Repr

esent
ati
onofWomenChar
act
ersi
nTheShadowLi
nesi
nli
ghtofThamma.

Char
act
ersket
chofThamma.

IndianEngl ishf ictionwr itersdepi ctedwomenandt heirexper iencesi npatriarchal societieswi t

h
adeepsy mpat heticunder st
andi ng.Ghosh’ swomenr epresent at i
onpor t r
ay ssensi ti
velyandi n
factt heyar et hel eadingspi ri
tsi nhisf i
ction.Hepor trayscul tural construct i
on.Ami tavGhosh
nev erpr esent shi swomenchar acter sasov ertradical femi ni
stnorast hest ereot ypei magesof
SitaandSav it
ri.Hi swomenr epr esent ationi srealli
feandi nar ealisti
cmanner .Ami tavGhosh
throughhi swomenr epresent ationinnov el
shasat tempt edt oexpl oretheemot ional wor l
dof
woment hathel pt hereader stounder standt hef emi ninesensi bi l
ityaswel l aspsy chol ogy .
ThroughTheShadowLi neswomenchar actersar erepr esentedascour ageousasmensi nce
theyf ightt hechal lengesofwi dowhood, pov er
tyinjust i
ce, i
nt hisnov elTha’mma’ schar acterwas
asagr eatr ev ol uti
onar y,andst r
ongnat ional i
stfeeling.Theconceptofi nequal i
tyusedi nAmi t
av
Ghosh’ snov els, menar esuper iorandwomenar einferior.Thet errai
nofgenderi nequal i
tyin
educat i
onhasseenmuchchangei nr ecentdecades.Ami tavGhoshr eflectedt hecondi ti
onsof
womeni nhi snov els.Ghosht racest heev oluti
onoft hef emi ninewor ldfrom t hest eriotypesto
thef emi nist s.Hi swomenchar actersar epor tr
ay edasal ifegi verandar et heleadi ngspi rit
sof
hisf i
ction.Hepor trayswomenandt hei rexper i
encewi thsy mpat heticunder standi ng.Ami tav
Ghosh’ sWomenchar actersbegant heirlifeaspuppet swhosest ringcal l
edcul tureandt radit
ion
arecont rolledbyt hepat r
iarchs, andt heysl owlythatt heyhav el if
eandcomet obei ng.

TheShadowLi nesi sastor yofami ddleclassIndianf amil

yofKol kata.The
boy/ nar
rator
/protagonistcharact
erpr esentsthev i
ewsoft hemember sofhi si
mmedi at
eand
extendedf amil
y,givingeachawel ldef i
nedchar acter.Narrat
or’
sgr andmot her,
Tha’mma
representstheideaoft heideali
sm andt heent husiasm withwhi cht hepeopl eworkedtowards
nationbuildi
ngjustaf t
erindependence.Ami t
avGhoshchi efl
ythr oughhi scharacter
swants
deli
v ert
ot hemostpower fulmessaget oreader sthatt hef
util
it
yofcr eati
ngnat i
on/st
ates,
the
absur di
tyofdrawingl i
neswhi charbit
rari
lydivi
depeopl ewhent hei rmemor iesremainundi
vided.

InTheShadowLi nesTha’ mmai sanimpor tantchar acter

.Sheisthenar rator’
sgr andmot her.
WhenTha’ mmawasst udy i
ngatCol l
egei nDhaka, shewantedtowor kforthet errorists–t orun
err
andsf orthem, t
ocookt heirfood,
towasht hei rcl
othesandtor endersomehel p-becauset he
ter
rori
stswer ewor kingf orfreedom,buther eshewant st ohel
ptot error
isttotheper specti
veof
martyr
dom.Tha’ mmawasi ntr
oducedtot het errori
stmov ementamongt henat i
onal i
st sin
Bengal.Shet ell
shergr andsont hestoryt hathowoneofhercl assmat eswasar r
est eddur inga
poli
ceraidatt heircoll
ege.Tha’ mma’ sclassmat eseemedanunl i
kel yterrori
st,shyandbear d,
butwhilebeingar restedhedoesnotshowhi sf ear.Tha’mmaaddst hatshehaddr eamtofhi m.
Thoughshewasnotar evoluti
onaryintheliterarysense,shenurt
ur edadesi r
et ohel pt hose
whower ef i
ghtingf orIndianIndependence.

Tha’
mmawast heguar
dianofherfami
lyanditi
sduetoherwatchf
ulnesst
hatthefami
l
yenj
oys
agoodl
i
fe.Shewantsprovi
decert
ainmoralv
aluest
oherfamil
y.Sheneveraccept
edwit
hher
familynottomakecompr omiseswi
thsel
f-r
espect.Shewasar eacti
onaryandconser v
ative.
Tha’mmat hi
nksthatanybodywhodoesnotliveaccordi
ngtot heoldaccept edpri
ncipl
esofl i
fe
i
sdegr aded.Tha’mmawast hemainmoti
vati
ngchar act
erinthenov el.Whenherrelati
veshows
herthepost -
card,shehasrecei
vedfr
om heruncle,Jet
hamosai ,shebecomessoemot ionalthat
tearsstar
tsroll
ingdownhercheeks.Shedecidestocontactheruncle, f
orgett
ingherdiff
erences
withthatfamily
.

WhenTha’ mmaent ersDhaka,shecomest oknowherbi r

thplacehasbecomeapar tofanother
nati
on,Pakist
an.Thebi gpol
iti
calevent–thePar t
it
ionof1947-makesDhaka, thecapitalof
EastPakist
ananddi vi
dedherf r
om hernativecit
y.DhakawasTha’ mma’splaceofbi r
th,buther
nati
onali
tywasI ndi
an.WhenTha’ mmawasy ounggi r
l,shehadt houghtoffighti
ngf orfr
eedom
i
nEastBengal .Thenational
feeli
ngsstil
lconti
nuetoinspi r
eTha’ mma.Shest il
lidenti
fi
esherself
wit
ht hecountryinwhichshebelongs.Duringtheti
meofI ndo-Pakist
anwarTha’ mmawasv ery
patr
ioti
c.Shegivesawayherchai nwithrubypendent;shewear sthatchai
nasamement oofher
l
atehubby ,
tothewarf undbecauseshehasbeeni nspiredbypat ri
oti
sm.

Tha’mma’ sgoingt oDhakawashersol epl anandsoshei sr esponsibleforthel ossofherown

bloodr elat
ions.Despi tethehugel oss,shecannotcopeupwi ththereal i
tyandsodonat esher
goldchai nt othewarf undandshewasv erynat i
onalsuppor tiv
ewomansodonat ehercostl
y
chain,Tha’mmai sal soreadyt odonat eherbl oodi nthewarf und.Throught hechar acterof
Tha’mma, thenov eldeliversthemostpower f
ul messagethatt hef ut
il
ityofcreat i
ngnat i
on,
states,theabsur dit
yofdr awinglineswhi char bitr
ari
l
ydividepeopl ewhent heirmemor i
es
remai nundi vi
ded.Inspi t
eofal l
that,sher emai nsafinerev oluti
onaryint henov el
.Thoughshei s
anol dwomanwi thoutst rength,shef i
ghtsf orhercountryandshewasbol dwomanchar act
er.
Shehadbl indlovef orhercount rymakesherar evol
uti
onar yinthenov el.Truet owhatscholars
say:“ Tha’mmai sanot herpill
aroft hisnov el…Ghoshdepi ctsal lt
hepecul i
ari
tiesofasuf fer
ing,
bravingmi ddleclassI ndian.Foral lherextremes, sheisar eal li
feheroine”.