Portrayal of The Female Protagonists in 'Everything Happens For A Reason' By Kavita Daswani and 'Difficult Daughters' By Manju Kapur.
ABSTRACT
Dalam skripsi ini, penulis memilih novel Everything Happens for a Reason
karya Kavita Daswani dan Difficult Daughters karya Manju Kapur. Setelah
membaca dan menganalisis novel tersebut, penulis mendapati bahwa Priya Sohni,
tokoh utama dalam novel Everything Happens for a Reason, memiliki dua sifat
yang tidak berubah dari awal hingga akhir cerita yaitu pandai dan
bertanggungjawab terhadap kewajiban yang dimilikinya, namun sifat lain dari
tokoh itu mengalami perubahan yaitu yang semula bersifat penurut menjadi
seorang pemberontak. Karakter Virmati dalam novel Difficult Daughters berbeda
dengan karakter Priya Sohni yang memiliki sifat pemberontak dari awal hingga
akhir cerita. Virmati juga digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita yang pandai dan
suka melakukan sesuatu tanpa memikirkan akibatnya.
Penulis juga membahas tujuan penggambaran karakter tokoh-tokoh oleh
Kavita Daswani, pengarang novel Everything Happens for a Reason dan Manju
Kapur, pengarang novel Difficult Daughters. Menurut penulis, kedua pengarang
memiliki tujuan yang sama dalam penulisan kedua novel tersebut, yaitu mereka
ingin menunjukkan perjuangan para perempuan. Mereka menuntut persamaan hak
antara laki-laki dan perempuan. Melalui kedua novel tersebut, mereka juga
mengharapkan agar para perempuan tetap teguh dalam meraih apa yang mereka
cita-citakan.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ...........................................................................1
Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................3
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................3
Method of Research ...................................................................................3
Organization of the Thesis .........................................................................3
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE FEMALE
PROTAGONIST IN EVERYTHING HAPPENS
FOR A REASON BY KAVITA DASWANI ..........................................5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE
FEMALE PROTAGONIST IN DIFFICULT
DAUGHTERS BY MANJU KAPUR ...................................................16
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ..................................................................26
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................31
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Everything Happens for a Reason ........................................33
Synopsis of Difficult Daughters...............................................................35
Biography of Kavita Daswani ..................................................................36
Biography of Manju Kapur ......................................................................37
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APPENDICES
Synopsis of Everything Happens for a Reason
Priya Sohni is the youngest of four sisters and lives in Delhi. Being
different from all her sisters who are against arranged marriage, she accepts a
man, who comes from America and who is a stranger to her, to be her husband.
After her wedding ceremony, she lives with her husband and her husband’s family
in America. She is shocked when her parents-in-law ask her to go out to look for a
job in order to help her husband’s cash flow. As a good wife, she fulfills her
parents-in-law’s wish and works as a receptionist.
Unexpectedly, when Priya works as receptionist, she gets an offer to be a
reporter, which has been her dream. She accepts the job although she knows her
husband and her parents-in-law will not approve because the job will involves
getting in touch with a lot of people and she will have higher salary than her
husband. Later she becomes the hottest, most in demand and most envied showbiz
reporter in Hollywood. Even though she is very busy with her job, she constantly
does her duty as a wife and daughter-in-law well. She does not complain about
anything although she has to work hard, either inside or outside the house.
33
Finally, she confesses about her job to her husband and her parents-in-law.
Her husband and her parents-in-law get angry at her. However, when they know
how big her salary is, they become calm and ask her to give them all of her
savings. They ask her to continue her job because of the big salary. She is aware
that she is being taken advantage of by her husband’s family to be the money
maker. In the end, she decides to go back to India.
34
Synopsis of Difficult Daughters
Virmati, who lives in colonization era in Amritsar, is the first of eleven
siblings. Unlike the other girls in her time, she prefers having education although
it is rather difficult because India still fights for freedom from the British Raj. By
studying, her mind is opened and she is able to learn about uncommon things in
her era, such as the equality between man and woman. After finishing her
education, she falls in love with her neighbor, Professor Harish who is an
educated married man because he treats her as an equal intellectual.
Then, she has to go through an arranged marriage. She refuses it and
confesses to her parents that she falls in love with Professor Harish. Due to this,
her parents send Virmati to another city to continue her study. Although they are
apart, Harish and Virmati always manage to meet. Owing to Harish’s friend’s
support, he makes Virmati his second wife.
Coming back to Amritsar as Harish’s second wife, Virmati is despised and
marginalized not only by her own family but also by Harish’s family, especially
by his first wife. Living with Harish’s family limits her space of movement.
Finally, she decides to stay apart from her husband and move to Lahore to do her
exams.
A lot of turbulences happen before the Independence of India and cause
disorders everywhere. Harish’s family decides to move to his mother’s hometown,
whereas, Virmati and Harish live in the camps. She gives birth to her baby there.
After the Independence, Harish is offered to be principle in one of the new
colleges of Delhi University. They move to a much smaller house in Delhi.
Harish’s two children from his first wife also live with them.
35
Biography of Kavita Daswani
Kavita Daswani started her journalistic career when she was only
seventeen years old. She was born in Hong Kong to parents who had emigrated
from India. She left school before taking her A-levels and began working as a
freelance journalist. She lived in Paris and London before returning to Hong
Kong. She states that Mumbai is an emotional home for her as well as her Hong
Kong-based parents. Because of it, she has written several books that represent
her love and passion about Indian culture. Sometimes, she also brings her own
life’s experiences into her books.
In 2000, she moved to Los Angeles. She now lives just outside Los
Angeles with her husband and two young sons. Kavita Daswani is currently a
fashion correspondent for CNN International, CNBC Asia, and Women's Wear
Daily. She has written for the Los Angeles Times and the International Herald
Tribune among many other publications and has been the fashion editor of the
South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.
At the age of thirty-six, she has written four novels. The first one is For
Matrimonial Purposes (2003). Then, it was followed by Everything Happens for a
Reason and The Village Bride of Beverly Hills (2004). Actually, these two novels
are the same books published under different titles. The next one is Salaam Paris,
(2006) and the last one is Indie Girl (2007). In 2010, she plans to release her other
young adult work. All her books have been published into seventeen languages.
Source: “About Kavita Daswani”, “Few Men Didn’t Like Me Because I Was
Dark”
36
Biography of Manju Kapur
Manju Kapur lives in New Delhi, where she is a professor of English
Literature at Miranda House College, Delhi University. She lives in a spacious
house in Lutyens Delhi with her husband and their children. Having graduated
from Miranda House, Manju Kapur took her MA in English from Dalhousie
University in Canada and went on doing her MPhil from Delhi University.
Manju Kapur’s works are famous and characterized by grounded, noflourishes writing styles. In writing stories and poems, she tries not to stand
between the readers and the story. She wants to make the stories as transparent
and seamless as possible. She sees that writing is such a solitary activity. She
divides her time between her home and the library of the Delhi Gymkhana, where
she goes to write and she prefers not meeting anyone. She says that when she
starts writing, she has a theme not a story. Then, the story takes shape gradually.
She has written several novels such as, Difficult Daughters (1998), A
Married Woman (2002), and Home (2006). These three works have linear plots
and the stillness of her prose conceals an acute understanding of social
hypocrisies. Despite being yet common, the perception of Kapur’s works is about
human foibles. Her first book, Difficult Daughters received the Commonwealth
Award for the Eurasian region for the best first book.
Source: “A Meeting with Manju Kapur”, “Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters and
Indian Food Glossaries”
37
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
I choose Everything Happens for a Reason by Kavita Daswani and
Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur to be analyzed because the works of both
novelists deal with Indian women and their tradition. They focus on the limitation
faced by Indian women. In her novel, Kavita Daswani tells about “how young
Indian girls are trying to break away from their tradition in pursuit of their
dreams” (Wands). As an Indian, Kavita Daswani is determined “to represent her
passion and love for the Indian culture” (“Kavita Daswani”). She also wants to
portray Indian women who are trapped between “tradition and ambition” (“Kavita
Daswani”).
In this novel, Kavita Daswani also states that “The new generations of
Indian women are not just housewives. They are educated and career-minded,
which leads them to choose a lifestyle that does not revolve around in-laws and
children” (Seth). In one of the interviews, Daswani strongly argues that her work
is a “social commentary” (“Few Men didn’t Like Me because I was Dark”) and
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declares to Indian women that “They are not alone. They don't have to stifle
themselves. There are many opportunities to strengthen oneself and still be part of
a traditional family” (“Few Men didn’t Like Me because I was Dark”).
Kavita Daswani’s work is similar to Manju Kapur’s work. “Manju Kapur
speaks, with great narrative eloquence, of the idea of independence” (Rollason).
Manju Kapur is really concerned with the independence of Indian women.
Throughout her novel, Kapur reveals that women can decide to have education, to
choose who will be their husbands and to be independent although they have to
contradict the society. The major portion of the novel deals with “how [an Indian
woman] is torn between family duty, the desire for education and elicit love”
(Sharma). In this novel, Manju Kapur reveals to Indian women that they deserve
to get their freedom although they have to be “marginalized and despised by their
family” (Rollason).
As Roberts has mentioned, a character is “a verbal representation of a
human being as presented to us by authors through the depiction of actions,
conversations, descriptions, reactions, inner thoughts and reflections, and also
through the authors’ own interpretative commentary” (66). Therefore, I decide to
analyze the portrayal of the protagonists in both novels because both female
protagonists persistently struggle to get their personal rights although they have to
go against the traditional values of their culture. They are highly determined in
fulfilling their purpose in reaching equality between men and women.
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Statement of the Problem
The statements of the problem as follows:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. What are the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonist in the
novels?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statements of the problem above, this study is done:
1. To show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novels.
2. To show the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonists in the
novels.
Method of Research
The method of research I use in writing this thesis is library research. I
begin by reading Kavita Daswani’s Everything Happens for a Reason and Manju
Kapur’s Difficult Daughters as the primary texts. Furthermore, I gather some
resources and references taken from books and the internet to support my analysis.
Finally, I draw some conclusions of what has been discussed.
Organization of the Thesis
I divide the major thesis into four chapters, which is preceded by the
Acknowledgement, consisting of the Table of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter
One is the Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the
Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research and
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the Organization of the Major Thesis. Chapter Two is the analysis of the portrayal
of the protagonist in Kavita Daswani’s Everything Happens for a Reason and
Chapter Three is the analysis of the portrayal of the protagonist in Manju Kapur’s
Difficult Daughters. The last chapter, Chapter Four is the conclusion of what has
been discussed in the previous two chapters. The major thesis ends with the
Bibliography and the Appendices, which contain the Synopsis of Everything
Happens for a Reason and Difficult Daughters and the Biography of Kavita
Daswani and Manju Kapur.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the portrayal of female protagonists in Everything
Happens for a Reason and Difficult Daughters, I would like to draw some
conclusions. The protagonist in Kavita Daswani’s Everything Happens for a
Reason is Priya Sohni. Some of her characteristics remain the same from the
beginning until the end of story. Throughout the story, Priya Sohni is portrayed as
a smart and dutiful woman. However, she also experiences a change of
characteristic because of her awareness of her own rights. In contrast, all
characteristics of the protagonist in Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters, Virmati,
remain the same from the beginning until the end of the story. She is portrayed as
a smart, rebellious and impulsive person.
In the beginning, Priya Sohni is portrayed as an obedient person. As a
woman and the youngest sister of four siblings, she has to be an obedient
daughter. She cannot refuse when her parents decide for her arranged marriage
with a man whom she has not known before. Moreover, after she is married, she
has to obey to her husband’s family. Living in Los Angeles, she has to adapt not
only to her new family but also to her new society which is different
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from India. She becomes a good and dutiful wife and daughter-in-law. One day,
she gets rare opportunity to be a journalist. She decides to take the opportunity
because she has passion for journalism although her husband’ family does not
agree. Her education and experiences cause her to be a critical person who
questions many things. It changes her submissive characteristic into a rebellious
one.
Then, I find the most dominant characteristic of Virmati, the protagonist
Difficult Daughters, is rebellious. She has shown her rebellions since she was still
a youth. It can be seen from her actions, such as, demanding to get education,
postponing her arranged marriage to her fiance to finish her school, asking her
parents to cancel her arranged marriage, trying to commit suicide, and deciding to
marry a married man. All of these happen because there are a lot of restrictions for
women. Virmati is a woman who has a great passion to make her dream come
true; yet, there are a lot of limitations which prevent her to do what she wants.
Thus, there is no other way for her except to break them. She also shows her
seriousness by trying to kill herself. She hopes that her death would make her
surroundings believe she is serious.
After analyzing the portrayal of the female protagonists in Everything
Happens for a Reason and Difficult Daughters, I can conclude that both of them
write about women. I agree with what Priya has done. She dares to take the risk to
actualize her aspiration although she has to confront her husband’s family. She
does not change into a rebellious one suddenly. She experiences a process which
opens her mind and makes her aware of her position as a woman. She realizes that
she cannot be a follower of her husband forever. She proves that women deserve
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to develop their talent and to be considered equal to men. Although Priya becomes
a rebel, she changes into a better woman. She rebels by doing positive things and
advancing in her career.
I also admire Virmati’s courage to actualize her dreams. She dares to do
something which is still rare for women in her era, namely to take a risk and
oppose society to do what they want. She is eager for education. She is open to
new things. She knows that education is beneficial not only for men but also for
women. She learns from other women’s life around her. They are busy with the
household matters without ever thinking about themselves. Therefore, she wants
to be educated in order to have a better life. She wishes that she can voice her
thoughts and do what she wants.
Through the two characters, both authors reveal the struggle of women to
show their existence in society. Priya and Virmati are strong women and that is
how women should be when they are under a lot of restrictions. Both of them
demonstrate that women can actualize their wishes. The protagonists also show
that women can do something to have a better life, such as to have an occupation.
This would make society admit women’s existence and they would also appreciate
women.
The matter which differentiates Priya Sohni and Virmati’s struggle is their
eras. Priya Sohni lives in twentieth century; while, Virmati lives in ninetieth
century. The different setting of time influences how hard their struggle. It is more
difficult for Virmati to show and have her existence when women existence is still
uncommon at her time. Whereas, it is easier for Priya Sohni because she lives in
the era where a lot of people admit the women existence.
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From both novels, I learn about women’s struggle. A lot of women
surrender when they are prohibited to achieve their dreams; however, the
protagonists inspire me not to be a desperate person. They teach me that women
have the same right as men to decide for themselves. Women are not only the
followers of their husbands but they are equal to their partners. They also have the
right to decide, especially if it concerns her family. So, when a woman feels that
she is too dominated by others, she has to stand up for herself.
I also learn that a woman can be smart or successful. However, she is still
a woman by nature. She has to obey to the norms in the society or in her own
family. I think a successful or smart career woman can not abandon her duty as a
daughter, wife, mother, or daughter-in-law. Moreover, a married woman should
be successful in her career and in her family as well. She has to be able to divide
her time between working outside the house and taking care of her family.
Besides, she has to be able to give quality time for her family.
Then, I get a motivating idea about education. Education is very important
for everyone. Like men, women also have to have education. An illiterate married
woman has to rely on her husband. She could only take care of the household
matters and most probably she will be dominated by her husband. That is why a
woman also has to go to school. She will be educated and be able to have an
occupation outside the house. If something wrong happens with her marriage, she
can be an independent person. She can earn her own money. She can support
herself and her children.
In my opinion, the purpose of the authors is achieved. Nowadays, there are
a lot of Indian women who are passionate about education. They are equal to men
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and can even compete with them. They fulfill their duty in their family
consistently and still work outside the house. Besides, I believe that Priya Sohni
and Virmati are not merely fictional figures. They are inspired from actual people
in the society. We know that the patriachal system and arranged marriages are not
only found in India. Other ethnic groups have the same practices. However,
women must be able to struggle for their rights to be equal to men.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Daswani, Kavita. Everything Happens for a Reason. UK: HarperCollins, 2004.
Kapur, Manju. Difficult Daughters. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1998.
References:
“Few Men Didn't Like Me Because I Was Dark.” Rediff.com. Ed. Arthur J. Pais.
2009. 17 Aug. 2009
Kamat, Jyotsna. “Mahatma Gandhi Album.” Pre-Historic Arts of India. 2009.
21 Sept. 2009
< http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/gwomen.htm>
“Kavita Daswani.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2009. 17 Aug. 2009
Roberts, Edgar V. Writing about Literature. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.,
2003.
Rollason, Christopher. “Women on the Margins: Reflections on Manju Kapur's
Difficult Daughters.” The Atlantic Literary Review 5 (2004): 177-184.
Get Cited. 17 Aug. 2009
Seth, Sasha. “Everything Happens for a Reason by Kavita Daswani.” The Asian
Review of Books on the Web. 2004. 17 Aug. 2009
< http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/arb/article.php?article=444>
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Sharma, Ram. “A Study of Manju Kapoor`s Novel Difficult Daughters.”
Goarticles.com: The Web’s Largest Free Content Article Directory.
2009. 17 Aug. 2009
Singh, Amardeep. “Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughter and Indian Food
Glossaries.” Amardeep Singh. 2005. 1 Sep. 2009
Singh, Jai Arjun. “A Meeting with Manju Kapur.” Jabberwock. 2008. 17 Aug.
2009
“The Culture of Arranged Marriages in India.” indiamarks.com. Noreen. 2009.
21 Sept. 2009
Wands, D. C. “About Kavita Daswani.” Fantastic Fiction. 2009. 1 Sept. 2009
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Dalam skripsi ini, penulis memilih novel Everything Happens for a Reason
karya Kavita Daswani dan Difficult Daughters karya Manju Kapur. Setelah
membaca dan menganalisis novel tersebut, penulis mendapati bahwa Priya Sohni,
tokoh utama dalam novel Everything Happens for a Reason, memiliki dua sifat
yang tidak berubah dari awal hingga akhir cerita yaitu pandai dan
bertanggungjawab terhadap kewajiban yang dimilikinya, namun sifat lain dari
tokoh itu mengalami perubahan yaitu yang semula bersifat penurut menjadi
seorang pemberontak. Karakter Virmati dalam novel Difficult Daughters berbeda
dengan karakter Priya Sohni yang memiliki sifat pemberontak dari awal hingga
akhir cerita. Virmati juga digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita yang pandai dan
suka melakukan sesuatu tanpa memikirkan akibatnya.
Penulis juga membahas tujuan penggambaran karakter tokoh-tokoh oleh
Kavita Daswani, pengarang novel Everything Happens for a Reason dan Manju
Kapur, pengarang novel Difficult Daughters. Menurut penulis, kedua pengarang
memiliki tujuan yang sama dalam penulisan kedua novel tersebut, yaitu mereka
ingin menunjukkan perjuangan para perempuan. Mereka menuntut persamaan hak
antara laki-laki dan perempuan. Melalui kedua novel tersebut, mereka juga
mengharapkan agar para perempuan tetap teguh dalam meraih apa yang mereka
cita-citakan.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ...........................................................................1
Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................3
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................3
Method of Research ...................................................................................3
Organization of the Thesis .........................................................................3
CHAPTER TWO: PORTRAYAL OF THE FEMALE
PROTAGONIST IN EVERYTHING HAPPENS
FOR A REASON BY KAVITA DASWANI ..........................................5
CHAPTER THREE: PORTRAYAL OF THE
FEMALE PROTAGONIST IN DIFFICULT
DAUGHTERS BY MANJU KAPUR ...................................................16
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ..................................................................26
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................31
APPENDICES:
Synopsis of Everything Happens for a Reason ........................................33
Synopsis of Difficult Daughters...............................................................35
Biography of Kavita Daswani ..................................................................36
Biography of Manju Kapur ......................................................................37
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APPENDICES
Synopsis of Everything Happens for a Reason
Priya Sohni is the youngest of four sisters and lives in Delhi. Being
different from all her sisters who are against arranged marriage, she accepts a
man, who comes from America and who is a stranger to her, to be her husband.
After her wedding ceremony, she lives with her husband and her husband’s family
in America. She is shocked when her parents-in-law ask her to go out to look for a
job in order to help her husband’s cash flow. As a good wife, she fulfills her
parents-in-law’s wish and works as a receptionist.
Unexpectedly, when Priya works as receptionist, she gets an offer to be a
reporter, which has been her dream. She accepts the job although she knows her
husband and her parents-in-law will not approve because the job will involves
getting in touch with a lot of people and she will have higher salary than her
husband. Later she becomes the hottest, most in demand and most envied showbiz
reporter in Hollywood. Even though she is very busy with her job, she constantly
does her duty as a wife and daughter-in-law well. She does not complain about
anything although she has to work hard, either inside or outside the house.
33
Finally, she confesses about her job to her husband and her parents-in-law.
Her husband and her parents-in-law get angry at her. However, when they know
how big her salary is, they become calm and ask her to give them all of her
savings. They ask her to continue her job because of the big salary. She is aware
that she is being taken advantage of by her husband’s family to be the money
maker. In the end, she decides to go back to India.
34
Synopsis of Difficult Daughters
Virmati, who lives in colonization era in Amritsar, is the first of eleven
siblings. Unlike the other girls in her time, she prefers having education although
it is rather difficult because India still fights for freedom from the British Raj. By
studying, her mind is opened and she is able to learn about uncommon things in
her era, such as the equality between man and woman. After finishing her
education, she falls in love with her neighbor, Professor Harish who is an
educated married man because he treats her as an equal intellectual.
Then, she has to go through an arranged marriage. She refuses it and
confesses to her parents that she falls in love with Professor Harish. Due to this,
her parents send Virmati to another city to continue her study. Although they are
apart, Harish and Virmati always manage to meet. Owing to Harish’s friend’s
support, he makes Virmati his second wife.
Coming back to Amritsar as Harish’s second wife, Virmati is despised and
marginalized not only by her own family but also by Harish’s family, especially
by his first wife. Living with Harish’s family limits her space of movement.
Finally, she decides to stay apart from her husband and move to Lahore to do her
exams.
A lot of turbulences happen before the Independence of India and cause
disorders everywhere. Harish’s family decides to move to his mother’s hometown,
whereas, Virmati and Harish live in the camps. She gives birth to her baby there.
After the Independence, Harish is offered to be principle in one of the new
colleges of Delhi University. They move to a much smaller house in Delhi.
Harish’s two children from his first wife also live with them.
35
Biography of Kavita Daswani
Kavita Daswani started her journalistic career when she was only
seventeen years old. She was born in Hong Kong to parents who had emigrated
from India. She left school before taking her A-levels and began working as a
freelance journalist. She lived in Paris and London before returning to Hong
Kong. She states that Mumbai is an emotional home for her as well as her Hong
Kong-based parents. Because of it, she has written several books that represent
her love and passion about Indian culture. Sometimes, she also brings her own
life’s experiences into her books.
In 2000, she moved to Los Angeles. She now lives just outside Los
Angeles with her husband and two young sons. Kavita Daswani is currently a
fashion correspondent for CNN International, CNBC Asia, and Women's Wear
Daily. She has written for the Los Angeles Times and the International Herald
Tribune among many other publications and has been the fashion editor of the
South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.
At the age of thirty-six, she has written four novels. The first one is For
Matrimonial Purposes (2003). Then, it was followed by Everything Happens for a
Reason and The Village Bride of Beverly Hills (2004). Actually, these two novels
are the same books published under different titles. The next one is Salaam Paris,
(2006) and the last one is Indie Girl (2007). In 2010, she plans to release her other
young adult work. All her books have been published into seventeen languages.
Source: “About Kavita Daswani”, “Few Men Didn’t Like Me Because I Was
Dark”
36
Biography of Manju Kapur
Manju Kapur lives in New Delhi, where she is a professor of English
Literature at Miranda House College, Delhi University. She lives in a spacious
house in Lutyens Delhi with her husband and their children. Having graduated
from Miranda House, Manju Kapur took her MA in English from Dalhousie
University in Canada and went on doing her MPhil from Delhi University.
Manju Kapur’s works are famous and characterized by grounded, noflourishes writing styles. In writing stories and poems, she tries not to stand
between the readers and the story. She wants to make the stories as transparent
and seamless as possible. She sees that writing is such a solitary activity. She
divides her time between her home and the library of the Delhi Gymkhana, where
she goes to write and she prefers not meeting anyone. She says that when she
starts writing, she has a theme not a story. Then, the story takes shape gradually.
She has written several novels such as, Difficult Daughters (1998), A
Married Woman (2002), and Home (2006). These three works have linear plots
and the stillness of her prose conceals an acute understanding of social
hypocrisies. Despite being yet common, the perception of Kapur’s works is about
human foibles. Her first book, Difficult Daughters received the Commonwealth
Award for the Eurasian region for the best first book.
Source: “A Meeting with Manju Kapur”, “Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters and
Indian Food Glossaries”
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
I choose Everything Happens for a Reason by Kavita Daswani and
Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur to be analyzed because the works of both
novelists deal with Indian women and their tradition. They focus on the limitation
faced by Indian women. In her novel, Kavita Daswani tells about “how young
Indian girls are trying to break away from their tradition in pursuit of their
dreams” (Wands). As an Indian, Kavita Daswani is determined “to represent her
passion and love for the Indian culture” (“Kavita Daswani”). She also wants to
portray Indian women who are trapped between “tradition and ambition” (“Kavita
Daswani”).
In this novel, Kavita Daswani also states that “The new generations of
Indian women are not just housewives. They are educated and career-minded,
which leads them to choose a lifestyle that does not revolve around in-laws and
children” (Seth). In one of the interviews, Daswani strongly argues that her work
is a “social commentary” (“Few Men didn’t Like Me because I was Dark”) and
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declares to Indian women that “They are not alone. They don't have to stifle
themselves. There are many opportunities to strengthen oneself and still be part of
a traditional family” (“Few Men didn’t Like Me because I was Dark”).
Kavita Daswani’s work is similar to Manju Kapur’s work. “Manju Kapur
speaks, with great narrative eloquence, of the idea of independence” (Rollason).
Manju Kapur is really concerned with the independence of Indian women.
Throughout her novel, Kapur reveals that women can decide to have education, to
choose who will be their husbands and to be independent although they have to
contradict the society. The major portion of the novel deals with “how [an Indian
woman] is torn between family duty, the desire for education and elicit love”
(Sharma). In this novel, Manju Kapur reveals to Indian women that they deserve
to get their freedom although they have to be “marginalized and despised by their
family” (Rollason).
As Roberts has mentioned, a character is “a verbal representation of a
human being as presented to us by authors through the depiction of actions,
conversations, descriptions, reactions, inner thoughts and reflections, and also
through the authors’ own interpretative commentary” (66). Therefore, I decide to
analyze the portrayal of the protagonists in both novels because both female
protagonists persistently struggle to get their personal rights although they have to
go against the traditional values of their culture. They are highly determined in
fulfilling their purpose in reaching equality between men and women.
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Statement of the Problem
The statements of the problem as follows:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. What are the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonist in the
novels?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statements of the problem above, this study is done:
1. To show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novels.
2. To show the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonists in the
novels.
Method of Research
The method of research I use in writing this thesis is library research. I
begin by reading Kavita Daswani’s Everything Happens for a Reason and Manju
Kapur’s Difficult Daughters as the primary texts. Furthermore, I gather some
resources and references taken from books and the internet to support my analysis.
Finally, I draw some conclusions of what has been discussed.
Organization of the Thesis
I divide the major thesis into four chapters, which is preceded by the
Acknowledgement, consisting of the Table of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter
One is the Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the
Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research and
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the Organization of the Major Thesis. Chapter Two is the analysis of the portrayal
of the protagonist in Kavita Daswani’s Everything Happens for a Reason and
Chapter Three is the analysis of the portrayal of the protagonist in Manju Kapur’s
Difficult Daughters. The last chapter, Chapter Four is the conclusion of what has
been discussed in the previous two chapters. The major thesis ends with the
Bibliography and the Appendices, which contain the Synopsis of Everything
Happens for a Reason and Difficult Daughters and the Biography of Kavita
Daswani and Manju Kapur.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the portrayal of female protagonists in Everything
Happens for a Reason and Difficult Daughters, I would like to draw some
conclusions. The protagonist in Kavita Daswani’s Everything Happens for a
Reason is Priya Sohni. Some of her characteristics remain the same from the
beginning until the end of story. Throughout the story, Priya Sohni is portrayed as
a smart and dutiful woman. However, she also experiences a change of
characteristic because of her awareness of her own rights. In contrast, all
characteristics of the protagonist in Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters, Virmati,
remain the same from the beginning until the end of the story. She is portrayed as
a smart, rebellious and impulsive person.
In the beginning, Priya Sohni is portrayed as an obedient person. As a
woman and the youngest sister of four siblings, she has to be an obedient
daughter. She cannot refuse when her parents decide for her arranged marriage
with a man whom she has not known before. Moreover, after she is married, she
has to obey to her husband’s family. Living in Los Angeles, she has to adapt not
only to her new family but also to her new society which is different
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from India. She becomes a good and dutiful wife and daughter-in-law. One day,
she gets rare opportunity to be a journalist. She decides to take the opportunity
because she has passion for journalism although her husband’ family does not
agree. Her education and experiences cause her to be a critical person who
questions many things. It changes her submissive characteristic into a rebellious
one.
Then, I find the most dominant characteristic of Virmati, the protagonist
Difficult Daughters, is rebellious. She has shown her rebellions since she was still
a youth. It can be seen from her actions, such as, demanding to get education,
postponing her arranged marriage to her fiance to finish her school, asking her
parents to cancel her arranged marriage, trying to commit suicide, and deciding to
marry a married man. All of these happen because there are a lot of restrictions for
women. Virmati is a woman who has a great passion to make her dream come
true; yet, there are a lot of limitations which prevent her to do what she wants.
Thus, there is no other way for her except to break them. She also shows her
seriousness by trying to kill herself. She hopes that her death would make her
surroundings believe she is serious.
After analyzing the portrayal of the female protagonists in Everything
Happens for a Reason and Difficult Daughters, I can conclude that both of them
write about women. I agree with what Priya has done. She dares to take the risk to
actualize her aspiration although she has to confront her husband’s family. She
does not change into a rebellious one suddenly. She experiences a process which
opens her mind and makes her aware of her position as a woman. She realizes that
she cannot be a follower of her husband forever. She proves that women deserve
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to develop their talent and to be considered equal to men. Although Priya becomes
a rebel, she changes into a better woman. She rebels by doing positive things and
advancing in her career.
I also admire Virmati’s courage to actualize her dreams. She dares to do
something which is still rare for women in her era, namely to take a risk and
oppose society to do what they want. She is eager for education. She is open to
new things. She knows that education is beneficial not only for men but also for
women. She learns from other women’s life around her. They are busy with the
household matters without ever thinking about themselves. Therefore, she wants
to be educated in order to have a better life. She wishes that she can voice her
thoughts and do what she wants.
Through the two characters, both authors reveal the struggle of women to
show their existence in society. Priya and Virmati are strong women and that is
how women should be when they are under a lot of restrictions. Both of them
demonstrate that women can actualize their wishes. The protagonists also show
that women can do something to have a better life, such as to have an occupation.
This would make society admit women’s existence and they would also appreciate
women.
The matter which differentiates Priya Sohni and Virmati’s struggle is their
eras. Priya Sohni lives in twentieth century; while, Virmati lives in ninetieth
century. The different setting of time influences how hard their struggle. It is more
difficult for Virmati to show and have her existence when women existence is still
uncommon at her time. Whereas, it is easier for Priya Sohni because she lives in
the era where a lot of people admit the women existence.
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From both novels, I learn about women’s struggle. A lot of women
surrender when they are prohibited to achieve their dreams; however, the
protagonists inspire me not to be a desperate person. They teach me that women
have the same right as men to decide for themselves. Women are not only the
followers of their husbands but they are equal to their partners. They also have the
right to decide, especially if it concerns her family. So, when a woman feels that
she is too dominated by others, she has to stand up for herself.
I also learn that a woman can be smart or successful. However, she is still
a woman by nature. She has to obey to the norms in the society or in her own
family. I think a successful or smart career woman can not abandon her duty as a
daughter, wife, mother, or daughter-in-law. Moreover, a married woman should
be successful in her career and in her family as well. She has to be able to divide
her time between working outside the house and taking care of her family.
Besides, she has to be able to give quality time for her family.
Then, I get a motivating idea about education. Education is very important
for everyone. Like men, women also have to have education. An illiterate married
woman has to rely on her husband. She could only take care of the household
matters and most probably she will be dominated by her husband. That is why a
woman also has to go to school. She will be educated and be able to have an
occupation outside the house. If something wrong happens with her marriage, she
can be an independent person. She can earn her own money. She can support
herself and her children.
In my opinion, the purpose of the authors is achieved. Nowadays, there are
a lot of Indian women who are passionate about education. They are equal to men
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and can even compete with them. They fulfill their duty in their family
consistently and still work outside the house. Besides, I believe that Priya Sohni
and Virmati are not merely fictional figures. They are inspired from actual people
in the society. We know that the patriachal system and arranged marriages are not
only found in India. Other ethnic groups have the same practices. However,
women must be able to struggle for their rights to be equal to men.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Daswani, Kavita. Everything Happens for a Reason. UK: HarperCollins, 2004.
Kapur, Manju. Difficult Daughters. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1998.
References:
“Few Men Didn't Like Me Because I Was Dark.” Rediff.com. Ed. Arthur J. Pais.
2009. 17 Aug. 2009
Kamat, Jyotsna. “Mahatma Gandhi Album.” Pre-Historic Arts of India. 2009.
21 Sept. 2009
< http://www.kamat.com/mmgandhi/gwomen.htm>
“Kavita Daswani.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2009. 17 Aug. 2009
Roberts, Edgar V. Writing about Literature. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.,
2003.
Rollason, Christopher. “Women on the Margins: Reflections on Manju Kapur's
Difficult Daughters.” The Atlantic Literary Review 5 (2004): 177-184.
Get Cited. 17 Aug. 2009
Seth, Sasha. “Everything Happens for a Reason by Kavita Daswani.” The Asian
Review of Books on the Web. 2004. 17 Aug. 2009
< http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/arb/article.php?article=444>
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Sharma, Ram. “A Study of Manju Kapoor`s Novel Difficult Daughters.”
Goarticles.com: The Web’s Largest Free Content Article Directory.
2009. 17 Aug. 2009
Singh, Amardeep. “Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughter and Indian Food
Glossaries.” Amardeep Singh. 2005. 1 Sep. 2009
Singh, Jai Arjun. “A Meeting with Manju Kapur.” Jabberwock. 2008. 17 Aug.
2009
“The Culture of Arranged Marriages in India.” indiamarks.com. Noreen. 2009.
21 Sept. 2009
Wands, D. C. “About Kavita Daswani.” Fantastic Fiction. 2009. 1 Sept. 2009
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