International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) Vol-3, Issue-5, Sept - Oct, 2018

https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.3.5.23 ISSN: 2456-7620

Magical Realism and Myth in Divakaruni’s Novels

Soundarya S S
Assistant professor, Department of English, Rathnavel Subramaniam College of arts and science, Coimbatore, India

Abstract—The aim of the study is to portray that Magical however, interrupt the development process. Undoubtedly,
realism acts an important factor because of its alternative literary works in Indian Writing in English are closely knit
belief system. Women are the crucial part of society, since with most of these issues. It is quintessential for the authors
their life depends upon someone else to run their life, they to acutely concentrate on iss ues in their works in a stylistic
are fictional worlds and hence the Women Writers make him and simple way, so that the readers will enjoy through the
to enter into “real” world. Some familiar writers like Garcia language that was used.
Marquez’s Macondo were one among them. It is said that Few of the women writers in modern India concentrated on
the Magic comes naturally, as a simple, everyday the themes of Diaspora, Some of them concentrated on
occurrence. Magical realism is about mixing up things lik e environmental issues, homosexuality and feminism, while
ordinary with extraordinary, Fantasy with reality, reel with others wrote on the basis of mental disorders and social
real. Hence Magical realism engages belief systems. It sets issues of women. Most of the writers wrote in different
Magical events in realistic contexts about ‘Real’ and how it languages that were later translated to English by themselves
is exposed. It undermines our limitations we accept with or or by the others.
without any explanations. Hence Magical realist fiction is Most of the writers wrote on the basis of their native and
not “either/or but “both at once”. such writings are said to be diasporic literature. A simple
Keywords— Divakaruni’s Novels, Magical realism acts, definition of diaspora literature would be works that are
Garcia Marquez’s Macondo. written by authors who live outside their native land. The
term identifies a work’s distinctive geographic origins . But
INTRODUCTION diaspora literature may also be defined by its contents,
Literature is a body of written works similar to other arts regardless of where it was written. Diaspora implements a
like dance, music, drawing, euphony etc. However the name more neutral or even a more positive view than exile does.
literature has been traditionally applied to the imaginative Diasporic literature may be mindful of the ancestral native
works of poetry, prose, drama, novel, and criticism. All land, but the nostalgia for it has lessened, if not disappeared.
these genres are differentiated by the imagination of the And diasporic literature is, moreover, engaged by the
writer and also achieved the aesthetic excellence of possibilities of the new location. Finally, it may be written
executing. well after the Babylonian exile by Jews who chose not to
Literature is classified according to a variety of systems return. Diasporic living stops short of assimilation because
including vocabulary, culture, tradition, and history. In the the community still maintains its distinctive identity and its
early stages literature was influenced by the Western art status as a minority people.
shape. The writers of the ancient period in India wrote on Many of the women novelists made their debut in the year
their own style. 1990s. Anita Desai, wrote the novels Where Shall We Go
A considerable amount of literature has grown between the This Summer? (1975), The Peacock Garden (1974), which
North and the South Economic relations as observed became famous of its theme. Kiran Desai, was also one of
particularly at the time of the Industrial Revolution and as the famous diasporic writer who wrote the works like
obtained since the emergence of the independent ‘South’ Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard and The Inheritance of the
states commonly grouped as the Third-World. Loss, Meena Alexander wrote the works like Manhattan
Contemporary literature mostly gives importance on the Music and Nampally Road which created an identity in her
issues that is raised in the international level. They include career Sunetra Gupta, wrote the novels on the basis of HIV
different themes, such as debt, poverty, unemployment, and other related diseases and that made her different from
illiteracy, overpopulation, colonialism, religion, race, other writers. Kamala Markandeya wrote the works on the
nationalism, human resources and information development, basis of industrialization and ecological issues. Her novel
female participation, trade and so on. All these factors, Nectar in the Sieve became famous for such themes. Most of

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International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) Vol-3, Issue-5, Sept - Oct, 2018
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.3.5.23 ISSN: 2456-7620
the writers wrote the novels in the way which revealed the of compassion and mutual understanding where diversity
injustice meted out to women in the male chauvinistic world. leads to unity and hybridity could be the hall marks of
Their works were marked by an impressive feel for the universality. Past is seen as intrinsically connected to the
language and an authentic presentation of post - independent future of the individuals and the society at large.
India. They focused on the urban middle class scenario. The The need to break the stereotypical attitude is the need of the
novelists of the latter half of the 20th century have begun to situation both for the East and the West. Through her
delineate the psychology of the characters and the complex characters, the novelist has touched a chord by posing
environs which have greatly affected them. International rhetorical questions in the course of the novels to ironically
marriages which were frowned upon earlier by a tradition hint at the need for changed perspectives
bound society came to be accepted as a natural phenomenon. Magical realism, or marvelous realism is a genre in literature
Divakaruni was born in Independent India. Later she moved that describes about the narrativefiction and, more broadly,
to the United Land to pursue her degree. She completed her art encompassing a range of subtly different concepts,
Post graduation in English at state university and Ph.D at the expresses a primarily realistic view of the real world while
University of California at Berkeley. She was the president also adding or revealing magical elements. In the recent
of MAITRI a free, confidential, referral non-profit times the theme of magic realism has emerged as a sub-
organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area th at genre due to its prominent utilization as a leitmotif in
primarily helps families from South Asia facing domestic contemporary novels while composition of myth and culture
violence, emotional abuse, cultural alienation, and human are historically used from ancient meter. Divakaruni has
trafficking and she is currently a professor at Foothill used mainly dream as proficiency to project the magical
College in California. Her works is recognized in more than elements in her novels. The magical natural event in
50 magazines and 30 anthologies. Her famous works are aspiration of the protagonists came true in living in her
Arranged Marriage: Stories (1995) ,The Mistress of Spices novels. Serpent Spices and Conch have the power to speak
(1997) ,Sister of My Heart (1999) The Unknown Errors of and they converse with protagonists like a human, the
our Lives (2001,The Vine of Desire (2002),Queen of novelist has treated them, as if they have life and
Dreams (2004) ,The Lives of Strangers (2005) ,The Palace intelligence. The character does not doubt or question but
of Illusions: A Novel (2008) ,One Amazing Thing (2010) accept, converse and reply to imaginary character. She has
,Oleander Girl (2013). thus blended magic with realism in her novels.
Her works are included in the Best American Short Stories, Magic Realism' is a term coined by Franz Roz in 1925 to
The O’Henry Prize Stories, and two Pushcart Prize describe tendencies in the piece of works of certain German
Anthologies. Her book of short stories, Arranged Marriage, artists characterized by clear, static , thinly painted, sharp
won an American Book Award, the Bay Area Book focus, look-alike, frequently depicting the imaginary, the
Reviewers Award and the PEN Josephine Miles Award for improbable are the fantastic in a realistic rational manner.
fiction. The Mistress of Spices was on several Best Books This term was first adapted in the United States at the New
lists, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s 100 Best York museum of modern art. The magical realism in her
Books of the 20th Century, and was shortlisted for th e work unfolds to understand the magical occurrence in one's
Orange Prize. life. Such as dream, thought transference and intuition
Post colonialism encompasses a wide variety of approaches, portends the gluteus issues.
and theoreticians may not always agree on a common set of The magical elements in her novel prove that they portent
definitions. On a simple level, it may seek through reality as it has a tie with Psychology. Some scholars have
anthropological study to build a better understanding of said that magic realism is a natural outcome of postcolonial
colonial life from the point of view of the colonized people, writing, which must make sense of at least two separate
based on the assumption that the colonial rulers are realities the reality of the conquerors as well as that of the
unreliable narrators. conquered. Prominent among the Latin-American magic
Divakaruni has focused not just on the need for realists are the Colombian Gabriel García Márquez, the
independence but also interdependence as an important Brazilian Jorge Amado, the Argentines Jorge Luis
aspect. The humanistic perspective and the need to rise Borges and Julio Cortazar, and the Chilean Isabel Allende.
above the shallow markers of discrimination have been India is a land of culture and strong belief in superstitious
emphasized repetitively in the novels of Divakaruni. Her notion. Preserving the culture is the prestigiousness of all
novel One Amazing Thing for example conveys this theme countries. Divakaruni’s novel is an evidence to prove it.

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International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) Vol-3, Issue-5, Sept - Oct, 2018
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.3.5.23 ISSN: 2456-7620
Myth is a traditional story consisting of several events that and consistency of knowledge and art forms from its
are ostensibly historical, though often supernatural, invaders and these in turn have coalesced into a cosmopolite
explaining the origins of a cultural practice or natural Indian culture of many religious practices, and a multitude
phenomenon. In the period of Classical Sanskritic language, of customs, feeling, linguistic process, art and architecture
much material is preserved in the Sanskrit epics, The forms, etc., that can be identified easily.
Ramayana and The Mahabharata. Besides theological Culture is a particular lodge or civilization especially
system proper, the voluminous epos also provide a plethora considered in relation to its feeling, way of life or art. It is a
of information about ancient Indian society, philosophy, particular system or group consists of the habit of the peop le
culture, religion and in Hindu philosophy and service as in it and the way they generally behave. It consists of natural
parables and sources of devotion for Hindus. action such as the artistry and philosophy, which are
The Mahabharata is the cosmos’s longest epic in verse, considered to be important for the development of
running game to more than 30,000 lines. The mythical civilization and of people's minds. The ideal of the
framework of her novels contributes to the creation of a traditional, oppressed woman persisted in a culture
female universe. The earthly concern of myth is essentially permeated by religious images of virtuous goddesses
feminine in nature as opposed to the masculine. In her devoted to their husbands, the Hindu goddesses Sita and
novels, there is an attempt to create new myth or Savitri serving as powerful cultural ideals of woman.
demythification. The changes and clashes caused by the impact of the
According to her opinion, the new myth symbolizes the Western culture have also been recorded by these novelists,
feminine world where cleaning woman rescues other adult in their thought-provoking novels. Dorothy, M. Spencer,
female without expecting backing from the men. She uses Swami Vivekananda influenced Mahatma Gandhi vastly. He
myth as a hold to companion herself with India. Divakaruni said that he wanted art and literature that can speak to
employs the myths and stereotypes surrounding the Indian trillion. And he did not want his family to be involved in
adult female, which she consciously explores after her English and his windows to be stuffed. He wanted the
immigration and sets out to doubt and deconstruct. For culture of all lands to be flown about his firm as freely as
instance, one of the myths that Divakaruni explores is the possible. The thoughts of both Vivekananda and Mahatma
myth of widow hood. Gandhi had been activated simultaneously.
The society, which is defined by men, deplores women Divakaruni combines the unfamiliar, the female, Indian
whose husband is dead : Young or old the widow becomes a immigrant experience, with the familiar, urban life in
sexual, marginalized being who portends ill omen. In America, shading the two into a magical narrative that
mythical the dominant feminine prototype is the chaste, relates a woman's plight as a foreigner in Southern Calif.
patient, self-denying wife, Sita, supported by other anatomy It is a realm where, having already experienced the pleasures
such as Savitri, Draupadi, and Gandhari. When looking at of preparing, presenting, and partaking, one has
these narration, silence or address can be a useful template subsequently shuffling it into a versatile medium for both
to interpreting women's responses to patriarchal hegemony. spiritual and artistic creativity, a metaphor for diverse
Silence is a symbol or oppression, a characteristic of the human experiences. As in the simple and complex
subaltern condition, while speech signifies self-expression conjunctions of food and art among the Hindus of Bengal,
and liberty. the traditional life of Bengal as portrayed in the novels of
India is a land of culture and strong belief in superstitious Divakaruni is rich in form, ritual, and aestheticism. In sacred
notion. Preserving the culture is the prestigiousness of all and secular ceremonies, Bengalis have invested food with
countries. Divakaruni’s novel is an evidence to prove it. Her intricate symbolic implication. An extraordinarily active folk
novels portray the possibility for establishing a bicultural imagination tie on food images to create verse, paintings,
identity. Divakaruni's approach to ethnic identity is and craft objects.
contingent with the scene of South Asian Diaspora that Divakaruni says in one of her interviews,
believes in the requirement of integrating the Red Indian I want the culture to be presented without dilution. I have a
heritage with its American experience. As cultural offshoots, deal of trust in my hearing - people understand through
the author heaps her novels with ritual, customs and context a fortune of things that are not explained, she says,
practices pertaining to food for thought, garb, and the likely referring to the illustration when she mentions a
terminology of her native place. Indian society has managed Bengali give-and-take without rendering or an Indian
to absorb and assimilate the divergent traditions, customs

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International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences (IJELS) Vol-3, Issue-5, Sept - Oct, 2018
https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijels.3.5.23 ISSN: 2456-7620
cultural point of reference without explanation. (THE
HINDU)
East-West encounters which is explained in terminus of
hybridity in human relationship by postmodern. When the
world has become a global village, no culture, or social club
is pure or insular today. That is why Indian English fiction
now takes characters, situations both from inside the country
and abroad into its orbit and develops them.

REFERENCES
[1] https://bookriot.com/2018/02/08/what-is-magical-
realism/
[2] https://www.britannica.com/art/magic-realis m
[3] https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/postcolonialstudies/201
4/06/21/magical-realism/
[4] https://penguin.co.in/book/uncategorized/one-amazing-
thing/
[5] https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId
=123977990

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