Projection of Human Passions in Namita Gokhale’s Paro: Dreams of Passion

Abstract

Namita Gokhale is one of the leading Indian novelists. Through her fictional works, she has illustrated the agony and pain that befall any woman who defies socially prescribed norms of behavior. She has followed the maturation and growth of her protagonists since they were young children. In literature written by women, women are portrayed in a variety of ways. Gokhale’s novels reveal her deep concern for the welfare of women. At the same time, these novels highlight numerous human passions through the life of Gokhale’s central characters. It is observed that Gokhale’s female characters make an attempt to shake off the shackles of social convention. Her characters are sourced from all walks of life. The present novelist projects the image of a new woman with a difference. Her female protagonists defy remaining shadowy beings and utilizing their inner strength to come out of the man’s shadow. They choose to follow their passions at the place of following the rules imposed upon them and finally achieve an identity of their own. Namita Gokhale’s work appears to be shaped by love and passion, illness and death. The conflict of love and the mad pursuit of passions between various characters like Paro and Marcus, between Paro and B.R., between Paro and Shambhunath Mishrai etc. bring to light numerous human emotions in the novel.