Women Hardships

Throughout time, women have had to face challenges whether small or big, all over the world. Gender discrimination happens everywhere to this day, whether women are discriminated against for a job, stripped of some rights, or underestimated in someway or another, we can still see that they are viewed and treated differently. Of course it is evident in some places more than others, and considering that I lived in Saudi Arabia all of my life, I can definitely see the difference. Women in Saudi Arabia are way more sheltered, and they are deprived of lots of things that men aren’t, like driving, or getting superior jobs in companies. In this case, “The Rooftop Dwellers” allows us to explore this struggle in an Indian cultural context. Moyna, the main character in the story, faces challenges in life directly caused from being a woman. Moyna is a young lady trying to make it on her own. This seems like a simple concept, but when put into the socio-cultural context that it is in, it becomes much more complex. This was a time when women were viewed as inferior to men; most believed that they should go from their parents’ home to their husbands’, and nowhere in between. Instead of being respected and appreciated for trying to make a career for themselves, “leaving the nest”, and being independent, they are looked down upon. The Indian society is highly prejudiced against the female gender. Basically a male dominated society, decision making at family and political level is almost single handedly handled by the men. (www.destinations India.com).Therefore, for Moyna to make the bold move of moving out and living on her own shows much courage and motivation. She left her parents’ house and Moved to Delhi for her new job in a publishing company for a literary review called Books. This attempt to make it on her own brings about personal growth and a struggle to prove herself to other people. As we discussed in class, it is evident that this story is written from a more

Cited: Kodackal, Berchmans. "Arranged Marriages in India." Berchmans Tripod. 22 Oct. 2008 http://berchmans.tripod.com/arrange.html.   Mack, Maynard, and Sarah Lawall, eds. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. Vol. F. New York: W.W Norton & Company, 2002. 3102-129.   "Society and Culture of India." Destinationsindia. 2006. 22 Oct. 2008 http://www.destinationsindia.com/india/society-culture.html.