The Absent Mother Archetype in the Select Novels of Anita Desai: A Study of the Plight of the Motherless Children and Childless Mothers

Abstract

The role played by a mother is irreplaceable. Anita Desai discusses in her novels how, many families were broken because of the loss of the mother, either physically or psychologically. This paper intends to analyse the absent mother motif with reference to the select novels of Anita Desai, and will focus on the predicament of motherless children, who because of the role of the Absent mother had been neglected and abandoned, making them emotionally insecure. This paper will also throw light on how children were affected by the loss of the mother and also the woes of childless mothers and the prejudice it involves. The paper reinforces the urgent need for cultivating and having a relook at archetypes especially the mother archetype, with a plea to include the absent mother archetype as well.  The paper concludes with a note encouraging humankind to imbibe the principles of motherhood to sustain humanity.