Volume-II, Special Issue, February 2026
Novel Insights A Peer-Reviewed Quarterly Multidisciplinary Research Journal |
Volume-II, Special Issue, February 2026 |
Subaltern Voices: Sashi Deshpande’s The Dark Holds No Terrors and That Long Silence as Representations of Women Labour and Economic Empowerment Mini Khatun, Independent Research Scholar, West Bengal, India Email: minikhatun2873@gmail.com |
Received: 01.01.2026 | Accepted: 20.02.2026 | Published Online: 28.02.2026 |
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Abstract | ||
Sashi Deshpande belongs to the Anglo Indian literary world of India. There are many writers who belong to this era . This paper delves into the representation of women’s labour and economic empowerment in Sashi Deshpande’s seminal novels The Dark Holds No Terror and That Long Silence through a critical feminist lens . This research explores how Deshpande’s narratives magnify the voices of powerless women, spotlighting their struggle against androcentric oppression, economic exploitation and social marginalisation by scrutinizing the intersection of gender and class in these stories. This article tries to analyze and understand the implications of Sashi Deshpande’s stories for policy making and social activism aimed at promoting women’s economic empowerment and rights in India from the feminist point of view. By analyzing the intersectionality of these factors, this study reveals the ways in which Deshpande's protagonists navigate the constants of patriarchal society to assert their economic independence and autonomy . This research contributes to the existing scholarship on Sashi Deshpande’s subaltern studies, offering new insights into the representation of women's labour and economic empowerment in Indian literature . Furthermore this study highlights the significance of Deshpande's work in understanding the lived experiences of women in India . Keywords: Sashi Deshpande, subaltern voices, Economic Empowerment, feminist theory, Intersectionality , Voiceless to voiceness | ||