The Changing Universe of Women

Abstract

Women have aspired for their own empowerment and have often looked for opportunities to express their abilities and intellect. For centuries, female authors have influenced the landscape of narrative writing and have produced phenomenal pieces of work that have become a part of popular fiction culture. Significant characters written by women authors, for instance, Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre), Ammu (The God of Small Things) and Shoba (Interpreter of Maladies) have dominated the world of fictional work for a long time. These personalities represent strong women who aspire to transcend societal boundaries and are not hesitant to choose an unconventional path in order to fulfill their dreams. As I wrote the short stories for this paper, I realized that I wanted to create characters that are strong, confident and compelling and I tried to sketch them as representatives of society, a society where patriarchy is a threshold that women have to cross regularly in order to establish their opinions. For instance, in “The Hyacinth,” Sneha has to abandon her marital relationship in order to fulfill her ambition whereas, in “A Bad Day,” Sabah chooses a similar path to free herself from a controlling courtship. Although fictional in nature, these characters are manifestations of women we come across in different spheres of society and through my writing, I wanted to explore different dimensions of female characters who are strong contenders when it comes to fulfilling their dreams and aspirations in the face of obstacles.