Representation of Women in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Arranged Marriage

In the Indian society, the experiences of women are not considered equal in comparison to the perceptions and experiences of their male counterparts. Women writers have mostly presented a narrow canvas of themes like domestic issues, experiences of in-law’s place, difficulties in adjustment in post and pre-marital status, sexual harassment at work place, dejection and so on. With the advent of feminism, the image of women in fiction did undergone a sea change -- from traditional self-sacrificing women to characters searching for identity, talking about personal as well as professional life, and defying male dominance. This shift can be seen in the works of the most prominent Indian women writers, to name a few, Anita Desai, Shashi Deshpande, Githa Hariharan, Manju Kapur and Arundhati Roy and it has left indelible print in the mind of readers. In case of Diasporic literature, the concern of women writers is different yet the same- alienation and homelessness. This paper will discuss stories compiled in Arranged Marriage authored by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It will peep into the lives of the women characters, their roles in the new found land and dilemma, which is, whether to adapt to the new way of life in the west or to cling to the old traditions of their motherland.