An analysis of 2nd thoughts by Shoba De.pptx

Shoba de's take on Indian marriage system

1. Second Thoughts - Shobhaa De

2. Shobha De  ( née   Rajadhyaksha , formerly  Kilachand ; born 7 January 1948) is an Indian novelist and columnist. She is best known for her depiction of socialites and sex in her works of fiction, [1]  for which she has been referred to as the " Jackie Collins  of India.

3. Reared in Bombay by an archconservative family dominated by an authoritarian father, she rejected traditional values at the age of 20 and soon became a journalist who wrote occasional advice columns--known in India as “agony aunt” columns--as well as soft features for trendy society magazines. From this background came the idea to write her first pulp novel:a middle-class, Western-style revolution that is exploding the boundaries of social permissiveness on the Asian subcontinent.

4. Character analysis Chitra - Maya’s mother Chatterbox Typical Indian mother Society over her daughter Bouts of depression linked to her loveless marriage Expresses her frustrations unconsciously thru her bossy overseeing of the household

5. Mrs. Malik A fussy mother Cannot let go of his son Renders her son incapable of maturing Unconsciously/consciously jealous? Licensed and exercised the subjugation of women

6. Ranjan Has an American education Has a reputed bank job Workaholic Feeling of superiority Traditional and conservative Sexually impotent

7. Dictator to Maya Constantly reminds Maya of her duties as a wife but iroically he himself forgets Contrary to this, he’s a dutiful and loving son Secretly respects fashonable , powerful and successful women.

8. Maya Was a happy-go-lucky, warm teenager. Never insecure about her looks and her colour Loses her confidencee over the course of her marriage Rarely raises her voice against her husband nor does she points out the ill treatments.

9. Always at the beck and call of her husband Never felt at home in their apartment nor in the city. Frustrated- over her parents and her husband. Nikhil made her feel alive. She’s filled with guilt but justifies herself.

10. Nikhil Bubbly Enthusiastic Frank Sensitive Sexual predator Heartless Hormone induced teenage drive No emotions

11. Themes

12. Shobha De has become the symbol of highlighting different perspectives of woman's freedom and liberation. She conceives the extra-marital affairs of women as the stroke to break the traditional and moral values in society. This is one of the most important aspects of her feminism. Her women are daring and courageous in establishing extra-marital affairs to satisfy their natural urge. These women are not hesitant in using sex as calculated strategy to get social and financial benefit.

13. 1. The sham of urban life and modernity The characters belong to urban middle class family Educated and supposedly acquainted with the ways of the world. Modernity has done away with many age-old practices that afflicted the Indian society But the rigid system still has a firm grasp upon the common mass.

14. Ranjan cannot accept the waves of modernization that afflict Indian women. I‘d asked Ranjan about it once. He had replied shortly, ‘Oh no, no. These Bombay Bengalis are different. They have lost their cultural identity. Their roots are not in our tradition. They are all mixed up--- neither here nor there. My mother wouldn’t have been able to adjust to someone like that.’ ( page # 128) Here Ranjan talks about the cultural identity of the Bombay Bengalis especially girls, who lost their values and become hybrid culture influenced by the Westerns traditions.

15. Men like Ranjan cannot accept the fact that women are progressing and accuse them of losing their roots. These views help to understand the cultural distinction in India. You know ….. these Bombay girls are used to a very fast way of life. Their morals are no good. They don’t speak proper Bengali. They don’t know the rituals connected with our pujas . They wear all sorts of funny clothes, they refuse to oil their hair. They cannot cook our preparations. They don’t know Bengali songs or dances. All they can do is eat roadside food and dream of going to bars and discos. Such girls do not make good wives. Not at all.’( page # 128)

16. Women are not treated as equal to men. The habit of bridal interviews and arranged marriage are still observed. Men hold on to purse strings, believing that control is exerted thru finances Young men often have unwritten license to exploit naïve women and get away with it.

17. Life has become a cut-throat arena where people are harsh and blunt. Of course, there was no escaping the onslaught. Bombay was defined by its film culture---it was evident in everyone and everything. People even spoken like heroes and heroines, mouthing dramatic dialogues instead of standard conversation. (page # 94) In Bombay, the way people think is blunt and harsh. No time to waste. Their first worry is “what does he or she want from me? “ (page # 132)

18. Regional differences still hold. Calcutta is marginalized throughout the novel for being backward, dirty and immoral and on the other side Bombay is considered advanced, civilized and having well-groomed culture. Maya is disdained as the girl from Calcutta. Nikhil laughed uproariously. ‘Maya, Maya, Maya, Don’t they teach you anything in Calcutta? Nothing remains a secret in Bombay. Nothing.’(page # 151)

19. The Hollowness of the Institution of Indian marriage Society connotes marriages are obligatory ritual that indicate a person’s status. When Maya protests about an arranged marriage, her mother argues: “ Ranjan is quite a catch. Who knows, by the time we get to Bombay, some other lucky girl might have grabbed him” (3). Women accept that submission and silence in a marriage are fates traditionally sanctioned to them.

20. They do not realize that they have options. What are the options? Extramarital affair not an option?

21. Maya and Ranjan’s marriage: Started with an arranged marriage Ranjan is sexually impotent and cold from the start while Maya has teenage fantasies of romance. Ranjan has conservative opinion of “kitchen” wives while Maya wants to break free of this. Ranjan whimpers and constantly complains of ailments while Maya prefers stronger men .

22. 5. Ranjan constantly nags her to be aware of her domestic duties and Maya desperately tries to do so, not because she feels it is her duty but she wants to please him, hoping she will earn his appreciation. 6. Ranjan restricts Maya from going out while Maya longs to feel the excitement of the city. 7. Ranjan fails to see the necessity of getting her a job while Maya is dying to have one.

23. 8. Ranjan forbids her to chat with people while Maya longs to mingle with people. 9. Ranjan secretly adores fashionable and successful women while Maya secretly is fascinated by confident, bubbly, sensitive men. 10. Ranjan is self- obssessed while Maya is desperate for a relationship. 11. Ranjan values his mother while Maya cannot.

24. Shobhaa De’s message: A cry against the male-dominated Indian society. Women’s dependence on men: Maya starts off as a liberated woman. And yet, she falls prey to the dependency syndrome. She gives up her career and independence for a control freak husband.