The Depiction of Woman’s Identity: A Feministic study of Two Tales from Shobha Rao’s “An Unrestored Woman and Other Stories”

Abstract

Rao's collection of short stories examines women's precarious position. Some of the stories are standalone, but others are connected, with characters from one story reappearing in another years later. Shobha Rao's debut collection, An Unrestored Woman, is about the common anguish that began with the partition of India and Pakistan in 1949. Rao's historical fiction, which gives a voice to multi-layered characters from top to bottom, has been added to my women's history month reading list. The paper I'm working on is a feminist analysis of two stories from Shobha Rao's collection "An Unrestored Woman and Other Stories." These stories revolve around female characters who are confronted with social disgrace and mistreatment. An Unrestored Woman and The Merchant's Wife are the two stories being discussed. The stories are told from a third-person point of view. The language is natural and smooth. Two characters and the severity of their anguish are the common thread that runs across these stories. Neela and Renu are the main protagonists in these stories. At the refugee camp where they were taken to live as widows, they interacted with one another. These two stories are about their struggle to overcome the limitations placed on them as women by society. Renu and Neela keep reminding each other. As a narrator, it appears that the writer wishes to evaluate their sufferings. She wants to paint two different pictures and connect them at the same time. The fundamental concern of the author is to define women's identity in society. Her goal is well met by the account of stories.