College Essay on Gender Polemics

standing.

Desai's In Custody challenges gender stereotypes through the strong female characters of Sarla, Safiya, and Imtiaz Begum. These women hold power over males and can command them to do their bidding. Sarla, for example, can effortlessly command Manu to "go fetch (his) books" (69). The authority she exerts at home and over Manu is something that Deven is unable to achieve. Similarly, Imtiaz Begum reduces Nur to a state of fear and submission through her use of imperatives towards him. She even commands Deven to perform menial tasks such as fetching water and washing the floor. Although women in the novel are seemingly peripheral to the story, they display their superiority over men in their homes where they feel most comfortable. The colonized people also assert their authority over the colonizers through strikes and refusal to work.In Custody depicts Desai's portrayal of women as powerful figures who are initially underestimated. This parallels the colonized's fight for authority over their oppressors. Desai presents women in two extremes in their approach to tradition. Some actively strive to break free from traditional stereotypes, while others remain passive and unable to escape from tradition's constraints. This contrast is exemplified by the characters of Imtiaz Begum and Sarla, who serve as foils to each other. Through this dichotomy among women, Desai highlights the diversity within a shared group of people who can experience similar circumstances yet have different attitudes towards it. Sarla embodies the passivity of traditional Indian women who are unable to progress in life due to conforming to societal expectations. In contrast, Begum represents those who refuse to be held down by societal conventions and are

constantly struggling to break away from them. Ultimately, Sarla's unrealized aspirations lead her to become subservient, internalizing patriarchal oppression leading ultimately to "disappointment" (68).

Imtiaz Begum challenges the authority of men and performs tasks that are typically reserved for men. Despite her lack of formal education, she gives her poems to Deven to prove her worth, having learned to read and write through the effort of "finding and seizing" knowledge. Her actions reflect the desire to break away from traditional roles and expectations, a sentiment frowned upon by society as disrespectful. Women seeking independence are analogous to the struggle of the colonized, as they divide into those who conform to imposed traditions and those who resist. Both seek individual identities that break from societal norms and restrictions.