Gender and Space in Bapsi Sidhwa’s Cracking India: A Feminist Critique

Abstract

This research paper aims to explore the complex intersections of gender, space, and power in Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India, analyzed through a feminist lens. Cracking India presents a deeply compelling narrative about the Partition of India, focusing on the experiences of women, particularly the female protagonist, Lenny, and her reflections on gender roles within the socio-political upheaval. The novel intertwines gender and spatial dimensions, highlighting how women’s spaces were redefined during the colonial and post-colonial periods. Through feminist literary theory and spatial analysis, this paper investigates how the female characters in Cracking India navigate their gendered spaces within the confines of traditional and colonial constraints. Drawing upon feminist theorists like Judith Butler and Henri Lefebvre, this paper examines the shifting roles of women during the Partition, highlighting the rupture of their social, cultural, and emotional spaces. This research contributes to an understanding of Sidhwa’s portrayal of women during the Partition and offers new insights into feminist spatial theory in postcolonial literature.