Ashley Batts

The Fiction of Anita Desai: an Exploration of Indian Motherhood: Fire on the Mountain, Clear Light of Day and Fasting, Feasting Ashley Batts

This piece is truly an exploration of Indian motherhood, born of both an interest in India and gender studies and also my own personal journey to India in the summer of 2010. I looked to the works of Anita Desai, and my background in English Literature in order to situate my research in Post-Colonial Theory and Third-World Feminism. I also used my background in Women's Studies to understand the plethora of experiences Indian mothers have. My goal in this piece is not to represent all Indian women or claim knowledge of all Indian women's experiences, but to expose the diversity of Indian motherhood. I was tired of hearing stereotypical representations of Indian women, especially after visiting the country and knowing Indian mothers personally, and I sought to end the homogenization. I want to speak of detailed, nuanced representations of Indian mothers which truly characterize both the societal role and the real-life counterpart.