Shashi Deshpande is known for her stories that resonate with the struggles of modern Indian women. While she questions and attacks the patriarchal norms of society, unlike a radical feminist, she doesn’t attack men for these social anomalies. That Long Silence is not a story of a single woman, but it’s a story of many women whose dreams, emotions, and feelings are getting crushed by the norms of our society. In addition, the other major theme of the novel is the importance of communication, and the expression of feelings and love between a couple sans which, their relationship and family go to tatters.
Characters of That Long Silence:
Jaya is the protagonist of the novel, a married woman, mother of two kids, a son, and a daughter Rita. She belongs to a middle-class Indian joint family. As a child, she was a clever, curious, and bright student with a desire to become a writer. However, her grandmother encourages her to act more conventionally so she can get a husband when she grows up, explaining that civilized and cultured girls are skilled at cooking, cleaning, and household labor. In addition, she tells Jaya to learn to be more accommodating and to keep quiet when she disagrees so that she may develop good relationships with her in-laws after her marriage. The teachings of her grandmother and mother deeply influence her and eventually, she becomes a subservient young woman. Her father is a government servant and her mother is a housewife. Ravi, her elder brother is a settled married man. Mohan is Jaya’s husband. He works at a private firm. He is aware of his duties as a patriarchial man and husband in society but he is not comfortable with that. He is ambitious and wishes to attain and offer the best facilities for his family. Ramukaka is Jaya’s uncle, the elder brother of her father. Kamat is a widower living in the neighborhood of Jaya. His only son is settled abroad and Kamat lives alone. Jaya develops a friendly rapport with him though she keeps it a secret.
The Title and the Theme:
“If I were a man and cared to know the world I lived in, I almost think it would make me a shade uneasy–the weight of that long silence of one-half of the world.”
Shashi Deshpande used this statement by Elizabeth Robins, the famous actress, writer, novelist, and activist as an epigraph for her novel and the title comes from that statement. ‘That Long Silence’ refers to the forced suppression of expression by women in general because of societal and cultural discrepancies. It is a scathing critique of our social institutions like marriage and family, and the way they stifle the growth and free expression of the individual.
The novel traces Jaya’s passage through a plethora of self-doubts, fears, guilt, smothered anger, and silence toward articulation and affirmation. Jaya is caught in an emotional eddy, and endeavors to come to terms with her protean roles, while trying, albeit in vain, to rediscover her true self, which is but an ephemera-an unfulfilled wife, a disappointed mother, and a failed writer, Jaya, in fact rejects the patriarchal notion of a unitary self or identity. She realizes that her silence and suppression are not only harming her, but it is detrimental to her family and her husband too. The main theme of the novel is the lack of communication
Summary of That Long Silence:
The novel begins as Jaya and Mohan prepare to shift from their well-settled, comfortable house to their old house in Dadar, Bombay, where they had stayed immediately after getting married when their financial condition was not good. They shift into their old apartment because Mohan has been caught in some business malpractice and an inquiry is in progress. Here in a small old flat, Jaya gets out of touch with her daily schedule and becomes an introvert. She sits deep in contemplation, thinking of her childhood, and tries to analyze herself. Jaya finds that she is an unsatisfied woman. She is neither a good wife nor a good mother and she remembers how she failed as a writer. Jaya recalls her past days, her upbringing the environment in which she was brought up, and the preachings that were thrust upon her when she was growing up e.g. she has been taught that “a husband is like a sheltering tree.” Though Jaya is a modern educated woman, she wishes to be an ideal wife and mother like Sita, Parvati, and other mythical figures. However, she often fails at that.
She remembers her daughter Revati’s last birthday and how she and Revati felt Mohan loved his niece more than his own daughter. But she does not say anything to Mohan as he only dismisses it as her “writer’s imagination” and nothing more. She always wishes to proceed as per her husband’s wish.
Jaya feels that a woman’s identity is defined by others, in terms of her relationship with men, i.e. as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother, etc. The question “What a woman does” is never asked but “who she belong to” is always considered important. She doesn’t have an identity of her own. Even her name is not her own and it keeps changing. She has two names, JAYA and SUHASINI. Jaya which means victory, is the name given by her father when she was born, and Suhasini, the name given after her marriage means a “soft, smiling, placid, motherly woman”. Both the names symbolize the traits of her personality. The former symbolizes revolt and the latter submission. Jaya remembers how painstakingly her uncle Ramukaka prepared a family tree, mentioning all the members of their family. However, Jaya’s name was not on that list, nor was her sister’s. When Jaya asked her uncle why her name was not included in the family tree, she came to learn that she now belongs to her husband's family and not her father's. All these thoughts continue to make her feel depressed and she becomes more distant from her husband.
Mohan faces further disgrace when he is found guilty of counterfeiting at his job and fired. Jaya’s sister Kusum visits Jaya and discusses her own husband from whom she has recently separated. Jaya thinks that Kusum’s abusive husband and her own distant one have very different flaws but that they stem from the same cultural expectations of the way men should treat women. Next, Jaya meets wither her brother Ravi, who speaks harshly about Mohan. When Mohan learns about this, he is angry with Jaya.
Jaya fails to realize that Mohan seeks her support in this difficult period. Mohan tried to discuss his issues with Jaya, but she didn’t know what to say and how to console him. Because of her silence during all these years, she has forgotten to express her thoughts. On the other hand, Mohan thought, she was behaving like this because he had lost his job. Misunderstandings started to occupy the gaps made by Jaya’s silence. Neither of them has ever been comfortable talking about their feelings and fears with each other. Mohan has no idea how to ask for what he needs, and Jaya has no idea how to offer it. The situation becomes even direr when the couple’s son, Rahul, runs away from home. Eventually, Mohan left the house and did not return for several days. Jaya’s physical and mental condition was devastated. She had no clue how to manage without Mohan. During all those years, she was only a follower and she did not learn how to make decisions of her own. She begins to contemplate her past.
As a child, she was a very curious and brilliant student who aspired to be a writer. Her grandmother was quite unhappy with her inquisitive nature. In her view, girls must remain silent and submissive all the time. They don’t have any right to ask so many questions. Jaya’s father was very fond of her daughter and he used to support her always. He encouraged Jaya to follow her dreams of being a successful writer. But, after his sudden death, Jaya became alone and no one ever tried to understand her feelings and emotions. She started suppressing her desires to satisfy the criteria of our society. In the subsequent time, she got married to Mohan. Mohan was a good man, but he was also a man, and just like every other man in our society, he also never made the effort to understand Jaya’s heart and her feelings. He thought that whatever he would do or say, Jaya would follow him blindly. So, he never bothered to ask about her views from small to big decisions. They shifted to Bombay and there Jaya gave birth to her son Rahul and daughter Rati. Her world revolves around her family. Initially, they stayed at a small house in Dadar, Bombay because their financial condition was not so good. Gradually, Mohan continued to make progress in his career and soon they bought a new bigger, much comfortable house in a better locality. Kamat was a widower, Jaya's neighbor upstairs in Dadar. He was a lonely man whose only son was living abroad. As Mohan remained busy in his office and Jaya’s kids spent most of their time in school and studies, Jaya developed a rapport with Kamat. However, she kept it a secret. During her first pregnancy, Jaya suggested that Mohan should cook. Mohan didn’t like the idea because it is not a man’s job but since there was no other woman to help, he did. However, she confessed to Kamat that the sight of Mohan cooking made her uneasy because she thought it was unmanly. Jaya always wished to become a writer so in her free time she begins writing stories. She made a good start as a writer by creating a story that won first prize and was published in a magazine. But Mohan's reaction to the story was very disheartening. He assumed the story was about their personal lives. He was worried and pained to think that people he knew would think he was the kind of person the man in the story was. Jaya was hurt by this discouragement. However, Kamat appreciated her story. She decided to continue writing under a false name but most of her other stories were rejected. Kamat reviewed her stories and told her that the stories showed Jaya's anger and her strong passions. Jaya tried to remind him what she had actually learned from her husband in her first memorable argument with him, that a woman cannot be angry, that anger makes a woman unwomanly. Kamat told her that she should not use a fake name and should work harder. Jaya told him that she didn’t have time for serious work because of her domestic responsibilities. Kamat rebuked her and said, “I warn you – beware of your 'women are the victims' theory. It drags you down into a soft squishy swamp of self-pity. Take it seriously, woman. Don't hide behind a fake name. And work-, work if you want others to take you seriously.” However, she continued to hide behind her excuses. Jaya always respected Kamat who
showed much understanding and sympathy for Jaya. In fact, Jaya was more free and uninhibited with him than she was with her husband. But she was not confident enough to tell her husband about her friendship with Kamat. She kept it a secret as friendship between a married woman and another man is always viewed with suspicion and disapproval. One day, when she visited Kamat’s apartment, she found him dead on the floor. She panicked and left the apartment silently. Jaya couldn't even stay and pay tribute to her best friend in his death for fear of ruining her marriage. Now when Mohan has left, she realizes that she failed as a wife, a mother, and a friend. She feels as if she is a failure as an individual. Thinking about what has led to their separation, Jaya understands that she is partly to blame for withdrawing from her husband during his trying time. She recognizes that the long silence has stifled communication and openness in her family, making it difficult to support her husband and vice versa. Jaya remembers how Kamat always encouraged her to express herself and be truthful to herself.
Jaya sees a ray of hope when she receives a telegram from Mohan informing her that he will be home soon and his company is willing to take him back as he has been acquitted of the charges of corruption. Jaya is ready to accept Mohan back into her life, and she vows that never again will she let the long silence separate them emotionally from each other.
So this is it for today. We will keep discussing the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
No comments:
Post a Comment