What the Body Remembers: A Feminist Study

Abstract

A woman is a beautiful creation of God. It is difficult to imagine a world without a woman. A female counterpart gives a remarkable contribution in all the spheres of the life. Even behind many successful men, there are women. A woman can be a mother, wife, sister or a daughter. There are many roles played by a woman in the life of a man and her existence can be negated in his life. She makes many sacrifices for her family.  She is an embodiment of sacrifices and love. But in this materialistic world, the menfolk consider women only in their practical utility.  The wants of men have been whittled down the personality of the women and put all sorts of pressure on a woman to control her individuality. In this manner, the position of women in society is deteriorating. There is a need to change the perception of the patriarchal society. Feminism is a term which can help the women to get their deserved place. This paper discusses the plight and agonies of Sikh women during India Pakistan partition. It aims at promoting equalization of women by addressing their discrimination in their individual needs by healthy coping with society. Feminist approach is applied on Sauna Singh Baldwin's novel ‘What the Body Remembers'. This book won 2000 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book. In this novel, she used the language of vernacular Punjabi. This book is written from women perspective. It represents the lives of Sikh women during partition. This novel also dictates the chaos during the partition of India and Pakistan. This novel can be better interpreted through feminist approach.