Date of Award

1-1-2023

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School/Department

Department of English

Content Description

1 online resource (iii, 35 pages)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Bret Benjamin

Keywords

feminine nation, Gandhian ideals, Mother India, national allegory, Women in literature, Indic fiction (English), National characteristics, East Indian, Women and literature

Subject Categories

Asian Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the character of Bharati in R.K Narayan’s novel, Waiting for the Mahatma, as a prominent female figure of political agency and representation of the role Indian women took during the revolutionary movement. Yet, also argues that problems arise when the author uses a feminine character as a national allegory and represents her as “Mother India,” because it makes the category of woman homogenous, neglecting to recognize the intersectional identities that make the lives of women diverse and incomparable. Additionally, another aspect of this argument is that Narayan’s depiction of Bharati fits into the Gandhian ideals of women as moral agents, rather than economic ones, which leads to a limited portrayal of women’s capabilities. Through his fealty to Gandhi, he fails to escape the concerns that postcolonial feminists have brought up about reductive and generalized depictions of women as representations of nations.

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