Women’s Education and Child Marriage: A Literary Comparison of Kiran Desai and Anita Desai’s Works
Kanak Singh & Dr. Radha Madhab Jha
1Researcher, 2Associate Professor
1,2Department of English, Sarala Birla University, Ranchi, Jharkhand
E-mail ID: ks@sbpsranchi.com1; Radha.madhab@sbu.ac.in2
ABSTRACT
The present research paper critically examines the portrayal of women’s education and child marriage in the novels of Kiran Desai and Anita Desai, two of the most influential voices in Indian-English literature. By analysing their works, this study explores how both authors depict the struggles of women and young girls in a patriarchal society where traditional norms often hinder access to education and promote early marriage. The paper highlights the contrasting yet complementary perspectives of Kiran Desai and Anita Desai in addressing these social issues through their literary narratives. While Anita Desai’s writings offer a deeply introspective and psychological exploration of women’s oppression and their aspirations for education, Kiran Desai presents a more globalized perspective, focusing on migration, identity, and the intersection of tradition with modernity. Through a comparative analysis, this study underscores how literature serves as a powerful tool for social critique, advocating for gender equality and educational empowerment. The paper concludes by emphasizing the relevance of their works in contemporary discourse on women’s rights and the ongoing fight against child marriage. The present paper is an honest attempt to attract the attention of the readers towards women’s education and child marriage which have long been critical social issues in India, deeply rooted in cultural, religious, and historical traditions. The research scholar further writes that the education of women is very important because only education may solve the problems of the nation.
Keywords: Women’s education, child marriage, gender inequality, patriarchy, social critique, Indian-English literature, feminism, migration, tradition vs. modernity, empowerment, literary analysis.
