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Roots and Shadows

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Roots and Shadows is an English-language Indian novel, written by Shashi Deshpande in 1983.

The novel focuses on Indu's interactions with others in her large family and the manner in which this helps to resolve their future and her own personal crisis.

Characters

First generation

  • Akka – The female matriarch of the family
  • Indu's grandfather
  • Old Uncle - Indu's grandfather's cousin

Second generation

  • Narmada Atya - Indu's aunt
  • Anant Kaka - Indu's uncle
  • Govind - Indu's father
  • Madhav Kaka and Sumitra Kaki - Indu's aunt and uncle
  • Vinay Kaka and Kamala Kaki - Indu's aunt and uncle
  • Sunanda Atya and Vasant Kaka - Indu's aunt and uncle
  • Saroja - Naren's mother

Third generation

  • Indu - Govind's daughter and the main protagonist
  • Naren - Saroja's son and Indu's illicit partner
  • Jayant - Indu's husband
  • Hemant - Anant kaka and kaki's children
  • Sumant - Anant kaka and kaki's children
  • Padmini - Anant kaka and kaki's children
  • Sharad -Anant kaka and kaki's children
  • Sunil - Madhav kaka and Sumitra kaki's children
  • Lata - Madhav kaka and Sumitra kaki's children
  • Geeta -Madhav kaka and Sumitra kaki's children
  • Vithal - the adopted Brahmin boy

Fourth generation

  • Vishwas - Hemant's children
  • Sanju - Hemant's children

Themes

  • Marriage
  • Joint-family system
  • Infidelity
  • Class and caste relations
  • Feminism
  • Modernism

Analysis and criticism

The work has been widely analysed and criticized for its feminist orientation. It has been a source for many thesis and papers on the role of women in society of today. The work is widely appreciated for bringing out the joint family system in Indian society.

References

  1. Mishro, Krushna Chandra. "Roots and Shadows: Shashi Deshpande's Moral Prescription for a Reformed World of Relationships as the Basis of the Indian TraditionaI Dream of Vasudpiva Kutumbakam".
  2. Fernandes, Joeanna Rebello (9 October 2015). "Deshpande's Rebellion". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  3. Prasad, N K (2010). "Feminism in Shashi Deshpande's Roots and Shadows". INFLIBNET.
  4. Ashok, K. Kumar (2014). "Identity motif's in Shashi Deshpande's Roots and Shadows" (PDF).
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