Women And The Victorian Values In Fire On The Mountain

Abstract

Simone de Beauvoir (1949) made a claim that the “representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their point of view, which they confuse with absolute truth. “A woman is constructed by the society and from a young age, she is molded to behave as the patriarchal society expects her to. This silently leads to gender oppression especially when the woman is not able to speak for herself or realize that she is being denied of her rights. Gender oppression cuts through all other forms of domination and exploitation in human societies. In particular, it does not only extend beyond class conflicts, but it also cuts through all collective social realities – ethnic, national, religious, local. It is closely linked to the private sphere, individual and daily life. This paper deliberates on how women are shaped or affected by men as suggested in Desai’s Fire on the Mountain. Men’s shaping of women does affect women’s living. This paper also gives some history of the Victorian Period, taking into consideration the novel is set during this period. Additionally, some ways in which these oppressed women try to challenge men’s oppressive nature, whether they succeed or not is discussed.