Identity Crisis in Shashi Deshpande's Novel That Long Silence

Abstract

This paper deals with the problem of identity crisis of female protagonist Jaya in the novel, That long silence and it reveals the intriguing picture of ordinary middle class educated women Jaya who is trapped in the institution of marriage. Throughout the story the female protagonist Jaya is searching for her own identity. Jaya lives with her husband and two children Rahul and Rati. Her life revolves around them. She plays different roles in her life-that of a dutiful wife, an obedient daughter-in-law and an affectionate mother. She submits herself to patriarchy. But in fulfilling her duties and responsibilities her true self is lost. In the novel she tries to search her identify. She confronts a situation where she questions her role clarity-her life-is she living for her or for someone else or for her husband or for her children. This paper specially focuses on the issue of identity crisis in That Long Silence.