The Foot Prints Of Women From Conventional To Ultra-Modernism Depicted Through Divakaruni's Oleander Girl

Abstract

"Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size."

– Virginia Woolf

In accordance with the evolution of society, the status of women is also evolving, particularly in globalised India. The position of women in the classical period and in the contemporary period of India is usually perceived to be opposing poles that in no way meet. Despite traditional patriarchal standards that also demarcate women's movement and areas of activity, the repute of women could not remain unaffected on such occasions. The line between traditional lifestyle and modernity in Indian socio-cultural discourse is becoming increasingly more blurred. For instance, public as well as personal issues have also been modified, with more women who are abled and inclined to take part in public lifestyles. So, where does this "conventional style" fit? What is the relationship between that lifestyle and the concept of "girl," which has been its (mandated) bearer and perpetuator for centuries? How does patriarchal society address the new adjustments that have occurred in women's popularity? Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni poses these questions within the context of Oleander Girl, in addition to a few troubles such as the bounds or crossings over the bounds of the private and non-private spheres in modern-day West Bengal; taboo-breaking realities inclusive of inter-racial relationships and babies born out of wedlock; and border-crossing as a need for redefining identification in the face of the uncertainty of return. The intention of this study is to confront Indian women regarding the differences between paradigms like "culture" and "conventional" foisted on them by Indian nationalists or Western ideologies and "modernity".