Existential and Psychological Cognizance in the Novels of Anita Desai

Anita Desai is one of India’s foremost novelists. She focuses her attention on the fundamental problems of existence rather than on attaining easy goals in life. She is well known as a great artist in her art of successful characterization and portrayal of profound psychological insight, that is, the inner self of the protagonists. Her deep interest in women characters and their reactions to the various aspects of life adds a new dimension to her novels. She depicts female characters that live in a separate, closed and sequestered world of existential problems and predicaments. Not only does she excel in delineating these feminine characters, but she also makes a psychological study to lay bare the innermost feelings of these women. Desai explores the themes of existential conflicts, psychological maladaptation and loss of belonging, pain and predicament of women, disharmonious marital relationships, problems of immigration and decadence of traditions in her novels. In this article, an attempt has made to assess the role of psychological cognizance of the protagonists' and their existential stability despite external as well as internal conflicts.