The Study of Self - Identity in Shashi Deshpande’ Small Remedies and

Abstract

This research paper discusses on the issues of identity crisis that female protagonists faces in the novels of Shashi Deshpande’s Small Remedies and Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello. It shows the conflict and disillusionment of educated women in male-dominated society. In the process of resolving the conflicts, the women in the novels undergo psychological sufferings. The protagonists are shown to be in a state of confusion at the beginning but as the novel progress, the protagonists realize their ‘selves’ by undergoing self- analysis. The women in the novels crave towards their identity for establishing a space of their own in the hierarchal system. They appear as more confident and positive even in their struggles in life. In times of crisis, women not only fight with men for the injustice but with society as well.