Understanding the Transitional Conflicts Between Tradition and Modernity in the Novels of Manju Kapur

Abstract

The present research work is an attempt to understand the transitional conflicts between tradition and modernity in the protagonists of the novels of Manju Kapur namely, Virmati in Difficult Daughters (1998), Astha in A Married Woman (2002), Nisha in Home (2006), Nina in The Immigrant (2008), and Shagun in Custody (2011). The thesis conducts a close scrutiny of Kapur s novels to investigate the role of androcentric and gender polarized gender schema that predisposes the transitional characters to conform to the traditional-gender behavioural models. However, the transitional characters are seen modifying their gender schema to acquire the latent aptitude necessary for the modernity through a raised social consciousness attained through various acts and events i.e., the exposure to higher education, association with modern characters and participation in social movements. The study confirms the significant contribution of traditional and modern characters in the activation of transitional conflicts through their antithetical narrative in and around the lives of transitional characters. The transitional characters are observed moving towards modernity with compulsive tendency to actualize, sustain and concretise the love relationship with their partners against their traditionally formulated gender schema. This self unauthorized moving towards modernity generates the conflicts. Structurally, the present work is divided into five chapters; namely, Chapter I - Introduction; Chapter II Review of Literature; Chapter III - The Foundation of Transitional Conflicts: A Gender Schema Approach; Chapter IV - The Activation of Transitional Conflicts: An Antithetical Narrative Approach; Chapter V - The Response to the Transitional Conflicts: A Copping Strategies Approach. The first chapter introduces the dichotomy of tradition and modernity and the contextualization of transitional characters and their conflicts. It outlines the methodology of the study. It also traces the life and works of Manju newlineKapur. The second chapter