Breaking Gender Stereotypes in Tahmima Anam's A Golden Age

Tahmima Anam depicts the attributes, qualities, joys, contributions, psychological strength, and sufferings of Bangladeshi women in a magnificent manner in her debut novel A Golden Age. Bangladeshi women balance the roles of mother, mourner, sister, friend, nationalist, daughter, wife, and worker with ease. Bangladeshi society tends to ignore the hardships of women. The author has highlighted the realities of women's lives and brings their resilience to the forefront in her work. Rehana faces her struggles without seeking external help by breaking gender stereotypes. While performing a role and executing her responsibilities, she ignores herself and lives happily for her family. Typically, her sacrifices are unappreciated and devalued but that doesn't stop her from pleasing her children. Despite dedicating her entire life to serving others, her rare personal decisions are closely criticized by the patriarchal society. This research focuses on the writer’s effort to portray her protagonist as a survivor instead of a victim. Though the women characters in this novel are confined to their homes, their contributions to the war indirectly have made them unsung war heroines. The author successfully breaks stereotypes by portraying her protagonist as a widowed single mother during the 1971 conflict. Bangladeshi women and their lives during the Bangladesh War of Independence are portrayed with remarkable realism in Tahmima Anam's novel.