Representation of women during partition with special reference to ice candy man

Abstract

This study focuses on the issue of violence against women during the Partition of India in 1947 in context of the Bapsi Sedhwa’s Novel “Ice Candy Man”. In addition to this, the present study explored the gender specific reading of partition genocide facilitates a discussion on various forms of violence that targeted women and the symbolic meanings behind these acts. The investigator explored that the central protagonist of the novel namely ‘Ayah’ underscores that the abduction and rape of woman’s sexuality was employed as a tool to articulate religious/national enmity. Besides, the investigator explored that the treatment of abducted/raped women by the patriarchal state to expose the social reality post partition where victimised women, due to their altered position as contaminated sexual beings, were disliked by society. Further investigator revealed that during partition the predominance of gendered violence was due to the fact that attacks on women were symbolic of attacking the honour and purity of the religion/country to which the women belonged.