• Dr. Cheekatipalli Sree Vijaya Durga

Indian English literature has persistently occupied with the silencing of women within patriarchal structures; particularly in the domestic sphere. Shashi Deshpande’s That Long Silence stands as a landmark feminist narrative that focuses the psychological introspection of an educated, middle-class Indian woman negotiating marriage, motherhood, and selfhood. This paper examines how silence operates both as a mechanism of oppression and as a space of potential resistance in the novel. Through the protagonist Jaya’s gradual reclamation of voice, Deshpande critiques patriarchal expectations that normalize female self-erasure. And also explores themes of silence, voice, marital power, gendered identity, and narrative self-assertion. Further it projects that That Long Silence transforms silence from passive endurance into an active site of feminist resistance, ultimately affirming the necessity of female articulation for personal and social transformation.

Awakening, Silence, Female voice, Resistance, Feminism, Patriarchy, Dominance, Psychological Conflict.

"Breaking the Silence: Female Voice and Resistance in Shashi Deshpande’s That Long Silence", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no.e182-e184, January-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601425.pdf

"Breaking the Silence: Female Voice and Resistance in Shashi Deshpande’s That Long Silence", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no. ppe182-e184, January-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601425.pdf