For a long time, Indian English literature has been an important way for women living in a patriarchal society to share their stories. This paper offers a comprehensive comparative analysis of gender equality as depicted in Anita Desai’s Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975) and Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997). Even though these books are set in different times and use different ways of telling stories, they both look critically at how women are oppressed by the system and how their identities are limited by psychological, social, and cultural factors. Desai's work centers on Sita, a sensitive woman grappling with the burdens of marriage and societal norms, whereas Roy underscores gender discrimination through the intergenerational anguish of characters such as Ammu and Rahel. This study examines the critiques of patriarchy, marriage, motherhood, sexuality, and social norms by both authors, highlighting women's resistance and their pursuit of autonomy. The paper shows how Indian women writers use new ways of telling stories and feminist awareness to challenge traditional gender roles and push for gender equality by comparing these texts.
Publication Date: 2026-02-16