SELF-IDENTITY CRISIS AND QUEST FOR WOMAN EMANCIPATION IN NAYANTHARA SAGHAL’S: THE DAY IN SHADOW

Abstract

This research paper has chosen female protagonist character “Simrit”in the novel “The Day in Shadow” written by Nayantara Sahgal to analyze and explore the crisis for self-identity and quest for women emancipation in male dominated freedom India. This is a post independent novel that revolves about theme of politics, history, patriarchal freedom India, problems faced by divorced women in patriarchal country, domestic violence, self-identity issue, and finally brutal divorce settlement. Since Nayantara Sahgal comes from political background family and being a victim of broken marriage that ended with divorce and brutal marriage settlement, these autobiographical elements of author is very much influenced through character “Simrit” in this novel. Simrit is an educated Indian woman from brahmin family got married to non-brahmin person Som, with whom she feels incompatible in all ways like intellectual, emotional, sexual, culturally and humanly ethical gentleman. Som is self-centered, egoist, money-minded person, with whom our female protagonist Simrit finds completely ignored, not loved and incomplete in life with no identity for herself and her voice in the family. This research paper gives a detailed review on the challenges faced by female characterSimrit, how she raised her voice for herself in the male dominated society, and her quest for self-identity in Nayantara Sahgal’s novel “The day in shadow”.