Neuroticism in “A Silence of Desire”

Markandaya's novels mirror a new awareness of the fulfilment of her characters ’sense of identity, without compromising on their traditional individuality in a post colonial space. Her characters are gifted with depth and the basic principles of thinking and are also deeply aware of their value system. They survive out of hardship and discover their identity, sometimes living inside the norms of society and sometimes even escaping it. Sarojini in ‘ A Silence of Desire ’protests unconsciously, but in a manner approved by the society, against her husband, and by extension against the whole society, for giving her a listless and mechanical life which her psyche perceives quite clearly as being responsible for her fast deteriorating self. At the same time it also depicts how her husband who had been taking her presence in his life for granted realizes the significance of her not just as a home maker but as a person too, as his companion and soul mate, and suffers the agony that his wife's emotional separation from him brings to him. Since it all happens unconsciously neither of them has a clear understanding of the real motives for their behaviour. This paper aims to explore the neurotic sufferings of Sarojini and Dandekar.