Vol. 6, Issue 8, Part D (2020)

Abstract
The prevalence of women\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nwriters in contemporary Indian English fiction has often led to a concentration\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\non the representation of women characters, their challenges, and their roles in\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\npatriarchal societies. Contemporary Indian English fiction predominantly\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nfocuses on women characters and their struggles within patriarchal settings. A\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nfew women novelists provide a sympathetic treatment to male characters. This\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nstudy seeks to analyze how male characters are delineated by woman writers and\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\naddresses this gap by examining the portrayal of male characters in\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nwomen-centric novels, specifically those penned by Manju Kapur, a renowned\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nIndian author. In a literary landscape dominated by women writers, she stands\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nout for her feminist perspective and empathetic portrayal of male characters.\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nShe has captivated readers with her insightful narratives that delve into the\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nintricacies of human relationships and societal norms. In order to analyze the\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nrepresentation of men, Manju Kapur\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Difficult Daughters (1998), A\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nMarried Woman (2003), Home (2006), and The Immigrant (2008)\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nhave been taken into consideration. While her novels often revolve around\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nstrong female protagonists, the male characters in her works play crucial\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nroles, offering a nuanced portrayal of masculinity. The present article\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nattempts to explore whether these male characters are presented with empathy\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nand complexity or are relegated to stereotypical roles. Employing qualitative\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nmethods, the study aims to gauge the extent and nature of sympathetic treatment\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\ngiven to male characters in the selected novels.