Roots and Shadows

Roots and Shadows is an English-language Indian novel, written by Shashi Deshpande in 1983.[1] 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.[2]

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[3] orientation. It has been a source for many thesis and papers on the role of women in society of today.[4] The work is widely appreciated for bringing out the decaying 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" (PDF).
  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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