This article examines the varied treatment of Indian women in a male-chauvinistic society through a comparative study of Rama Mehta?s Inside the Haveli and Shobha De?s Snapshots. It explores the contrasting representations of women?s lives?Geeta?s confinement within the purdah system in an aristocratic haveli versus the urban, liberated, and self-assertive women portrayed by Shobha De. The study highlights issues such as patriarchy, gender discrimination, obedience, self-sacrifice, sexuality, economic independence, and women?s struggle for identity and autonomy. While Mehta presents compromise, tradition, and restricted freedom, De depicts women who challenge orthodox norms, assert individuality, and seek self-fulfilment. The article concludes that Indian women?s experiences vary widely across socio-cultural contexts, reflecting a transition from suppression to self-assertion in modern Indian society.
Research Scholar, Department of English, Magadh University, Bodh-Gaya
