the problematics of motherhood in twentieth century women's fiction

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finds herself at crossroads - she is unable to shake off her
conventional roles of being a wlfe and mother, nor is she
able to completely assert her ldentity as a woman, In terms
of what she really is
1.7.1. In early Indian llterature, one comes across
mother-Elqures equated to goddesses Virtuous, caring,
self-effaclng and self-sacrificing, these women seem to
conform to the Ideal of womanhood / motherhood But in
reality, one wonders - are these mothers real women7 Are
they not eraslng a part of thelr personality, cuttlng
fragments off themselves that refuse to conform to thls
Ideal? Isn't the picture we see of the perfect mother
actually a stunted, distorted one where the real woman never
emerges3 Yet it 1s into thzs 'safe' hole that mllllons of
women creep into m order to avold complexities and stralns
in relationships
1.7.2. Contemporary Indlan wrltlng continues to portray
the stmggle between what 1s expected of a woman and what 1s
innate ln her Anlta Desal's women question and somezlmes
rebel agalnst thelr maternal role, but are not able to
relect it outright Nanda Kaul In Fire On The Mountain, Blm
In Clear Laght of Day and Sita in Where Shall We Go This
Sumuer? at some point in their lives deny motherhood and
attempt finding escape routes, but eventually understand