Beloved is a novel by the American writer Toni Morrison. Set after the American Civil War (1861–1865)‚ it is inspired by the story of an AfricanAmerican slave‚ Margaret Garner‚ who temporarily escaped slavery during 1856 in Kentucky by fleeing to Ohio‚ a free state. A posse arrived to retrieve her and her children under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850‚ which gave slave owners the right to pursue slaves across state borders. Margaret killed her two-year-old daughter rather than allow her to be recaptured
Premium Slavery in the United States Slavery
Major Works of Anita Desai‚ the Indian Novelist Most of Desai’s works engage the complexities of modern Indian culture from a feminine perspective while highlighting the female Indian predicament of maintaining self-identity as an individual woman. Cry‚ the Peacock‚ Desai’s first novel‚ chronicles the morbid dread‚ descent into madness‚ and suicide of Maya‚ a young Delhi housewife who is trapped in a loveless‚ arranged marriage to the much older Gautama‚ a misogynistic lawyer. The novel foreshadows
Premium India Short story
"This is a novel about a small-town man‚ Deven‚ who gets the opportunity to go interview his hero‚ the great poet Nur‚ the greatest living Urdu poet. Having always loved Urdu poetry and missed the chance to be an Urdu language professor‚ he is charmed into going to Delhi the big city. Even though he shrinks at the idea of possibly being exploited by his sharp and selfish friend Murad‚ the dream of meeting Nur draws him on. So he sets off on a number of adventures on Sundays‚ the one free
Free Mirza Ghalib Literature
the framework of an Indian stereotypical woman. There are other traits in Maya’s character which transcends the idea of “femininity” inseparable from males. She is in search of a new vista for a woman’s world- a space where she is at par with man. Desai writes “for woman‚ about woman by woman” - a genre where woman is not depicted in two versions- one in the temporal consciousness where she is “weak‚ meek and submissive”‚ ideally ABLA dependent on man related to her as her father or husband or son
Premium Woman Gender Female
Themes DISAPPOINTMENT “Victor hadn’t much faith in his mother’s promises. They had a way of getting postponed or cancelled on account of some small accidental lapse on his part.”We can see from this line that Mrs. Fernandez has let Victor down before and though her promise is as simple as giving him a pineapple cake‚ she cannot do so. REPUTATION Mrs. Fernandez has shown from the beginning that she is embarrassed by her son. “… Mrs Fernandez sighed to think how much easier it would have been
Premium Boy
Fasting‚ Feasting Style Point of View The novel is written in the third person limited point of view. This means that the author tells the story from an objective position‚ as if viewing the story ’s events without benefit of any thoughts or feelings coming directly from the individual characters. The author presents the chain of events in the story and then interjects what the characters may be thinking or experiencing based on their reactions‚ facial expression‚ and tone of voice. This point
Premium Family
Anita Desai’s novel of intricate family relations plays out in two countries‚ India and the United States. The core characters comprise a family living in a small town in India‚ where provincial customs and attitudes dictate the future of all children: girls are to be married off and boys are to become as educated as possible. The story contrasts the life of the main character‚ Uma‚ the family’s older daughter‚ with Arun‚ the boy and baby of the family. Uma spends her life in subservience to her
Premium Kiran Desai Book Man Booker Prize
Book Report Fasting and Feasting The book “Fasting and Feasting” revolves around two families‚ one that lives in India the other in America. The author Anita Desai contrasts the two families. The book focuses on the social role of the woman in the household and the Indian traditions that keep them there. The main character of the book is an Indian woman that is not pretty‚ smart‚ or confident. The story follows her throughout her life and chronicles the struggles she has‚ her failures and
Free Marriage Arranged marriage
Fasting‚ Feasting is a wonderful novel of two parts‚ running from the heart of a close-knit Indian household‚ with its restrictions and prejudices‚ its noisy warmth and sensual appreciation of food‚ to the cool centre of an American family. Uma‚ the plain spinster daughter of the Indian family‚ is trapped at home‚ smothered by her overbearing parents and their traditions‚ unlike her ambitious younger sister Aruna‚ who brings off a good marriage‚ and brother Arun‚ the disappointing son and heir who
Premium Family Sibling Marriage
Anita Desai (b.1937) – formerly Anita Mazumdar Indian novelist and short story writer‚ especially noted for her sensitive portrayal of the inner life of her female characters. Several of Desai’s novels explore tensions between family members and the alienation of middle-class women. In her later novels Desai has dealt with such themes as German anti-Semitism‚ the demise of traditions‚ and Western stereotypical views of India. "Even though his cigarette stank - it was a local one‚ wrapped in a tendu
Premium India Mumbai Middle class