The theme of identity crisis in Margaret Laurences selected novels A Critical study

Abstract

The issues dealt in literature are always fundamental, severe and truthful to the reality newlineof the society whether it is in drama, poetry or novel. Woman s problems, one of the urgent newlineissues, is greatly highlighted in the literature of 20th and 21st century by both woman writers newlineand man writers since woman is facing problems in day to day day life in male dominating newlinesociety even after human has made remarkable progress in science and technology. Although newlinesociety has improved incredible intellectual faculty, but psychologically society has been held newlineback to the earlier ages when women were considered inferior to men and treatment given to newlinewas unfair. Male dominating society has always done injustices with woman by confining her newlineto conventional roles and not giving status and opportunity equal to men. newlineIn such society woman is considered subsidiary to man and her conditioning and newlinesocialization is done in a way that she should remain oblivious of her natural behavior and newlinepersonality. This is always done by the man for his purpose to control woman and rule her life newlineaccordingly. Woman is put in a particular conventional frame, constructed with the laws of newlinepractice imposed by religion, norms of behaviour and beliefs of the society. These practices are newlinemeant only for woman, exclusion of man gives him freedom. On the contrary woman is bound newlineto it, many times a little deviation from these practices by woman is liable to be punished or newlinewoman is considered outcast in most of the societies. She is brought up in these unnatural newlinecircumstances, having no meaning to her opinions, activities and sometimes even to her newlineexistence. She is reduced to the very humble status, so she should not oppose or challenge the so newlinecalled norms of the society or not even to the male. Her growth with self effacing identity and newlinesubmissive role is a benefit for man which makes him more powerful, so he can control her life. newlineThe treatment woman receives in male dominating society is not equal to man since she newlineis considered subsidiary to hi