Escapism In The Writings Of Anita Desai

Abstract

Anita Desai, among the current crop of Indian English novels, is generally agreed upon as being particularly astute and consistent in her probing of human psychology. Human nature and interpersonal relationships are central to both of Desai's books and those of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. The inner lives of the characters in her works are rife with escapism, alienation, misery, frustration, and worry. Primitive though it may be, the characters of Anita Desai often resort to escape — retreat and rejection of reality — as a means of surviving. Throughout her books, the heroes struggle with their desire for self-actualization and their knowledge of the limits of the human condition. The author, Anita Desai, says.