1. 4
International Indexed & Refereed Research Journal, ISSN 0974-2832, (Print), E-ISSN- 2320-5474, July, 2013 VOL-V * ISSUE -54
Introduction:-
The author of (ten) successful novels, short
stories and children books Shashi Deshpande,is one of
thefinest,enrichedliterarypersonalityinIndianwriting
in English. The Shahitya Akademi Award Winning
novelistisonestepaheadofhisfather,AdyaRangachar
(betterknownasSriranga)afamousKannadadramatist
and Sanskrit scholar. Though she tried, her hand much
late in this literary field, she has won fame, success and
heridentityasawomanwriter. Nowadays,shelivewith
her pathelogist husband and two sons.
Mother-son relationship-
Indianwomanismadetofeelfulfilledwithher
children and her husband. She should not think or act
beyond her family and her children especially. She has
been taught to think more about her male child rather
thanfemalechild. Thisisduetotheimpactofpatriarchal,
male - dominated Indian society.
Saru, in this novel is the elder daughter of her
parentsandhasayoungerbrother,Dhruva. Hermother,
Kamalabai, always prefers Dhruva, her soon to her
daughterSaru. Saruisalwaysforced tobeawarebyher
motherthatDhruvaisalways'thepreferredChild'. This
favoritismhasbeenshownthroughvariousinincidents.
Saru's mother always misunderstands her & her
behaviour with Dhruva. Her mother things Saru's
pushingoffDhruvaasamajorcrime.Shedoesn'tignore
itasSaru'schildishmisdemeanour. Thisisonlybecause
of her preference for her son Dhruva.
Dhruva's parents always performed Puja on
hisbirthdaybutneveronSaru'sbirthday.Thispartiality
andfavoritismofonechild-especiallymalechildcaused
jealosy between brother and sister - sibling jealosy.
Mother'sloveforhersoncompelsherto uttertheharsh,
Research Paper - English
July, 2013
Parent-ChildRelationshipin
"The Dark Holds NoTerrors" by Shashi Deshpande
A B S T R A C T
TheFirstnovelbyShashiDeshpandeis'TheDarkHoldsNoTerrors'(1980).Itdepictstheproblemsfaceed
byacareerwoman,arefreshinglynewphenomenoninIndianEnglishbyawomanwriter. Theprotagonist,
Saru stays in her father's house, which gives her a change to review her relationship with the husband,
herdeadmother,deadbrotherDhruvaandherchildren-RenuandAbhi. Shegetsabetterunderstanding
of herself and others. This gives her courage to face and confront reality. The dark no longer holds any
terror for her. In the novel she concludes with the note that one has to find out one's own refuge and this
refuge is hard to achieve.
KeyWords:-Dark,Terror,Discrimination,curse,favoritism,Sibling,jealousy.
cruel words like, "You killed him, why didn't you die?
whyareyoualive?,whenheisdead(P.no.19). Thusshe
openly accuses Saru to be a criminal and displays her
animosityforherdaughter&blindloveforson.Dhruva's
mother has great ambition for her son. She wants to
prepare her son for any disaster in life.
Saru's mother distinguished between the things for
girls and for boys. In a way the mother tries to develop
a masculine ego in Dhruva.
After Dhruva's death Saru's mother even denied that
she had any daughter. She always told others that she
had only a son who was no more. All this description
and details in the novel suggest that the mother son
reationship between them seems almost unnatural.
Father-SonRelationshipinTheDarkHoldsNoTerrors
InIndiantraditionalfamilysystem,fatherasa
head of the family visualizes son in the same role in
future. Secondly it is belived in India that a male child
would take his parents to heaven.
Saru's father follows the custom and tradition
and leaves Saru to her mother, but unfortunately her
mother also neglects her completely. The father's
affection towards his son Dhruva is revealed through
many incidents. After his death the house never had
celebration,whichstrongelyemphasizetheimportance
of Dhruva & negligance for daughter, Saru.
When Saru comes back home after the death
ofhermother,shecomestoknowthatherfatherobserves
fast for both time of Dhruva's birthday. The father is
totally unknown about his living daughter but he has
immenso love for the dead son. His behaviour with
Madhav, a paying guest, his caring nature for him
exposes his inner urge for son, Dhruva. The author has
not sketched many incidents which will denote the
* Sonali Nitin Ramb
*ResearchScholar,J.J.T.University,Rajasthan

2. 5SHODH, SAMIKSHA AUR MULYANKAN
International Indexed & Refereed Research Journal, ISSN 0974-2832, (Print), E-ISSN- 2320-5474, July, 2013 VOL-V * ISSUE -54
father - son relationship in detail. There is another pair
of the father and a son i.e. Manohar (Manu) and Abhi
(Saru's husband & son) The author have not described
it thoroughly. Manu is shown very loving & caring for
his son.
Father-DaughterRelationship
The very first scene of the novel, unfolds the
strange relationship between the father and daughter -
Saru. Her father doesn't want to welcome the daugher
who has come there after 15 years of long period. This
directlythrows light on lack oflove between the father
and Saru.Heneverwaitedforher&neverexpected her
too. Her father also does not show very eagerness to
know about her, her family and children at all.
He has never shovered Saru with love or
shown his anger. But now she experiences tenderness
ofhis heart and a kind attitude towards his daughter for
the first time in her life. Her father is shown very much
proud of his daughter as she is a doctor.
Saru nowremembers her childhood with her
parents.Sarugotsuccessinpersuadingherfatherinspite
ofrejectionbyhermother.Babasupported,andhelpher
and warned her to study hard. Though Baba have less
money,heagreedtoaidhisdaughtertobecomeadoctor.
Saru'smotheralwaysaccused herthatshehad
killedDhruvawhileBabaneveratteredsuchaccusation.
He urges Saru to forgive her mother for her fault,
weakness. According to Saru, if Baba had assured her
mother earlier, Saru would not have spoiled her whole
life.Baba,asanaffectionate,lovingfatherconsolesher,
when she shares her unhappyness with him. He is very
eager now to solve the problems of his daughter.At the
and Baba almost requests her to live her own life and
forget herpast. In thiswaythe father helpshis daughter
indirectly.Thereadersgetcaptivatedintherelationaship
of the father and daughter in this novel. The author
successfully portrays the plight, problems, trials,
tribulations of the relationship between father and
daughter.
Mother-DaughterRelationship
The novel abnormally portrays the
antagonism mainly from two persons one from Saru's
motherandsecondfromSaru'shasbandManu.Amother
who is Godly figure for her children is shown as an
enemy of her daughter. The novel is full of hatred,
antagonism, revenge, sorrow. There is not a single
moment where mother and daughter has laughed or
enjoyed altogether. It consists of only displaeures,
dislikes, animosities and nothing else.3
After 15 years
of the departure Saru has almost forgotten her mother.
As her mother denied and cast her out compltely from
her life, Saru also is not held undutiful daughter. But
after her death, she decides to meet her father. Saru's
mother represets typical Indian mother who always
longs for male - child. According to Elizabeth B-
Harlock," Favoured Children tend to play up to their
parents but are aggressive and dominating in sibling
relationship"4
.Saruhasnorespectforhermotherinher
mondashermotheralwaystakesthesideofherbrother.
So she has decided that whenever possible she will
disobey her mother.
In various trivial situations also her mother's
discrimination could be easily marked by Saru. Saru's
mother discarded and despised her daughter
throughout her life. Saru's mother never thought about
achild'semotions, feelingsand tendernessofherheart.
Such incidents show that Saru was an unwanted child
for her mother. Saru's mother made her conscious and
ashamedofherbody.Seeinghermotherandherbehavior
she did not wish to become a woman. She thus wanted
to reject her womanhood only become of her mother.
Saru,whilebroodingoverherlifeathermaternalhome
with her father, thinks that she never could reach or
believehermother'ssufferingsentirely.Hermothernever
told anybody her sufferings feeling and griefs. Due to
her mother's curse, she can not live happy life, No
mother in the world could ever dislike her own child
Saru's mother was an exception. This mother-daughter
relationship is unloving, unnatural, sorrowful, hurting
and a tragic one.
Another mother in the novel is Saru herself.
Saru and her husband want to become good parents.
Due to her medical profession, she can not provide
much time to her children but whenever possible she
devotes herself to them. Saru shares her feelings of
motherhood with the readers. She had sworn that she
wouldneverfailherdaughterinloveandunderstanding
as her own mother had done. She decided to be loving,
caring,understandingandaffectionateforherdaughter.
At the end she accepts the challenge to prove
herselfagooddaughter,wife,mother,doctorandagood
human being. One can conclude that the human
emotions, relationship and human beings are strange
and peculiar. The parent child relationship is highly
difficult to understand, and complex to differentiate.
1) Deshpande, Shashi, " The Dark Holds No Terrors", New Delhi : Vikas Publishing House : 1983.
2) Kuppuswamy, B.' A Textbook of Child Behavior and Development', Vikas Publishing House, Delhi : 1974.
3) Tripathi, Nalinabh,' Gender Identity and Inner Space in The Dark Holds No Terrors, Ed. R.S. Pathak, The Fiction of Shashi
Deshpande, New Delhi : The Creative Books : 1998
4) Hurlock, Elizabeth, 'Child Growth and Development', Fifth & Sixth Edition, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Com. Ltd., New
Delhi : 1978
R E F E R E N C E