LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 13 : 3 March 2013
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Parent-Child Relationship in the New Millennium:
A Study of Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting

Jitender Singh, M.A., M.Phil., NET

Binary Opposition – Tradition versus Modern

Anita Desai’s novel, Fasting, Feasting, seems to be based, as the very title suggests, on the binary opposition, fasting and feasting, which dominate the life of the modern men and women in all sections, groups and societies world over. This dichotomy works in the lives of the proletariat and capitalist, servant and master, poor and rich, and above all woman and man. The title itself is ironical, putting the oppressed one before the oppressor. But Desai has invested something very new and peculiar in this novel; that is, how this dichotomy works between parent-child relationships. Parenthood, however, has been glorified and celebrated since times immemorial.

All our ancient scriptures and religious documents including Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata, are replete with the sacrificing stories of fathers and mothers. Their role and duty has remained unquestioned and uncompromising in Indian society and culture. In Hinduism, parents have acquired a position of dignity similar to god and goddess. Since childhood, children are conditioned to have an unflinching devotion and reverence towards their parents.

But in the new millennium, the ‘workinghood’ of parents seems to have replaced their parenthood. Their commitment to materialistic values has become more important than their responsibility to their children. Such negation of parenthood usually causes various mental disorders and adversely affects child’s psychology. Children, neglected by their parents frequently develop a sense of unwantedness and inferiority complex. Their psychological growth can be marred resulting in an undeveloped self and they are left to live a fragile existence bereft of parental care and love. Such indifference on the part of parents either makes the child diffident and submissive or develops a protesting and repulsive attitude in the child. Delineating such dangers to child psychology in the wake of parental alienation, Anita Desai’s novel Fasting, Feasting has been scrutinized to arrive at certain more insightful observations and generalizations in the context of parent-child ties.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Jitender Singh M.A., M.Phil., NET.
Research Scholar
Department of English and Foreign Languages
Maharshi Dayanand University
Rohtak - 124001
Haryana
India
jitenderwriter@gmail.com
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