International Journal of English

and Literature (JEL)

ISSN(P): 2249-6912; ISSN(E): 2249-8028
Vol. 4, Issue 6, Dec 2014, 45-52
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

FOCUS OF MINOR CHARACTERS AND JAYAS WOMAN AWARENESS

IN THAT LONG SILENCE
DAXATHAKOR
Assistant Professor, Shah N. H. Commerce College, Valsad, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT
Shashi Deshpandes novels present a social world of many complex relationships. In her novels many men and
women living together journeying across life in their different age groups, classes and gendered roles.
These crowded novels are placed in a cultural scene where many important changes of attitudes, norms and goals give
these people curious feelings of grouping in a new world. The young and old are equally caught in a world of transition,
faced with constant search for new moorings and guidelines. The women are particularly caught in the process of
redefining and rediscovering their own roles, position and relationship within their given social world. Her presentation of
modern Indian womens search for these definitions about the self and society, and the relationship that are central to
women represents her own struggle as a writer to equally symptomatic of the resistance to feminist expression that prevails
in India in the middle of the twentieth century.
In presenting womens point of view Deshpande is mainly interested in the clash of tradition and modernity.
Her young heroines or minor characters rebel against the traditional way of life, its rituals, ceremonies and patriarchal
values. Women like Indu, Jaya, Sarita&Sumi perceive the structuring of men and women in gendered roles, restricting
their human potentiality and fullness while minor characters like Jeeja, Nayana, Kamat perform their role of shaping the
protagonists mentality.
KEYWORDS: Jaya, Traditional, Modern, Transformation, Woman Awareness

INTRODUCTION
ShashiDeshpandes novel That Long Silence is the presentation of her protagonist Jayas self actualization which
presents womens transformation from pure traditional approach to pure modern approach, from the existentialist. point of
view. Mohans mother suffered a lot because she did not have enough courage to speak a single word to his fathers in
humanistic approach to her Perhaps for her husband is sheltering tree. She preferred to be a mute sufferer or she might
not have thought about the death of herself respect. Jaya is having intelligent understanding. She is able to notice injustice
done to her, her image, her inner feelings. She is full of woman consciousness. But her problem is that she cannot be a
rebellious. In the beginning of her marriage life she is not able to take any step like Nora but at the end of the novel we see
that she asks, Who am I? She decides to be changed. She says, We dont change overnight. Its possible that we may
not change over long periods of time. But we can always hope. Without that, life would be impossible. And if there is
anything I know now it is this :life has always to be made possible.1 She again thinks that once she was thinking husband
and wife, two bullocks yoked together but now she thinks it was wrong image. In this life itself there are so many
crossroads, so many choices. She strongly believes in Bhagwadgita statement Yathecchasitatha Kuru.2 Which means
Do as you desire, The God has given us knowledge. Now we have to make the choice. The choice must be ours.

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Daxathakor

As the meaning of these seeps into her, she finds she has an answer to Jeejas question, with whom shall I be
angry? She thinks if she asks the same question to herself, her answer would be, with myself, of course. Then she comes
to the conclusion that the understanding is not only of hers but also it should be of Mohans. Thus minor characters like
Kamat, Jeeja. Rati, Nalini are the shaper and molder of Jaya into her real identity.
Focus of Minor characters on Jaya
In transforming Jaya from her mute suffering to rebellious thinking minor characters in the novel are directly or
indirectly responsible factors. Jaya is brought up with tender care. She is happy with her childhood memory.
Her real sorrow, agony is started with her age of marriage because not a single person in the family thinks to have Jayas
opinion, to know Jayas liking and disliking about the selection of her life partner. They may have asked sometimes, but
these also might have been only formalities, expecting same answer from her, the answer which they already have in their
mind. Jayas father has provided everything for making her a modern, well-educated and self-dependent woman.
Yet, when the selection of life partner is raised Jaya, she is not free to select her spouse as per her choice. She is not asked
about her criteria for selecting her husband. Everybody is expecting positive response from her. She knows that her parents
are providing good education to her with the sole objective of marrying her off to a well-settled groom. When her brother
sees well-settled life of Mohan he decides to give Jayas hand in Mohans hand without bothering about Jayas wishes.
At the same time she has been craving for her mothers love bout her mother loves her brother very much because they are
her sons, Male children. She never really cares for Jaya. This difference of treatment creates irritation in her towards the
bondage imposed by this patriarchal society. After marriage Jaya is not happy with her husband Mohan because for him
Jaya is only object. The truthful portrayal of the diary which she maintained reminds her that life is not facile and
fascinating journey for her. Her married life has turned herself in a traditional housewife even though she is capable
enough to be a good writer. She feels so sorry. She says, I cant cope, I cant manage, I cant go on.. Is this all I.
The biggest question facing the woman of these diaries had obviously been: What shall I make for breakfast/ lunch/
tea/dinner? They had been the leitmotif of my life.3 Jaya even could not enjoy the freedom of expression and writing.
Mohan decides the content and context of Jayas creativity. He all the time consciously or unconsciously mars her feeling.
Lets see how minor characters focus on her thinking process.
Kusum
Kusum is Jayas aunts niece, her mothers brothers wifes niece. She has been suffering from mental imbalance.
She needs tender care. Jaya wants to take care of her at her last stage fetching her to her home. But Mohan had tried hard to
dissuade Jaya from having her with them when she falls ill. When Kusum seems so pitiful, with her mind disoriented, she
has managed to irritate her but as a woman still something is there behind her silence which tries to come on the floor
which makes Jaya resisted when Mohan has tried to stop her from helping Kusum. For the first time in her married life she
has really fought him. Her woman awareness is awakening up by the Kusums pitiful condition and the words and attitudes
others are using for her. Once, when Kusum is hospitalized she says to Jaya to let her go to her home to see her family,
especially all her daughters. She repeats her longing many times-but Dada uses to say loftily Ignore her,
Ignore her words I must go home. She is always told that she could not go to home as her treatment is going on.
When she listens that answer again sticking to her desire vaguest others to let her go to home. Actually her relatives have
nothing to do with her. They do not need her. When Jaya tells her, They dont need you, They are managing quite well
without you.2 She firmly replies, But I need them. Jaya has no answer to that. She asks Dilip to take her away.
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.0867

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

Focus of Minor Characters and Jayas Woman Awareness in that Long Silence

47

And thus she goes to home to die. She has committed suicide. Jayas Ai has written to Jaya, I have some bad news for
you. Kusum had gone to her in-laws for a few days, and the day before her husband was to take her back home she threw
herself into a well and died. Your aunt keeps moaning and crying, but it was a good thing in a way. She was of new use to
anyone after she went crazy, nobody needed her.5 Her Ais words; Of no use to anyone frightens Jaya. She feels as if
she had never known until then the extent of her mothers ruthlessness. She savagely tares the letter into tiny bits and
throws them into the waste-paper basket. She thinks maybe her fate sealed when she is born to those feckless, hopeless
parents of hers. Her father cares for nothing but smoking and movies, who never worked a day in his life; a mother whose
world centers round her youngest, the baby on her lap. Jaya sorrowfully sighs, What chance did Kusum have with parents
like that?6 Jayas experience with her parents is also not satisfactory.
As Jayas parents are giving much importance to their son, in the same way Kusums parents to Dilip.
Kusums brother, who become a suave, successful man. Even when he fails his Matriculation, his mother fondly says,
Our Dilip is a non-Metric making a positive qualification of his failure. Everyone is seared of our Dilip, Vanitamami
told me a few years back. Hes the leader of the unions and the factory owners give him money to keep him pleased.
He has a lot of Black money now. Even Ai, who finds it hard to put up with Vanitamamis bragging of
Our Dilip, admires Dilip.7 Same Ai fails to love and admire Jaya, her own blood because she is a female child of her.
Parents this attitude to male child sows seeds of hatred for patriarchaldominion in Jaya. Kusums pitiful condition
provides her much exposure to reshape her woman awareness or to come out with words. Jaya herself accepts that,
as long as Kusum was there, I had known clearly who i was; it had been Kusum who had shown me out to be who I was
not-kusum Now, with Kusum dead? She feeds it is Kusum who influences Jaya a lot in increasing her deep feelings of
woman-awareness.
Nayna
Nayna is a sweeper. Once, Nayanas cheerful bustle in the apartment corridor has been proved a relief when Jaya is
busy with her memories regarding her widow ajji. Jaya opens the door to her with alacrity and she completes her work.
At that time she is carrying her unborn child with a marvelous ease, not as if it was a burden,. She knows that the sound of
womens voices would be an affront to the male so while sweeping stairs she whispers to Jaya, This time, behnji, it is
going to be a boy passing her hand tenderly over her swollen abdomen. She has actually for children, two girls who lived
and two boys who died soon after birth. Because of the death of male children she is still carrying the unborn baby.
She craves for a male child even though Jaya has been listening from her mouth curse for men-her husband, her brothers,
her father-as wasters, good for nothings, drunkards. When Jaya asks her, Why do you want a boy so much?, she replies,
Why give birth to a girl, behnji, wholl only suffer because of men all her life? Look at me! My mother loved me very
much, she wanted so much for me. a house with electricity and water, shining brass vessels, a silver waist chain, silver
anklets.and what have I got? No, no, behnji, better to have a son.8 She again says confidently, This time it will be a
son. He. she gave a contemptuous shrug with the pronoun and Jaya knew it meant her husband. he says hell throw me
our if I have another daughter. Just you dare, I said to him.Let me see your courage. Take yourself another woman if
you want, roll in the gutters, I cant prevent you, but just try to throw me out of this house, I said to him.9 After this
short discussion Jaya feels disturbed. She is tired of doing anything. She wants to be rid of, physically as well as mentally,
but she cant. Nayanas aggressiveness has shaken herself internally. She is not free; she comes to know that those illiterate
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women are more sort of enlighten men in her that she has to be forced to do something for the injustice, the surrounding
atmosphere including her husband providing to her.
Mohans Mother
Mohans mother has to suffer a lot because of his fathers egoistic nature as well as his male dominion
attitude-Evan though Mohans father gives her much pain she prefers to keep silence because of which Mohan sees
strength in the woman sitting silently in front of the fire, but Jaya sees despair. Jaya sees despair so great that it would not
voice itself.She could understand that the struggle the woman is facing is so bitter that silence is the only weapon. Silence
and surrender. Jaya thinks, Im a woman and I can understand her better; hes a man and he cant.10 Such surrounding
situation has made her womanliest. Once, Mohan tells her his childhood incident. It is about his fathers inhumanity.
I was ill; I remember I had fever when he came home that night. I was sleeping on my usual bedThe man looked down
at the boy and said, What are you doing? Do you want to finish off that mat? Does his lordship think we can buy a new
one every day? He came closer and kicked at the hand, hard, so that the boy cried out loudly in anger and pain.
The mother rushed out sat down beside the boy and asked him, How is your headache? Is it better?
Stop pampering him, the man said. Even though such a rude person he is, she is running her life with the devil
like person. His father has never left a single chance of hurting her mothers patience, emotions or feelings.
Except herself all finish their dinner and go to sleep. Mohans mother has to wait for his father, however late he is.
At night she has to first give to dinner to their children and then cook rice for him. He wants his rice fresh and hot from a
vessel that is untouched. One day when she is waiting for his father after the second cooking, his father comes too late and
at the dinner asked about fresh chutney without looking her. She mumbles something so the next moment he picks up his
heavy brass plate and throws it and walks out of the house.
Vimla, Mohans sister tells her that almost all her childhood she remembers her as being pregnant. She does not
want that last child, shed- lost four or five babies by then, and she is desperate. Nobody is there taking care of except
Vimla. Besides study she helps her but one day when she has lots of school works she leaves the work for her mother.
When she is getting ready for school her mother is making bhakries. Suddenly she finds the usual pause and then thin, ugly
voice of her mother that scared her to death. And then, as she watched her mother began hitting herself on the face.
Her body has been getting weakness. On she realizes that before a week she went to a midwife and tried to get herself
aborted. Thats why she has died a week later.
This last step of Mohans mother makes her woman consciousness sounder. She describes each and everything in
such a way that her aroused woman awareness cannot be remained hidden.
Vimla
Vimla is Mohans sister. By nature she is very kind she has been suffering from a gynec problem but she never
tells about it to anyone. When Jaya and Mohan, once go to her house for routine visit, Vimlas mother in low tells them,
God knows whats wrong with her. Shes been lying there on her bed for over a month now. Yes, take her away if you
want to. I never heard of women going to hospitals and doctors for such a thing. As if other women dont have heavy
periods! What a fuss! But these women whove never had children are like that.11 So they take her to the doctor but the
doctor says its too late for surgery and anything. Mohan cries out, Why didnt she write to me? but Vimla never gives
answer. She sinks into a coma and died a week later, her silence intact. Jaya finds out something common between mother
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.0867

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

Focus of Minor Characters and Jayas Woman Awareness in that Long Silence

49

and daughter that links the destinies of the two the silence in which they died. At the end of the novel we could see the
change in Jayas attitude that she gets ready to break her silence for her better self-assertion.
Kamat
Entry of Kamat in Jayas life fills up her inner urge. Kamat proves to be her true friend, philosopher and guide
who enlightens in herself self- confidence, courage and thinking ability to think over the meaning and message of her
existence. Kamat encourages her to go ahead listening to her inner feelings and thinking whatever is true for her.
He always reminds her about her potentiality and efficiency of doing something extra-ordinary which as a human being she
can do, she deserves to do. He says, Take yourself seriously woman. Dont sulk behind a false name. And work-work if
you want others to take you seriously.12 She is not satisfied with her marriage life. She is fed up with it. She wants to
speak to Mohan. She longs to warn Mohan but something is preventing her in doing this. When she asksKamat about it
Kamat makes her away of her fear of failure. He tells her, Silence can never be a shield of protection. Thinking of the
adverse effect of the speech one should not stop to speak whatever is true. One should be bold enough to face what she
situation may be. He makes her understood that in order to have a balanced outlook of marriage life there must be a
harmonious relationship between ego and self. Kamats this encouraging note inspires her temperamental behavior.
She surprisingly feels that being failure as a wife she traces self-alienation temperament, Negation alone can never lead a
woman towards selfhood. A wifes relation with her husband must take from within the totality of her life as a harmonious
existence.
Thus the echo of Kamats note saves her from doom and devastation and she comes back to the realization that
loneliness is the unavoidable aspect of human life. Ultimately everyone has to struggle or champion his own cause.
Jeeja
Jeejas silence is most restful for Jaya. Actually first Jaya has distrusted her silence. She has mistaken it for
surliness, for hostility, for a reluctance to work. But then, she could know her better. Jeeja is basically a realist.
She badly needs the money she earns; she knows her value as a good worker, and she knows it was her reputation for
reliability that enables her to earn more than the other servants do. She is that rare thing among them- a pure professional,
and proud of it. Jaya envies her single- mindedness. She knows what her purpose in life is- it is to go on living Enduring is
part of it and so she endures all that she has to.
Jijas instruction to Jaya about her payment makes her surprised because she seems so powerful in doing what she
likes. Dont ever give my husband any of my pay,

13

She has warned Jaya when she has started working for her.

Jija is so outstanding in doing her work. She never feels confused and thats why there seems no anger behind her silence.
Once, Jaya tries to peep into her life. She asks her about her silence when Jeejareplies, With whom shall I be
angry?14 She explains Jaya, Her parents didnt intend marrying her to a drunkard. He was not a drunkard then. He had a
job, and they lived in a decent room. He lost all what they had during a strike. Meanwhile others misled him.
God didnt give us any children- that were our misfortune. He had remarried for which she never blamed him as she had
been thinking that he had to do to have their children. Describing her situation she asks Jaya, With whom shall I angry?15
Listening to Jeejas story Jaya thinks, All those happy women with husbands in good jobs, men who didnt drink and
beat their wives, those fortunate women whose kitchen shelves gleamed with brass and stainless steel vessels-they were of
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no use to me. It was Jeeja and her like I needed, it was these women who saved me from the hell of drudgery.
Any little freedom I had depended on them.16 Thus Jeeja is also proved one of the strongest minor characters who
indirectly compel Jaya to rethink over her woman awareness.
Tara
Tara is Jeejs daughter in law, who married Rajaram, Jeejas step son. Rajaram steps into his fathers shoes.
He is drinking and beating up his wife. But Tara has none of Jeejas reticence. She curses her husband and sobbing loudly,
moaned her fate. So many drunkards die. She cried, but this one wont. Hell torture us all to death instead.17 Now she
looks after their batatawada business. If Tara wont give money to her husband, he beats her knowing the story Jaya thinks,
Where was it I had read an account of how baby girls were done to death a century or so back? They were, I had read in
horror, buried alive, crushed to death in the room they were born in; and immediately after death, a fire was lit on the
spot-to purify the place, they said. Perhaps it was to ensure death18 Jaya comes to the conclusion that the task is so
merciful, that swift ending of the agony once and for all, than this prolonging of it for years and years.
Rati & Nilima
Rati is Jayas own daughter whileNilima is Muktas daughter who is Jayas good neighbour. Nilima often comes
to Jayas home to accompany her. Once Nilima is gaunt and at the moment graceless, is sitting awkwardly in the chair.
Jaya can see the strains on it and it makes her uncomfortable. But Nilima is not ashamed of her monthly curse.
For her, it was only a hated enemy. She has cried out once to Jaya, Its so horrible, auntie, I dont want it, why cant I stop
having it? Isnt there any drug I can take to stop it?19 Jaya has laughed at her then, but afterwards she thinks, whether she
should have told her about her failure. Once, Jaya also has started taking pills to control over her own body. But somehow
she has to stop it.
Rati has sailed easily and confidently into her womanhood. Jaya has been flustered, unaccountably choky and
emotional, remembering how momentous, how agonizing and terrible it has been, that time when the drama of her
womanhood has begun. But Rati, when Jaya has tried to explain these things to her, has only says, Oh, I know
everything. 64 Both the girls are having knowledge about menstruating period. They feel nothing to be worried about it.

CONCLUSIONS
Jaya in the novel plays different roles at different times to quench her emotional and psychic thirst. She is a writer,
a house-wife, a mother and a society lady. She comes to the conclusion that marriage subjugates and enslaves women.
It leads her to aimless days indefinitely repeated, life that slips away gently toward death without questioning its
purpose.-De Beauvoir. Jaya has practically no choice lift to uplift her inner quest. She has been forced to follow her
husbands wills and desires. Thus she is not entitled to have her own autonomous existence. She is an inanimate object
with manacled hands resting submissively in her red silk lap.-Beauvoir. Womens struggle in the context of contemporary
Indian Society to find and preserve her identity as wife, mother and most important of all, as human being, is
Shashi Deshpandes major concern as a creative writer. She becomes successful in the novel to transform Jayas mute
suffering into revolting thinking to gain her own identity. No doubt in it the minor characters in the novel play an important
role in the process.

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.0867

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

Focus of Minor Characters and Jayas Woman Awareness in that Long Silence

51

REFERENCES
1.

Deshpande Shashi: That Long silence, Penguin Books:1989 A post, colonial Response, Sarup & sons publication,
2005, page no. 193

2.

-----Ibid-----page no. 192

3.

----Ibid------page no. 70

4.

-----Ibid-----page no. 02

5.

-----Ibid-----page no. 22

6.

-----Ibid-----page no. 22

7.

-----Ibid-----page no. 22

8.

-----Ibid-----page no. 28

9.

-----Ibid-----page no. 28

10. -----Ibid-----page no. 37

11. -----Ibid-----page no. 39
12. -----Ibid-----page no. 148
13. -----Ibid-----page no. 51
14. -----Ibid-----page no. 52
15. -----Ibid-----page no. 52
16. -----Ibid-----page no. 52
17. -----Ibid-----page no. 53
18. -----Ibid-----page no. 53
19. -----Ibid-----page no. 63
20. BalaKumariShail: That Long Silence: A Crusade for Life and Meaning, Published in Indian English Literature
(ed) Gajendra Kumar, Uday Shankar Ojah.
21. Bhatnagar, Manmohan (ed): The FiministEnmglish Literature;. Swain, S. P. article, Articulation of the Feminine
Voice: Jaya in ShashiDeshpandes That Long Silence. Atlantic Publishers. 2003
22. Chakravarty Jaya : A post colonial Analysis of a few of ShashiDeshpandes Novels. Published in Perspectives On
Indian English Fiction. ed. JaydipsinhK. Dldia.
23. Deshpande Shashi: That Long silence, Penguin Books:1989 A post, colonial Response, Sarup & sons publication,
2005
24. Dhawan, R. K: Indian Women Novelists.
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Daxathakor

25. Menon,

Madhavi

K:

The

Crises

of

the

Feminine:

Shashi

Deshpandes

That

Long

Silence.

Commonwealth Quarterly, Vol. 18. Dec. Mar. 1993 No 46.

26. Mishra Binod (Ed). Critical Responses to Ferminism, 1st Edition, Sarup & Sons, New Delhi, 2005
27. Pathak, R. S. (ed): The Fiction of Shashi Deshpande, Creative Books Publication, Deklhi 1997
28. Prasad Narendra: Women and Development. A P H Publishing Corporation, New Delhi.1st ed. 2007
29. Rashmi Gaur: Article-That Long Silence: Journey Towards self Actualization in women In the Novels of Shashi
Deshpande. ed. by SumanBela.
30. Swaub S. P.: Feminism in Shashi Despandes Novels published in Contemporary Indian Writing in English. (ed)
N. D. R. handra, 2005.

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.0867

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0