THE THEME OF QUEST: A STUDY OF THE FEMALE PSYCHE IN ANITA DESAI'S 'WHERE SHALL WE GO THIS SUMMER?' (Pages 142-147) by Ms. S. Chitra* and Dr. K. Balachandran** in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

This paper reveals how the image of women in fiction underwent a change during the last few decades. Women writers have moved away from traditional portrayals of enduring, self sacrificing women toward female characters, searching for identity. They are no longer characterized and defined simply in terms of their victim status. Women writers re-interpret mythology by using new symbols. Many Indian Women novelists have explored female subjectivity in order to establish an identity that is not imposed by a patriarchal society. The image of the New Women and her struggle for an identity and of her emergence portrayed in Indian English fiction. Many Indian Women writers are revealing the true state of Indian society and the treatment of Women in their writings. The work of Indian Women writers is significant in making society aware of Women’s demands, providing a medium for self expression, re-writing the History of India. Anita Desai in her psychological novels presents the image of a suffering woman preoccupied with her inner world, her sulking frustration and a storm within her, the existential predicament of a woman in a male dominated society. This paper presents a predicament of Sita and her alienation from her total environment, husband and children, her incapability to accept the authority of the society and finally her compromise with life. Keywords: identity, alienation, existence, compromise, conflict, sacrifice