s are only done by housewives and in these works, their husbands have no participation. In this story, Astha’s condition falls in such category. She is both “father and mother” for her children. Fulfilling everybody’s needs, nothing is left for her. It is the common picture of a Third World wife. In contrast, in First World countries, household work is a choice determining who cooks or who cleans by the married couples. When a wife in First World countries, clocks long hours in the workplace, her husband pitches in more around the house. But in Indian society, women are not privileged like that of Western women.
In Indian patriarchy, the notion of protection entices women to be sexually passive and humble. Third World women are brought up with the importance of being protected by males. A woman should be protected in her childhood by her father, in her youth by her husband and in her aged days her son should protect her and in this way the woman does not deserve to be free. Such dominant patriarchal rules marginalize women to carry on their individual rights and freedom. As Karthika comments: “Women are treated as the “other” who has got comparatively less power in the society. The muscle power and the equations of strength are used cunningly to make the women believe that they are subordinate human beings.” ( Karthika, 2015) In this story, almost all the female characters are financially dependent on their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons. Sita, Mrs. Trivedi were dependent on their husbands; Astha’s mother-in-law is dependent on her son; Sangeeta for her marital problems decides to live with Astha and therefore, she is dependent on her brother, Hemant. Astha before her marriage was protected by her father. After marriage, she is seen as an employed woman but she is controlled in every case by Hemant. She earns but her money spending is always decided by Hemant.
Motherhood is an obstacle for Third World women. The Third World women often show sense of power and resistance that differs from the First World women. The Third World women often denounce male supremacy by rejecting household chores. But their maternity entices them. A Third World mother can resist patriarchal authority but not her children. Like Radha in Purabi Basu’s, short story “Radha Will Not Cook Today”, Astha wants to resist male dominance. Radha, in this story, can denounce her husband, mother-in-law by keeping herself from one day’s cooking but when her only one son Sadhan says that he is hungry she is in a dilemma what to do ( Basu, 2007). Astha in this story builds up a same sex relationship with Pipee in order to be herself and to resist Hemant. But when she was with Pipee, she was used to be worried about her children.
In Third World Patriarchal society, gender discrimination starts from the womb and lasts till the tomb. Indian culture is a culture that idolizes sons and dreads the birth of a daughter. So the daughters are not brought up with same perspective like the boys. But in First World, there is no discrimination between son and daughter or there is no custom of son preference. But women in India live and struggle under the oppressive mechanism of a closed society that is reflected in this story. Astha in this story is much traumatized at the uninterested response of members of the family and society at her daughter, Anuradha’s birthday. But she obtains an appraisal and sanction of motherhood after the birth of her son-Himanshu. She abhors such a false notion and discrimination between a daughter and a son, such an outlook of Indian traditional society is injurious to equal status of women who “feel caught up in the web of daily life.” (Kapur: 76) When Astha gives birth to a boy child, everybody is very happy. Her mother thinks: “When Astha’s son was finally born she felt a gratitude as profound as it was shamed. The family is complete at last’ said Astha’s mother agreed, too happy in the own contribution. Hemant’s mother agreed, too happy in the birth of her grandson, carrier of the line, the seed, the name, to respond with her reserve 