URBAN SPACES AND FEMALE IDENTITY IN MANJU KAPUR’S NOVELS: THE INFLUENCE OF THE CITY ON WOMEN’S FREEDOM AND SELF-DISCOVERY

Abstract

In Manju Kapur’s novels, the major role is played by urban settings in carving female identity, challenging traditional gender roles, as well as acting as a catalyst in shaping one's journey toward self-discovery. This, as a result, has also helped in changing the lives of the protagonists of her novels. This research paper is primarily focused on exploring the role of urban spaces, particularly Delhi, as both physical and symbolic spaces in the lives of both the female protagonists. The main attention is on the space as it provides opportunities for the characters in various fields like education, social engagement and especially in their struggle for autonomy. Manju Kapur contrasts the big city’s promise of freedom and progress with the societal constraints that her female characters continue to encounter by placing her characters in urban settings. The focal point of this paper will be on the novels A Married Woman and The Immigrant to demonstrate the role of urban settings in Kapur’s works as transformative and paradoxical landscapes that, while aiding her character's journey toward independence and self-identity, also restrict it in some way.