THE STUDY OF FEMINISM IN SELECTED WORKS OF SHOBHA DE

Abstract

Feminism relates to the belief that women should have the same the same social, economic and political rights. It questions the preconceived assumption about the roles that men and women should have in life, as they mostly work to the advantage of men over women. Feminism brings to scrutiny the portrayals of gender roles, which tend to impose social norms, customs, connections, laws and expectations on the grounds of gender discrimination. It can be considered as a movement which is fought against women oppression under patriarchy. It recognizes that having pleasure is central part of life and does not discourage woman who enjoys it without any sense of guilt or regret. Although it started as a mere `consciousness', has now assumed a more emphatic voice. The new brave woman embraces beauty and power of sex to achieve present goals. They talk of freedom in sex as a human right; make all efforts to look glamorous and attractive, different from the traditional women. Many Indian writers in English have talked of this freedom and its manifestations. They present the issues regarding women in such a way that they lay bare the inner landscape of a woman's intimate experience that testifies her existence. It is through various other female characters that some significant issues pertaining gender bias, marriage, displacement, male- dominance and marginalization, will be resolved in the present article. The study seeks to explore and explicate the overall images of women and their lifestyle, from the Indian point of view. The emphasis is on the new emerging woman of modern cosmopolitan India, who is no more a flower in the hands of a man.