Ambivalent Representation of Female Characters in Kamala Markandaya’sA Handful of Rice
Date
2011
Authors
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Central Department of English
Abstract
This project focuses on Markandaya'sA Handful of Rice(1966), a story that
reveals the different nature of Indian women. And the research goes on to explore the
ambivalent representation of women in thistext as they are represented in both
traditional and radical ways. The project brings the protagonist Nalini in the
mainstream of its study. Through the protagonist it has explored the mentality,
behavior and thought of the Third World females as well as their relation with males.
Moreover, the research explores the real conditions of women living in the Third
World countries like male domination, exploitation and domestic violence. With the
help of textual evidences, criticisms made by different critics,Third World feminist
theories and other necessary tools and techniques, the research finds not only the
ambivalent representation of characters, but also, while doing so, claims that the
ambivalence in the novel reveals Kamala Markandaya’s inability to come out of the
hangover of the traditional gender ideology on the one hand and on the other hand it
also depicts the transitional nature of gender relation in the contemporary society.
Description
Keywords
Master, Women, Gender Ideology, Ambivalence