FORCED RELATIONSHIP ENDS AS BROKEN PROMISE IN JAISHREE MISRA’S ANCIENT PROMISES

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN:2395 0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 06 | June 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN:2395 0072

FORCED RELATIONSHIP ENDS AS BROKEN PROMISE IN JAISHREE MISRA’S ANCIENT PROMISES

II MA English, Department of English, St. John‘s college of Arts and Science, Ammandivilai 629252 Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.

Assistant Professor, Department of English, St. John‘s College of Arts and Science, Ammandivilai 629252 Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. ***

Abstract:

Marriage is often a forced relationship in the life of 18 years old girls. At the end of school life, they are forced to enter the marital life. In Jaishree Misra’s Ancient promises, Janu (Janaki) is forced to marry an orthodox Maraar family Suresh, a work minded business man. As to obey the parents wish, Janu accepts the marriage life by forgetting the loved one Arjun, school boy friend. She is caught between two cultures of Kerala a village lifestyle and Delhi a city lifestyle. Jaishree Misra who started up her writing career in 2000, proves to be different from the rest of the contemporary writers and thinks out of the box. This paper explores the broken promises in marriage life, bonding with child and mother and the culture crisis between two cultures. The role of promise in relationship is illustrated through the protagonist Janu. The care and love showed on the daughter even if it is a special child, the mother never throws her child.

Key words: Marriage, Promises, Culture, Parenthood, Patriarchal society, Broken promises.

TheabidingfictionAncient Promises begins witha sceneof brokenpromises. Marriageisa promiseof gettogether whatever lifethrows either goodor bad. Itis a promiseto share love, happiness, laughter, cherish and respectoneanother Misra’s writings do not abandon man completely. Her protagonists search and long for a partner who understands and accepts them completely. In their search to find a partner who promises to reduce the burden of both the social and psychological pains end a failure. Misra believes in the concept of platonic love between man and woman. Her protagonist longsforahappylifewiththeirmaritalpartner. Butironicallytheirdreamsareneverfulfilled. Theirdesireformaritallove leavesthemdejected.

The Protagonist Janu who wantstoliberateherselfis forced to tietheknot of marriage. Misra projects condition of Januwhowantstobeeducatedsothatshecanattainfinancialstabilitybutherdreamsareshatteredwhenherparentsforces hertomarryaftertheexamsduringhereighteenthbirthday.MisrajustifiesthatthelifeisofferedbyGodandnoonehastoput anendevenbyhermother. Soasamodernwritershestepsherfootaheadandbreakthefencesurroundedhermarriedlife, startherjourneyforanewbeginninginherlife. That’swhyMisrabeginthenovelwiththelines:“Mymarriageendedtoday. Without the lighting of oil lamps and beating of temple drums, but in a cramped little divorce court, in the manner of these things”(3).

Novel begins with a broken promise and further victims the reason behind the broken promise. If wrong match is done in marriages, the happiness will soon disappear from their life and ends in separation. Such a thing also happens in janu’slife. Janufeelssuffocatingandlackofbliss. Atlastshedecidestodivorceherhusband. Thisdecisionandunitingwith hersweetheartloverArjunatEnglandmakeshertorejoiceherlife.Hencethereisnoimportanceforpromisesanymoreinthe maritallifeofJanuwithSuresh.

Withnopromisesofanymore. Andwiththeunspokenthreatthatyoumightloseeverythingelseyouhad. Wouldyou grabthechancewithbothhandsandthenuseeverytrickavailabletoyoutogetanextensionofsorts? Wouldyoushyawayin alarm, convinced there was bound to be a catch in it somewhere, and let the chance slip away, fearful of losing what you alreadyhad? Orwouldmerelytakewhatyouweregiven,withgratitudethanmiraclescouldsometimescomeyourwaytoo? (3)

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN:2395 0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 06 | June 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN:2395 0072

The divorce is a saga of broken promises. The decision to divorce her husband is a significant deviation from the fundamental pattern of patriarchal system. Here Misra poignantly expresses her views about the problems of marital disharmony. The author states that western education can liberate woman from the cruel chains of fundamental elements. ShegoestoEnglandforSpecialEducationforherchild. Inthelater halfofthenovelMisrashowsJanakiasapowerful,brave, independent woman who challenges that Indian social setup. She faces all problems boldly. From Janki’s life one come to knowthattotalfreedomispossibleasshewasdeterminanttomakeherselffreefromtheoppressedanddepressedlife.

Janumarriedbythepressuresofherfamilyespeciallybyherfather. Herfriendshipwithaboywasneglected. Before marriage, she is shown as a typical South Indian family woman and girl. After Janu’s marriage, there is a reverse and revolt againstthemaledominatedsociety. ShegivesdivorcetoherhusbandSuresh. SheboldlymarriesherboyfriendArjun. Itall tookplaceduetotheeducationshereceivedandbyhavingbeenamemberofaworkingclass. Shealsohasthebravenessto livewithmentallyretortedgirlchildRiya. Sheeventriestoeducateher child. Thewomenofmoderntimesareconsciousof theirself,individuality,socialstatus;image,rights,self esteemintheirlife.

Marriageisa bondmadewithancientpromiseswhichleadsthemtietogetherwith loyalty. Thebrideaswellasthe groom should follow the promises made in the marriage. Both are responsible for it. Marriage is a promise of faithful and honest with each other. It is to care and share their pains and worries, a shoulder to pat while feeling down. Trust is very importantforahealthyandhappyfamily. Thesearethevaluableancientpromisesfollowedandpassedtoonegenerationto another. Itisthedutyofparentstofollowandrollupittonextgenerationofchildren.

Wollstonecraft’s Vindication emerged from the social and political turbulence caused by the French Revolution. Far from portraying women as superior to men, Wollstonecraft wanted to raise their overall moral and intellectual stature to make them more rational citizens. The ideal woman pictured in the Vindication of the Rights of Woman is active and intelligent,blendingcivic andfamilial responsibilities,freedfromdrudgeryanddebasingfrugality. Janu,comes incontextof MaryWollstonecraftinher fightforstabilitythrough education.Janu’sstruggle beginswithherentrancetotheconservative Maraarhouseholdwhereeveryonestrugglesforaffectionandacceptance.

Misrahasgivenanimagefornewwomenthroughherwomencharacters. Janu’smaritallifewithherhusbandisabig failure. Shereflectsoverherlife. ShedidnotlikewithSureshandtheMaraarfamilyorthodoxsetupandsoshedidnotlikethe ways she was treated by them. Janu yearns for a baby imagining that it would help her to get the acknowledgment and appreciationoftheMaraars. Butwhenshegivesbirthtoamentallyretortedfemalechild,allherdreamsareshatteredtodust. Aboveall,sheismoredumbfoundedbythementalityoftheMaraarfamilytowardsherchild. Duringthecourseoftime,she comes to understand that her daughter Riya will never catch the attention of anyone in the Maraar family including Suresh, herhusbandandthefatherofthechild. ButJanugivesbirthtoamentallyretortedgirlchildwhichisalmostconsideredasa grievoussin. ThefamilybelievedthatJanu’spreviousbirth’ssinsandherpresentlife’ssinshavebundleduptotaketheshape ofamentallyretortedgirlchild.

NormallyitisbelievedandtraditionallyviewedasapunishmentorwrathofGodfortheirortheirforefather’ssin. So theMaraarfamilyconsidersRiya,adisgracetotheirfamilyanddecidestokeepherwithaservantwillingtotakehertoouter world. Andthereafter,lifewitharetortedchildseemsaneverendingstruggleforJanuandshegetsempoweredtoempower herchild. Janufeelsandsays,

Butachild likeRiya,leftunloved,wouldsimplywitherandperish. Couldn’t theyseethatherkindofinnocencecould onlyunderstandloveandnotthelackof it? Myownrightshadnotseemedworthfighting for,butRiyaneededmetobeher voiceandabattleonherbehalfwouldbefar moresatisfying. IwassoongoingtobecomethethornintheMaraarside.(132 133)

Theancientpeoplebelievedincertainmythsandtheyactperit. Itshowstheirmentallyofbeingdisloyaltohumanity. Disrespecttothehumanityisseeninin law’shouse.Mother in lawislikeamothertodaughter in law. ButMother in lawis alwaysseenasabrokenpromiseoflove. Inordertoloveandencouragetheirdaughter in law,theyreactoppositetoit. Sheis shownasabarrierinthelifeofdaughter in law.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN:2395 0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 06 | June 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN:2395 0072

DuringthelovedaysofJanu,therewillbeafarewellsendofftoKeralawithapromiseofreturningbacksoon. Such typesofpromiseswill be seen inthelovepairslife. Thisdenotesthe trust andloyaltyinthelovelife. Meanwhilethey both terriblymisseachother. Thedistanceconnectsthemwithmoreunderstanding.

Igavehimasoftlooktomakeupfortheenforcedchillinessofourfarwell. Iprobablywouldn’tseehimfornearlytwo monthsnowandcouldn’tfindthewordstotellhimhowmuchIwouldmisshim. ‘EnjoyKerala',hesaidruefully,‘writetome about it. I’ll miss you terribly.’ ‘Get my address from Leena,’ I said, getting out of the rickshaw. ‘Two months will fly by… I promise.’(36)

The reputation of the family is carried on the shoulders of the daughter. The parents of girl must be careful and attentiveineverymovementsoftheirlife.Theboychild’sparentshavenoworriesaboutthefutureofthem. “Thereputations offamilieswerecarriedontheshouldersoftheirdaughters,shesaid. Andparentsofboysdidn’thavetoworryaboutthings like…(thiswasherworstfear)…pregnancies!”(46,47).

Promise is a commitment made by one person to another person to do something on a particular future date. It is usuallymadebetweentwoclosepeoplewhomayormaynotberelated.Attimes,theperson whomakesapromisemightnot knowthevalueofthepromise. Thisleadstoasituationwherethepersonmayormaynotfulfillthesame.However,promises arenevertobebroken.Promisesshouldnotbebrokenbecauseanotherpersonisdependentonthesame.Thus,eachoneofus mustkeepourpromises.

Janu’s parents have led a predictable life and believe in children settling in life with their parents’ choice and blessings. Thisistheformatofancientparents. Theirdaughterfindingalifepartnerforherselfisquiteunbelievableforthem. Theybelievethatparentsknowwhatisbestfortheirchildren. Januistenseandatthesametimethrilledtokeepasecretfrom herparents,especiallyher meetingswithArjunatChorMinar. Butsoonsheiscaughtred handedandtheparentslosetheir trustinher. SheisthentakentoKeralaandherwishtocontinuehereducationafterschoolingisnotfulfilled.

Janu has sacrificed her love Arjun. Her decision to comply with the decision of the family members shows how patriarchalindoctrinationhascorruptedtherationalityandobjectivityofeveneducatedwomen. Sheisnotboldenoughtotell herparentsaboutherloveandtosaynotomarrySureshasitwoulddamagethegoodnameandreputationofherfamily. This showsherabidingqualitytowardsherfamily. Januwantstobetruthfultoherfamilyevenshelovedsecretly.

Themany regulationsthatagirlissupposedtofollowaftermarriageteachheraboutthesubmissiveroleshehasto playonceshebecomesawife. Janusays:“Whilewalkingaroundtheflickeringvilakkuatthetemplewithmyheadbowed,I’d plentyoftimetoobservehisfeetashewalkedaheadofme. I’dfeltasuddenlurchingrealizationthatIwasgettingmore time tofamiliarizemyselfwiththefeetofthemanIwasmarryingthanhisface!”(84). Januknowsthatsheissupposedtoobeyher husband’sorderstobecomehismereshadowandnothingmore. Awomanisalwaysallowedtostandbehindtheman,never infrontofhimtovoiceheropinions. Herexpectations,whensheenterstheMaraarhousehold,areshatteredwithalistofdo’s anddon’ts.

On the first morning, she wakes up early and enters the kitchen only after taking bath as her mother has instructed her to doso. Assheis notfluent in Malayalam,shespeaksinEnglish to expressherself. Hercourteous exchangeof ‘please’ and‘thankyou’inreturnofeverydialogueresultsinhergettingsnappedbyhermother in law. Shesaid:“Look,you’renotin Delhianymore. Likeitornot,younowliveinKerala,soIsuggestyoudropallthesefashionablePleasesandThankYou. Here wedon’tbelieveinunnecessarystyle”(80). Suchtypeofpromiseswasseeninthefamily.Itisallabouttoobeymother in law andothersinthefamily. Shefeltbadinsuchsituationsdueherhybridculture.

Cultureis something created in Ancient Times. Everyone mostly follows without any regret and hesitation, without knowing the reason behind, like or unlike. Janu undergoes through a mixture of culture and tradition. The lifestyle and thoughtsaredifferentfromplacetoplace. Whethershe/heiseducatedoruneducated,allhavetoundergotheculturecustoms andtraditionsintheirlife. MisrastressedthecustomsandpracticesofMaraarfamilyinthisnovel Ancient Promises. Thestrict rulesandpoliciesusedbyMaraarcreateanimpactonJanu’slifeafterhermarriage.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN:2395 0056

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Misra out brings the ancient promises in the relationship of mother and her children. Mother has certain promises whichisancientandbeingtransferredfromgenerationtogenerations. JanuasamotherwentEnglandforSpecialeducation forheronlychildRiya. InEnglandshestartedtoliveanewlifeandwhereshemetherfirstloveArjun. Afterspendingthree andhalfmonthswithArjun,sherealizedthatherdaughterwasherfirstpriorityandshecannotlivewithouther. Soshecame backtoIndia,wherehermotherstruggledwithherson in lawfordivorceduringJanu’sabsence. ThistimeJanugotdivorce andcustodyofherdaughter.

Parents promises to give all the goodies in the life of their children. Especially the contemporary parents earn a lot anditisonlyfortheirchildren. Theybuymanythingswhichtheirchildrenpossestohave. Theydo allitforthehappinessof their children. They sacrifice their happy times for their children wish. They care each and every minute. Here Janu takes careofheronlychildRiyaeventhoughshewasaspecialchild.

Withoutsayingawordthe famous paediatrician DrVijayacontinuedtoexamineRiyawhohadstartedtowhimper andstruggle. KeenforRiyatobe puttingher bestfootforward,Itriedtohush herby jigglingheronmy kneeand promising herallthegoodiesthatsheloved. Butshewashavingnoneofitandsoonshewasblueintheface,screamingherannoyanceat thedoctor’sfingerthatwereroughlyexaminingthetopofherheadandtheinsideofhermouth.(127)

Parentsofancienttimes,spendvaluabletime withtheirchildren. Buttheparents ofcontemporaryshall onlygivea promise note. In their busy schedule of work life, they shall only promise to spend their valuable time with their children. Theytrytospendtime butwork andovertimespendingforbusinesssakeleadslesstimespendwithchildren. Theyknows theirresponsibilitybuttimemakesthemtoundo. JanualsopromisestospendhertimewithRiyabuttimemakeshertotravel alonetoEnglandforthesakeofspecialchildreneducation.

‘Please don’t give up on her yet, I’ll work harder with her at home.’ I couldn't sit Riya down for two minutes sothe promisesoundedholloweventomyears,butIcontinued,‘Iknowit’sabitanexperimentforyoubutwe’dagreedthathaving Riya would probably be a valuable experience for the other children as well…’‘We had made no agreements, no promises. Pleasedon’tmisquoteme. IhadhopedtohelpyoubutIdon'tthinkitwillbepossibleanymore.’(140)

Parentingremainsamystifyingsubjectaboutwhichalmosteveryonehasopinions. Itistheprincipalandcontinuing task of parents in each generation to prepare children of the next generation for the physical, economic and psychosocial situationsinwhichthosechildrenmustsurviveandthrive. Parenthooddiffersinonegenerationtoanother. LikeJanu’lifeas daughterandsimilarlyRiya. Childrenabsorbnewcultureandideasattheiryoungage. Janu’sideaofdatinglooksstrange and shocking to her parents. Jaishree Misra emphasizes the urgent need to restore culture in its right perspective. Misra takes efforttomakethereadersunderstandthefullspectrumofemotions,fromtheheightsoftotaldelighttothedepthsofgrief,as childrengrowfrombabyhoodtoadulthood. Inthebeginning,couplesenjoytheirnewroleasparents. But,astheirchildren grow,theycreateunwantedanxietyinparents.

JanuisveryfondofheronlydaughterandherlifeisRiya. Shepromisestobewithherandtakeseffortsbewithher always. She even worked in Riya’s special education school in order have a glance at her often. “Somewhere in my distant past, perhaps even a thousand years ago, I’d done something that committed me to dedicating this life to Riya’s care. Had I beenathirstytraveleratherdoorandhadshetakenmein,washedmyfeet,fedandwateredme? Iwouldneverknowwhat ancientpromiseIhadmadetoher,justasshewouldneverknowwhatdeedhadrobbedherofwordsinthislife”(160).

In The Reproduction of Mothering: Psychoanalysis and the Sociology of Gender, Nancy Chodorow writes, “the mother senses a double identification with her own mother and herself through the child as she can relate to the daughter as an extensionofherself”(24)becomesrelevantinthiscontext.ThisrelationsynthesizesJanutoasociablepersonbothwithinand outside the family. Also Hirsch says “Because of maternal dominance in early childhood, and mother’s closer identification with daughters than with sons, women acquired a characteristically feminine, affiliative, and relational sense of self” (The Mother DaughterPlot:Narrative,Psychoanalysis,Feminism,20). Janu’smotherinstillsinherastrongandstablebasisforher womanhood. Janu primarily inherits this feminine wisdom from her mother, with whom she shares a history of maternal power. Janu’smother,whoconformstopatriarchalfamilytraditions,instillsthosevaluesinherdaughter,promptingJanuto demonstratethemshortlyafterhermarriage.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e ISSN:2395 0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 06 | June 2022 www.irjet.net p ISSN:2395 0072

ThusJanufacestheancientpromisesinherlifeasdaughter,asawifeandasamother. Sheboldenoughtobrokethe suppressing marriage life and follow the promise in other situations of her life. She plays a vital role in the surrounding of ancientculturedsociety. Shecreatedaspacetoliveinsuchplaces. Shemaintainedherobedientpromisesasadaughtertoher parents. Shecreatedarevolutioninthepatriarchalsocietybybreakingtheancientpromises

Robert Frost says “But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep…” The best lines on promises which insist everyone to follow their words as promised before their life ends. But the novel states that if there any marriage relationshipiscreatedbyforcing,itwillsureendasbrokenpromises.

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