Existentialism In Shashi Deshpande's 'That Long Silence'

Shashi Deshpande novel “That Long Silence” main protagonist Jaya decides to keep silence for seventeen long years. She is a middle-class woman who finds herself trap in by society by being a good mother and wife. In her search for identity Jaya lives with three identities as Jaya a struggling writer, Jaya the victor and Suhasini the name given by her husband which means happy wife that loves cleaning and undertaking wifely duties. In the Indian society, a man and woman lives with the motives of their elders that gender roles are assigned to a boy and girl. For Jaya, she lived the theory of existentialism as she goes through the process of self-confusion and realization. In this Jaya urges to find oneself, to create space and grow without support

Rahul’s and Ratios mother. Not myself. ‟ (TLS 69) When one of her novels won the prize her husband became angry. Mohan had find fault with the theme of Jaya’s story and felt as if related to their life. He then tells her to write no more. Jaya does not go against his wishes but departs to silence and thought, “It was so much simpler to say nothing, so much less complicated.” (TLS 99). In time Jaya becomes minimized and loses her true self. She now feels that she is a disappointed mother, wife and failed writer. Silence becomes even more prevalent between Mohan and Jaya when they Mohan is accused of misconduct in his office. They then move to the Dadar flat temporarily and this is where the silence intensifies. At this point, Mohan, constant presence bothers Jaya and they both fail to understand each other. They hanged around confined to the Dadar flat and they only converse if need be. “The fact of what he had done, of

She also admits that Mohan is solely responsible for her writing career. Mohan had obviously expected something from her as his wife and she had failed him. And now she decides that she will “erase the silence between us” (TLS 192) because silence can ever make one’s marriage meaningful. In this silence is an image of alienation and obscurity of Jaya’s existence. When she erases the silence, she evolves and turns into a confident mother and wife for silence played a role but, it is of a woman owns making. In the novel, has evokes different feelings such as pain, woman characteristics, fear and marital suffering. However silence in this case is acceptance ones duty as a wife and mother also, fulling the roles to a boy and