TITLE: "PORTRAIT OF A LADY"

- Khushwant Singh

THESIS STATEMENT:

In "Portrait of a Lady" by Khushwant Singh, the protagonist, Mrs. Bimla, serves as a

poignant symbol of the tensions between tradition and modernity, as she grapples with
societal expectations while seeking autonomy and self-realization in post-independence
India.

INTRODUCTION :
The story starts with Mrs. Bimla, a woman who lost her husband and is now in her middle
age. She thinks back to her younger days and remembers the decisions she made that
influenced her life. As we hear her thoughts, we get to see the struggles she goes through
inside herself. Mrs. Bimla feels stuck between sticking to old ways and embracing new
ones, as well as between what she feels she should do and what she really wants.

THE STRUGGLE FOR FEMALE AUTONOMY :

In the story, a big idea is about how women are seen in Indian society. Mrs. Bimla struggles
with what her family and society expect from her. They want her to follow old-fashioned
ideas about how women should behave and what they should do. But Mrs. Bimla wants
to be free and make her own choices. Her battle reflects what was happening in India
after it became independent. Women were starting to question old rules and stand up for
themselves more.

EXPLORING COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS:

In the story, we learn a lot about Mrs. Bimla by watching how she talks and acts with other
people like her son, daughter-in-law, and someone she used to be close to. This helps us
understand her better and see how complicated her relationships are. Singh is really good
at showing how families and love interests interact, and he shows us the problems that
come up when people want different things or expect different stuff from each other.
SYMBOLISM OF TRANSFORMATION :

The story, "Portrait of a Lady," means more than just a picture of Mrs. Bimla. It represents
her journey to learn about herself and become confident in who she is. As the story goes
on, we see her change from being someone who lets others make decisions for her
because she's a widow, to someone who takes charge of her own life. Singh does a great
job showing all the different parts of her personality, making her seem real and strong,
even when she's feeling unsure.

CONCLUSION

"Portrait of a Lady" by Khushwant Singh is a really good story that talks about how people
behave and how hard it can be to figure out life. With Mrs. Bimla's character, Singh talks
about what it's like to be a woman in India and how it feels to try and find out who you
really are and what makes you happy. The story tells us that true freedom doesn't come
from outside, but from inside ourselves. It shows us that figuring out who we are can be
tough, but it's an important journey to take.