Woman and Nature: The Inextricable Identities in Anita Desai's Where Shall We Go this Summer and Cry, The Peacock

From an ecofeminist approach, this research will explore the turmoil and resolution of the central female characters’ psyche in Anita Desai’s Where Shall We Go this Summer and Cry, The Peacock. These novels, are the self- exploration of the two main characters, Sita and Maya, respectively, who live a life of loss and longing in an exploitative patriarchal system where they do not get the chance to express themselves. Their psychological entrapment signifies the destruction caused by patriarchy on nature also. The major concern of eco feminism is to identify societal discrepancies and give voice to women, as well as, nature. This philosophy concentrates on the manner in which patriarchal society treats nature and women. Hence, parallels have been drawn between the inner psyche of the female characters, Sita and Maya, and the state of the environment. In the two novels, both protagonists fail to give voice to their desire and become the victims of patriarchal society. And, in both of the cases, natural images have been effectively used as scrutiny of Maya and Sita’s inner self. For example, analogies from nature to project the terror, anxiety and loneliness of Maya in Cry, The Peacock is a focal point of nature- woman symbiosis. Similarly, Sita, in Where Shall We Go this Summer finds peace in Manori not in Bombay. Furthermore, the repression of nature and women is another major concern of ecofeminism. This paper will also explore how the suppression of both nature and women have been depicted. Additionally, the representation or symbolism of nature in relation to women characters in Desai’s works allows the reader to discern unfathomed spheres of the female ideology, this research will focus on the psychological dilemma of Sita and Maya and the outcome of their tormenting situation.