictional women are lively and are strongly built. This kind of depiction gives the reader an awareness of the past patriarchal society and culture. This study examines the various framing of women characters in the select fictions of Bapsi Sidhwa namely The Pakistani Bride (1982), An American Brat (1993) and Water (2006).