Marginal condition of Virmati in Manju Kapur’s ‘Difficult Daughters’

Abstract

Manju Kapur deals with the position of woman as a daughter, a wife and a mother. All her female protagonists hailing from middle class status challenge the existing socio- cultural patriarchal system. Manju Kapur as a writer of new generation, have tried with sincerity and honesty to deal with the physical, psychological and emotional stress syndrome of women. Her novels depict human relationship in a new light, she presents mother- daughter relationship, sister- sister relationship brother -sister relationship, and man- woman (husband-wife) relationship. Manjur Kapur's 'Difficult Daughter' is set in a socio-political framework with reference to the turbulent events of pre- independent India in the 1940's. The main concern of Manju Kapur is to present the character of Virmati, an assertive and bold woman based on patriarchal culture and the relationship between Virmati and Professor Harish a married bachelor with two children. The novel characteristically opens with the frank declaration of the narrator daughter named 'Ida' meaning a' new slate' and a blank beginning. Throughout in the novel Ida's declaration echoes that she does not want to be like her mother