FRACTURED MEMORIES IN SHASHI DESHPANDE'S A MATTER OF TIME

Fractured memories are comparable to the broken memories. As the broken mirrors can’t get the original shape with no flaunt in them the broken relationship of the three women characters cannot be set right. All the three protagonist of the novel have been destined to suffer in isolation. The marriage of all three is on the rocks. Women’s status and position in the male dominated Indian society is very much precarious. A Matter of Time deals with the human predicament of three women representing three generations of the same family. This novel of Deshpande is different from her other novels in the sense that it is related not only to feminism but also to humanism. Being a realist, the novelist has depicted the weaknesses and shortcomings of both males and females. This novel also portrays the picture of a lady, namely, Sumi, who is not exploited by her husband directly, but she suffers due to sudden and selfish escape of her husband, Gopal , leaving all responsibilities of the family upon  her shoulders. The novel narrates the story of Manorama, Kalyani, Sumi and Aru. The relation women characters share with their men is filled with silence, absence or indifference. This analysis of the novel a matter of the time registered the heart beats of the three women – Sumi, Kalyani and Manorama.