Cry the Peacock as an existential novel
Introduction
Existentialism, a philosophical movement emerged in the writings of several nineteenth and twentieth century philosophers such as Albert Camus etc. Man's autonomy assertion of his subjective self, his flouting of reason and rationality, his denial of traditional values, institutions and philosophy, his exercise of will and freedom, and his experience of the absurdity and the nothingness of life are some of the existential themes, which are reflected in the writings of the exponents of existentialism. Existentialism has been explored to a great extent in Indian English literature. Writers like Anita Desai, Arun Joshi, Kiran Desai are some of the novelists who seriously concentrated on the tenets of existentialism.
What is existentialism?
Jean Paul Sarte, a French philosopher introduced the term existentialism and popularised his three word's formula "Existence precedes essence." He strongly believed that there is no God, no original idea; "man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world and defines himself afterwards." This current of existentialism has continued to spark interest among a large population of literary genius and Anita Desai is undoubtedly marvelous in portraying the existential trauma of her female protagonists.
Anita Desai in Cry the Peacock intricately portrays the sense of loneliness and anguish in Maya's mind, her trauma of being caught in two simultaneous worlds, of past and present and her inability to reconcile to the realities of life. Desai very systematically and gradually portrays Maya's existential dilemma, her search for self-identity. The conflict between aspirations and the harsh reality of existence have a crumpling effect on Maya's inner being. Her constant quest to be true to her inner self is the cause of suffering. She is portrayed as an anguished soul who does not grow out of her childhood world and shows little inclination to take up adult responsibilities even though she has been married for four years of Gautama, a successful and prosperous lawyer. Moreover the prediction of the Albino astrologer about the death of her husband or herself in the fourth year of her marriage haunts her. It gradually gainss ascendancy in a mind till it becomes an obsessive fear. Maya is afraid to share her fears with her husband and at the same time she cannot cope with the practical world of her husband and feels dejected, lonely and demoralized. Maya's life is full of tensions, disappointments, anxieties and fears. Subsequently her mental condition deteriorates as her psychological suffering intensifies in the four years of marriage.
To Maya her married life appears her as an endless tadium with nothing significant taking place at any time. She is never the centre of importance not is she instrumental in any event. The sphere of her social service is so restricted that she seems to feel suffocated within it though she has a secured home, earning husband and well defined future. These seemingly ideal external condition and however not acceptable to the unconscious where the desire for unbridled freedom is hidden. Maya is also not satisfied sexually with her aged husband Gautama. Because of Gautam's age and attitude towards sex she becomes disappointed woman. Even when they make love act is devoid of passion. Frustrated by his coldness in relation, she gives her self to fit of pillow-beating. The image of fighting and mating peacocks, being the central motif of the novel, underlines Maya's sexual dissatisfaction too and she reminds the innocent enjoyment of childhood full of birds and animals and enjoyment. One can be fully aware of Maya's hypersensitive nature and highly disturbed state of mind the very beginning of the novel reacting to the ultimate death of her pet dog Toto. She rushes to "the garden tap to wash the vision from her eyes " but Gautama is undisturbed. His attitude gives her more pain and a kind of restlessness always boils within her. She breaks into her heart.
Once Maya had requested her husband to take her to see Kathakali dancers which he abruptly refused to do. Her great love for music is also considered inappropriate by her husband. These minor conflicts have a lasting impression on Maya's psychology. She holds her husband responsible for standing between her and her aspirations, a hindrance to the fulfillment of a desire. Maya constantly compares her father's character to that of Gautama, this further enhances her despair.
Anita Desai powerfully depicts the inner conflicts of her women protagonists who have been deprived of their basic rights by a male dominated society. Women in general are compelled by societal norms to project and inauthentic self image. However, the intense conflict in projecting the image leads to hopelessness and misery. Women like Maya need to assert their individual need to create a new image puts women in conflicting situations. When the existential crisis is unbearable they protest, rebels against the existing power structure. Maya's present state of craving and despair as against Gautama's philosophy of aloofness and an emotional attitude brings out the conflict in Maya.
The very title of the novel, Cry the Peacock, is an indication of the anguished mind of Maya. A clue to the irony of Maya's fate is hinted at in the title's reference to the 'cry' or the mating call of the peacock. Peacocks are generally said to white before they mate. Desai uses this significance of life and death, their passion in the face of death symbolically in the case of Maya. Maya in a state of insanity, in a frenzied state kills her husband resulting in the ultimate catastrophe.
Existential angst, an important theme of existentialism, includes feelings of anxiety, uneasiness, fear or agony. The causes of the angst are inexplicable, it is not related to any particular condition, and it can be generalized as the fear, of meaninglessness in life. Anita diesai's writings have generated immense interest in scholars. Literary scholars have appreciated handling of simple, everyday ordinary experience in a manner which signifies their universal existential appeal.
Anita Desai in Cry the Peacock intricately portrays the sense of loneliness and anguish in Maya's mind, her trauma of being caught in two simultaneous worlds, of past and present and her inability to reconcile to the realities of life. Desai very systematically and gradually portrays Maya's existential dilemma, her search for self-identity. The conflict between aspirations and the harsh reality of existence have a crumpling effect on Maya's inner being. Her constant quest to be true to her inner self is the cause of suffering. She is portrayed as an anguished soul who does not grow out of her childhood world and shows little inclination to take up adult responsibilities even though she has been married for four years of Gautama, a successful and prosperous lawyer. Moreover the prediction of the Albino astrologer about the death of her husband or herself in the fourth year of her marriage haunts her. It gradually gainss ascendancy in a mind till it becomes an obsessive fear. Maya is afraid to share her fears with her husband and at the same time she cannot cope with the practical world of her husband and feels dejected, lonely and demoralized. Maya's life is full of tensions, disappointments, anxieties and fears. Subsequently her mental condition deteriorates as her psychological suffering intensifies in the four years of marriage.
To Maya her married life appears her as an endless tadium with nothing significant taking place at any time. She is never the centre of importance not is she instrumental in any event. The sphere of her social service is so restricted that she seems to feel suffocated within it though she has a secured home, earning husband and well defined future. These seemingly ideal external condition and however not acceptable to the unconscious where the desire for unbridled freedom is hidden. Maya is also not satisfied sexually with her aged husband Gautama. Because of Gautam's age and attitude towards sex she becomes disappointed woman. Even when they make love act is devoid of passion. Frustrated by his coldness in relation, she gives her self to fit of pillow-beating. The image of fighting and mating peacocks, being the central motif of the novel, underlines Maya's sexual dissatisfaction too and she reminds the innocent enjoyment of childhood full of birds and animals and enjoyment. One can be fully aware of Maya's hypersensitive nature and highly disturbed state of mind the very beginning of the novel reacting to the ultimate death of her pet dog Toto. She rushes to "the garden tap to wash the vision from her eyes " but Gautama is undisturbed. His attitude gives her more pain and a kind of restlessness always boils within her. She breaks into her heart.
Once Maya had requested her husband to take her to see Kathakali dancers which he abruptly refused to do. Her great love for music is also considered inappropriate by her husband. These minor conflicts have a lasting impression on Maya's psychology. She holds her husband responsible for standing between her and her aspirations, a hindrance to the fulfillment of a desire. Maya constantly compares her father's character to that of Gautama, this further enhances her despair.
Anita Desai powerfully depicts the inner conflicts of her women protagonists who have been deprived of their basic rights by a male dominated society. Women in general are compelled by societal norms to project and inauthentic self image. However, the intense conflict in projecting the image leads to hopelessness and misery. Women like Maya need to assert their individual need to create a new image puts women in conflicting situations. When the existential crisis is unbearable they protest, rebels against the existing power structure. Maya's present state of craving and despair as against Gautama's philosophy of aloofness and an emotional attitude brings out the conflict in Maya.
The very title of the novel, Cry the Peacock, is an indication of the anguished mind of Maya. A clue to the irony of Maya's fate is hinted at in the title's reference to the 'cry' or the mating call of the peacock. Peacocks are generally said to white before they mate. Desai uses this significance of life and death, their passion in the face of death symbolically in the case of Maya. Maya in a state of insanity, in a frenzied state kills her husband resulting in the ultimate catastrophe.
Existential angst, an important theme of existentialism, includes feelings of anxiety, uneasiness, fear or agony. The causes of the angst are inexplicable, it is not related to any particular condition, and it can be generalized as the fear, of meaninglessness in life. Anita diesai's writings have generated immense interest in scholars. Literary scholars have appreciated handling of simple, everyday ordinary experience in a manner which signifies their universal existential appeal.
Conclusion
Anita Desai received critical acclaim both in India and abroad. The Western audience appreciated Desai's insights and attention to minute details. She expresses, as observed by Naik, a uniquely Indian sensibility that is yet completely at ease in the mind of the West. Desai took the lead in exploring the troubled sensibility of the modern women, in projecting the inner psych of her protagonists and in bringing to the forefront the existential agony of women.
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