Complexities & Crisis in the lives of Maya in Cry, the Peacock by Anita Desai & Anjali in Maunraag by Kaajal Oza Vaidya: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This paper attempts to show the comparative analysis of two female protagonists portrayed by two well-reputed and self-made female writers from two different languages. Anita Desai is an innovative and original writer and stands unsurpassed among contemporary Indian women novelists in English. She concentrates on exploring the submerged depths and dark recesses of women’s consciousness, in fictional representation. Her novels unravel the mystery of the inner life of her characters. Kaajal Oza Vaidya is the leading voice in contemporary Gujarati literature. She has captivating stories to tell about individuals who have to move about in society, combating for independent existence. She gets interested in analyzing and portraying human relationships, mostly indulging in some kind of dilemma and searching for the answers. Both the writers have portrayed the female protagonists, their Existence in life, their Identity, their Emotional Trauma, and the Conflicts. The complexities and crises arise in Maya and Anjali's lives due to various social and psychological aspects that lead them to Isolation, Alienation, and Self-Destruction. The marital disharmony born out of inarticulateness disturbs the internal peace and turns out to be the nervous breakdown. The comparative analysis of these two characters gives insight into the treatment of similar themes in two different languages, written in two different periods. The complexities and crises in Maya & Anjali's lives provide an interesting study of similarities and dissimilarities of two females searching for their identity and meaning of life.