Alienation and Liberation of Women in Anita Desai’s Fire on the Mountain

Abstract

The paper deals with feminist criticism and focusing on psychological repression of women in patriarchy. The novel opens with Nanda Kaul, an old woman who lives alone at Carignano, her isolated cottage on a mountain in India.  This paper challenges traditional gender roles by crafting female protagonists who are deeply thoughtful and often clash with societal outlook. This also reveals the psychological realism to show the conflicts between patriarchal domesticity and female selfhood. Novelist fluctuates from other feminists as she emphasizes individual deliverance through self-exploration and motivation.