• Mrs. Nirmala Sharma

Shashi Deshpande’s ‘That Long Silence’, published in 1988, is a compiling exploration of females internal struggle within the confines of societal expectations. The novel concentrates on Jaya, the protagonist and narrator, the mother of two who grapples with the pressure of her voice and identity in a circle/looped society where a woman, though educated, had to cut fit to the traditional roles of wife and mother often at the expense of her own aspiration. Jaya’s self-expression reflects on her life confronting the long silence she had maintained. This silence also symbolizes the boarder experience of many women who have been subjected to this coercion, though sometimes self-inflicted but majorly social driven. Though equally capable, Jaya; a woman, refuses to be goaded by her husband; Mohan, and strives to give vent to her internal struggle that ultimately leads her to a path of self-discovery. This internal dichotomy impelled Jaya to reclaim her voice. Through Jaya’s personal journey, Deshpande also penned; through symbols, images, myths and cultural designs, the societal structures that, intentionally and unintentionally, perpetuate general inequality. This work of Shashi Deshpande’ echoes with resilience that is warranted to break free from the metaphorically silence that permeates in many women advocating for a life of dignity, authenticity, and self-assertion.

Society, individuality, inequality, resilience, struggle and expectation.

"Shashi Deshpande’ s That Long Silence: A Voice for Symmetrical Feminine Equality", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.2, Issue 4, page no.457-465, April-2015, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1701D20.pdf

"Shashi Deshpande’ s That Long Silence: A Voice for Symmetrical Feminine Equality", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.2, Issue 4, page no. pp457-465, April-2015, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1701D20.pdf