Freedom of Choice in Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters - - An Existentialist Perspective

Abstract

Manju Kapur is an eminent writer of this century and occupies a prominent place in Indian English Literature. Her literary works deal with various important themes. All her themes can be clubbed together under the theory of Existentialism. Existentialism is 20^th century ontological philosophy. It is a philosophical and literary movement that included philosophers, theologians and writers such as Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, Karl Jaspers, Miguel Unamuno, Rudolph Butmann and Franz Kafka. The word was coined by the French Philosopher Gabriel Marcel in 1943 and adopted by his compatriots. The Danish philosopher Kierkegaard is considered to be the father of Existentialism. This philosophy primarily deals with the question of human existence. Existentialism is a philosophical theory which maintains that man is a free agent responsible for his own action. It is not just an analysis of the human condition, but a passionate quest for authentic existence. This paper highlights the existentialist theme of freedom of choice in Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters.