Shikha Thakur | LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY (original) (raw)
Papers by Shikha Thakur
3 Biotech, 2016
Proteases are a class of enzymes that catalyze hydrolysis of peptide bonds of proteins. In this s... more Proteases are a class of enzymes that catalyze hydrolysis of peptide bonds of proteins. In this study, 221 proteolytic bacterial isolates were obtained by enrichment culture method from soils of various regions of Himachal Pradesh, India. From these a hyper producer of protease was screened and identified by morphological and physiological testing and by 16S rDNA sequence as Serratia marcescens PPB-26. Statistical optimization of physiochemical parameters enhanced the protease production by 75 %. Protease of S. marcescens PPB-26 was classified as a metalloprotease. It showed optimal activity at 30°C, pH 7.5 (0.15 M Tris-HCl buffer) and with 0.8 % substrate concentration. It had K m = 0.3 %, V max = 34.5 lmol min-1 mg-1 protein and a half life of 2 days at 30°C. The enzyme was stable in most metal ions but showed increased activity with Fe 2? and Cu 2? while strong inhibition with Co 2? and Zn 2?. Further investigation showed that the enzyme could not only retain its activity in various organic solvents but also showed increased activity with methanol and ethanol. The reported metalloprotease is thus a potential candidate for carrying out industrial peptide synthesis.
Protein & Peptide Letters, 2016
An intracellular aliphatic amide degrading inducible amidase produced by Rhodococcus rhodochrous ... more An intracellular aliphatic amide degrading inducible amidase produced by Rhodococcus rhodochrous PA-34 was characterized and acrylic acid synthesis from acrylamide was carried out using whole cell amidase. A bioprocess was developed at 50 ml fed batch reaction using 400 mM acrylamide feeding at an interval of 30 min resulted in the production of 4 g acrylic acid with volumetric and catalytic productivity of 80 g/l and 19 g/g/h respectively. The amidase of this organism had molecular weight of 40 kDa and was purified to 8.5 fold with 8% yield. This enzyme was active within the temperature range of 30 to 60 °C, with optimum temperature 45 °C and pH 7.5. The Vmax, Km, and kcat of purified amidase were calculated as 250 U/mg protein, 4.5 mM, and 166 sec-1 for acrylamide. The enzyme showed tolerance to metal chelating agent (EDTA) and was strongly inhibited by heavy metal ions Hg2+, Ag2+, Cu2+ and Co2+. R. rhodochrous PA-34 amidase preferentially hydrolyzed small aliphatic toxic amide such as acrylamide. Thus, the amidase of R. rhodochrous PA-34 is promising biocatalyst for the synthesis of industrially important acids and biodegradation of toxic amides.
Indian Journal of Microbiology, 2015
Xanthine oxidase is an important enzyme of purine metabolism that catalyzes the hydroxylation of ... more Xanthine oxidase is an important enzyme of purine metabolism that catalyzes the hydroxylation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and then xanthine to uric acid. A thermostable xanthine oxidase is being reported from a thermophilic organism RL-2d isolated from the Manikaran (Kullu) hot spring of Himachal Pradesh (India). Based on the morphology, physiological tests, and 16S rDNA gene sequence, RL-2d was identified as Bacillus pumilus. Optimization of physiochemical parameters resulted into 4.1-fold increase in the xanthine oxidase activity from 0.051 U/mg dcw (dry cell weight) to 0.209 U/mg dcw. The xanthine oxidase of B. pumilus RL-2d has exhibited very good thermostability and its t 1/2 at 70 and 80°C were 5 and 1 h, respectively. Activity of this enzyme was strongly inhibited by Hg 2? , Ag ? and allopurinol. The investigation showed that B. pumilus RL-2d exhibited highest xanthine oxidase activity and remarkable thermostability among the other xanthine oxidases reported so far.
The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, stron... more The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, strong, protective, and decisive beings thereby casting women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing, and submissive (Nayar 83-85). Therefore, women are expected to fit themselves in this frame, where in every sense they are inferior to men and lose their personal identity. Thus, women remain as mere object or property to men. Taslima Nasrin, on account of her personal experience of childhood sexual abuse and the deteriorating status of women in Bangladesh, contributes considerably to the feminist thought. In most of her writings, Nasrin gives evidences of her feminist leanings as she delineates situations pertaining to subjugation and marginalization of women by men who have patriarchal mindset.
The paper aims at highlighting the plight of rural women in post-independent Indian patriarchal s... more The paper aims at highlighting the plight of rural women in post-independent Indian patriarchal society. I desire to depict the chained and falsified existence of women, as rendered by the masculine belief in Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve (1954). The paper, erstwhile, demonstrates the objectification of women, followed by their transgression from chained boundaries, leading to affirmation of their dignity. The female protagonist Rukmani, and her daughter, Irawaddy subvert the othered identity imposed upon them by patriarchy, which is conflated with capitalism that identifies them as sacrificial, feeble, and acquiescent. Furthermore, Kunthi (peasant woman) and Irawaddy redefine prostitution as a weapon for acquiring a subject from a treaty of object. This in turn, aids them to affirm themselves as individuals and also to redefine their personhood, visa -vis their gender role, social space, and relationships. The subjection of innumerable women to homelessness, sexual assault, poverty, desperation, starvation and procreation , aptly, corresponds to the impact of industrialization in post-independent India, leading to devastation and deterioration of women's life on grounds of sex and class. Henceforth, the theoretical approach pertaining to material feminism, buttressed using Showalter's double bind, Michel Foucault's sexuality, Simon de Beauvoir's 'otherness', Mary Astell's and Mary Woltstone Craft's idea of feminism are incorporated to condemn the objectification of women at the hands of men. Nectar in a Sieve, the first novel by Kamala Markandaya, portrays the socioeconomic problems of India in 1954. Kamala Markandaya, is a prolific writer known to have written various novels depicting the hopes and aspirations of a young nation recently embarked on the path of development, surmounting many obstacles along the way, nevertheless, showcasing the real image of the working class women as vulnerable, and leaving them in jittery. She, subsequently, uses social-realism as a narrative technique to vehement the impact of industrialization on the working class (primarily women), where women were already looked down upon as a pro-creating devices used for satiating men's sexual appetite and to perpetuate their legacy. The story is presented in a linear chronological narrative, leading to
The paper aims at questioning the conventionally established sexuality of woman in Emma Donoghue'... more The paper aims at questioning the conventionally established sexuality of woman in Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin (2000). Plausibly, it lays bare female protagonist's (Mary) subversion of gender roles, her transgression of boundaries for the reclamation of her dreams and dignity, and the demand for reparation from her for disallowing them. Mary subverts the othered identity imposed upon her by patriarchy, which is conflated with capitalism that identifies her as sacrificial, feeble, and acquiescent. She redefines prostitution as a weapon for acquiring a subject from a treaty of object. To reclaim her autonomous identity, Mary uses her innate intelligence and quick-wittedness, with parody, hysteria, and sexuality to assert her uniqueness and to subvert patriarchy. This in turn, aids Mary to affirm herself as an individual and also to redefine her personhood, visa -vis her gender role, social space, and relationships. Reparation is posited with Mary's trial and hanging, which uncover the embedded biases and injustices in English society of the Enlightenment. The end enforces upon society the need to restructure itself and make reparations for the unjustness that subjected Mary, as vulnerable women were and still are, to homelessness, sexual assault, poverty, desperation, and murder; all merely for her wish to have a better life.
The Comparative study refers to the comparison of one piece of art with the other. The present pa... more The Comparative study refers to the comparison of one piece of art with the other. The present paper is an attempt to comparatively study Emma Donoghue's fiction Room Lenny Abrahamson's directed movie Room . The director Lenny Abrahmson, by conflating the prevalent contemporary elements of the age with the captivity of Ma and her son Jack in a suspenseful and horror narrative in the movie, has helped the readers to understand how
The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, stron... more The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, strong, protective, and decisive beings thereby casting women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing, and submissive (Nayar 83-85). Therefore, women are expected to fit themselves in this frame, where in every sense they are inferior to men and lose their personal identity. Thus, women remain as mere object or property to men. Taslima Nasrin, on account of her personal experience of childhood sexual abuse and the deteriorating status of women in Bangladesh, contributes considerably to the feminist thought. In most of her writings, Nasrin gives evidences of her feminist leanings as she delineates situations pertaining to subjugation and marginalization of women by men who have patriarchal mindset. The female characters in Lajja: Kironmoyee, Maya, and Shammima Begum are all compelled to behave as per the patriarchal norms, wherein Nasrin aims at highlighting the situation of women belonging to minority community of Hindus in Bangladesh, who had to go through a tough phase during the demolition of Babri Masjid in India. The double marginalization of women on religious grounds on the one hand and their gender identity on the other is another crucial aspect in the novel. Taslima Nasrin exemplifies the woman who breaches the patriarchal code, and is thus maltreated. To exemplify, " In 1993, a fundamentalist organization called Soldiers of Islam issued fatwa against her. Rather than supporting her, the government sided with the fundamentalists and confiscated her passport, asked her to cease writing and banned her book Lajja (Shame) in which she depicted atrocities committed by Muslim fundamentalists against Hindus " (Nasrin, " Dissident " 42). Lajja deals with several feminist issues. In fact, Nasrin demonstrates the ways how patriarchal mindset challenges individuality and self-respect of women. In one of her interviews, she states that " everything she has written is for the oppressed women of Bangladesh. " She further stated that " she has wrung her heart out into her words " (Quiglay 24). One of the most important feminist issues that has been dealt with in the novel is the treatment of women at the hands of various patriarchal institutions like family, society and state, headed by a patriarch who either looks down upon women or marginalizes them. Kironmoyee as a mother is expected to be gentle, polite and understanding. Issues like her husband's infertility, physical ordeals, and extreme hunger, are supposed to be warmly accepted and humbly enacted by her in order to keep the family intact: " Kironmoyee did not eat herself, but kept Maya's share of food for her " (Lajja 100). A woman's desires carry no significance when it comes to her family; she is expected to make every sacrifice to keep the pot boiling. Likewise in case of Kironmoyee too " [h]er latest sacrifice involved selling a pair of her gold bangles to Dr. Haripada's wife. After all, gold was not so precious that it could not be sold if the need arose " (Lajja 113). Her desire to move to India to her relatives at the perilous hour (on account of the aftermath of Babri Masjid demolition) remained unattended. All she could do was secretly shed tears and behave submissively, which is refrential of the patriarchal setup, where the family is led by a male member, who is supposed to be all powerful and centralized. Such that, the female
This paper aims at analysing Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin, written in 2000 and set in mid-eighteent... more This paper aims at analysing Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin, written in 2000 and set in mid-eighteenth century England, projects a girl who in no time is pushed into the category of a 'fallen woman' for violating the prescribed patriarchal norms and roles for women. Here the girl, Mary, is represented as a universal subject who lives in the wretched condition of most women of her rank and background in the eighteenth century, at the same time, her singular personality interrogates the anti-women stance of the Enlightenment as she emerges into her own in the same inimical historical time and place to reach beyond it to the current readership. The scope of reclamation is dealt to facilitate lost selfhood in general and of women victims in particular. Its objective is to asseverate the wholeness of one's identity. Reclamation is synonymous to the redefinition of womanhood and her selfhood. The victory of assertion can be felicitously traced when Mary redefines the term prostitute by combating the patriarchal society of the Enlightenment that makes her a peripheral character. Thus, Mary in Slammerkin, works its way through the narrative of trauma and seek to reclaim itself persistently, powerfully and substantially.
Drafts by Shikha Thakur
In this research paper, I have made an attempt to analyze The Changing Dynamics of Motherhood in ... more In this research paper, I have made an attempt to analyze The Changing Dynamics of Motherhood in Emma Donoghue’s Room. The concept Motherhood is used as a tool to propound the feminist aspect using subversion for reclamation and reparation. Donoghue situates her protagonists—a woman and a child—in the historical and temporal contexts of extant societal processes. The novel delineates the disadvantageousness and subjugation of women in male dominated societies and their discourses. The three intertwined themes namely subversion, reclamation and reparation have been studied through the representation of the female protagonist and a little son, as they face and endure violent encounters with male-centred society. They experience stigmatization and double marginalization, imposed debilitating femininity, and negation of their humanity. They respond to these with their acts of transgression and subversion of the patriarchal oppressors to assert their selfhood and demand justice and reparation. Donoghue adopts a style of writing in Room that turns a potentially maudlin and gothic story into a powerful multilayered narrative of uncompromising female assertion and rejuvenated humanity. The story of Ma and Jack is illuminated throughout by the effulgent bond of a mother and her child. The novels succinctly establish Emma Donoghue’s contribution to the understanding of the development of complex matrixes of masculinity and femininity through history, tradition, and literary expositions till the contemporary feminist discourse.
Subversion, Donoghue postulates and concludes, is symbiotically joined with reclamation, as the very aim of subversion is to reclaim one’s personhood and autonomy. Ma is denied personhood and is deprived of her basic right to live a life of dignity and freedom. She is denied pleasure and reduced to mere sexual objects for sadistic or sexual pleasures of man. The ‘body’ of Ma is coercively and wantonly used by her perpetrator to assert his maleness or crushing bestiality on her, which helps her redefine the idea of ‘motherhood’.
3 Biotech, 2016
Proteases are a class of enzymes that catalyze hydrolysis of peptide bonds of proteins. In this s... more Proteases are a class of enzymes that catalyze hydrolysis of peptide bonds of proteins. In this study, 221 proteolytic bacterial isolates were obtained by enrichment culture method from soils of various regions of Himachal Pradesh, India. From these a hyper producer of protease was screened and identified by morphological and physiological testing and by 16S rDNA sequence as Serratia marcescens PPB-26. Statistical optimization of physiochemical parameters enhanced the protease production by 75 %. Protease of S. marcescens PPB-26 was classified as a metalloprotease. It showed optimal activity at 30°C, pH 7.5 (0.15 M Tris-HCl buffer) and with 0.8 % substrate concentration. It had K m = 0.3 %, V max = 34.5 lmol min-1 mg-1 protein and a half life of 2 days at 30°C. The enzyme was stable in most metal ions but showed increased activity with Fe 2? and Cu 2? while strong inhibition with Co 2? and Zn 2?. Further investigation showed that the enzyme could not only retain its activity in various organic solvents but also showed increased activity with methanol and ethanol. The reported metalloprotease is thus a potential candidate for carrying out industrial peptide synthesis.
Protein & Peptide Letters, 2016
An intracellular aliphatic amide degrading inducible amidase produced by Rhodococcus rhodochrous ... more An intracellular aliphatic amide degrading inducible amidase produced by Rhodococcus rhodochrous PA-34 was characterized and acrylic acid synthesis from acrylamide was carried out using whole cell amidase. A bioprocess was developed at 50 ml fed batch reaction using 400 mM acrylamide feeding at an interval of 30 min resulted in the production of 4 g acrylic acid with volumetric and catalytic productivity of 80 g/l and 19 g/g/h respectively. The amidase of this organism had molecular weight of 40 kDa and was purified to 8.5 fold with 8% yield. This enzyme was active within the temperature range of 30 to 60 °C, with optimum temperature 45 °C and pH 7.5. The Vmax, Km, and kcat of purified amidase were calculated as 250 U/mg protein, 4.5 mM, and 166 sec-1 for acrylamide. The enzyme showed tolerance to metal chelating agent (EDTA) and was strongly inhibited by heavy metal ions Hg2+, Ag2+, Cu2+ and Co2+. R. rhodochrous PA-34 amidase preferentially hydrolyzed small aliphatic toxic amide such as acrylamide. Thus, the amidase of R. rhodochrous PA-34 is promising biocatalyst for the synthesis of industrially important acids and biodegradation of toxic amides.
Indian Journal of Microbiology, 2015
Xanthine oxidase is an important enzyme of purine metabolism that catalyzes the hydroxylation of ... more Xanthine oxidase is an important enzyme of purine metabolism that catalyzes the hydroxylation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and then xanthine to uric acid. A thermostable xanthine oxidase is being reported from a thermophilic organism RL-2d isolated from the Manikaran (Kullu) hot spring of Himachal Pradesh (India). Based on the morphology, physiological tests, and 16S rDNA gene sequence, RL-2d was identified as Bacillus pumilus. Optimization of physiochemical parameters resulted into 4.1-fold increase in the xanthine oxidase activity from 0.051 U/mg dcw (dry cell weight) to 0.209 U/mg dcw. The xanthine oxidase of B. pumilus RL-2d has exhibited very good thermostability and its t 1/2 at 70 and 80°C were 5 and 1 h, respectively. Activity of this enzyme was strongly inhibited by Hg 2? , Ag ? and allopurinol. The investigation showed that B. pumilus RL-2d exhibited highest xanthine oxidase activity and remarkable thermostability among the other xanthine oxidases reported so far.
The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, stron... more The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, strong, protective, and decisive beings thereby casting women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing, and submissive (Nayar 83-85). Therefore, women are expected to fit themselves in this frame, where in every sense they are inferior to men and lose their personal identity. Thus, women remain as mere object or property to men. Taslima Nasrin, on account of her personal experience of childhood sexual abuse and the deteriorating status of women in Bangladesh, contributes considerably to the feminist thought. In most of her writings, Nasrin gives evidences of her feminist leanings as she delineates situations pertaining to subjugation and marginalization of women by men who have patriarchal mindset.
The paper aims at highlighting the plight of rural women in post-independent Indian patriarchal s... more The paper aims at highlighting the plight of rural women in post-independent Indian patriarchal society. I desire to depict the chained and falsified existence of women, as rendered by the masculine belief in Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve (1954). The paper, erstwhile, demonstrates the objectification of women, followed by their transgression from chained boundaries, leading to affirmation of their dignity. The female protagonist Rukmani, and her daughter, Irawaddy subvert the othered identity imposed upon them by patriarchy, which is conflated with capitalism that identifies them as sacrificial, feeble, and acquiescent. Furthermore, Kunthi (peasant woman) and Irawaddy redefine prostitution as a weapon for acquiring a subject from a treaty of object. This in turn, aids them to affirm themselves as individuals and also to redefine their personhood, visa -vis their gender role, social space, and relationships. The subjection of innumerable women to homelessness, sexual assault, poverty, desperation, starvation and procreation , aptly, corresponds to the impact of industrialization in post-independent India, leading to devastation and deterioration of women's life on grounds of sex and class. Henceforth, the theoretical approach pertaining to material feminism, buttressed using Showalter's double bind, Michel Foucault's sexuality, Simon de Beauvoir's 'otherness', Mary Astell's and Mary Woltstone Craft's idea of feminism are incorporated to condemn the objectification of women at the hands of men. Nectar in a Sieve, the first novel by Kamala Markandaya, portrays the socioeconomic problems of India in 1954. Kamala Markandaya, is a prolific writer known to have written various novels depicting the hopes and aspirations of a young nation recently embarked on the path of development, surmounting many obstacles along the way, nevertheless, showcasing the real image of the working class women as vulnerable, and leaving them in jittery. She, subsequently, uses social-realism as a narrative technique to vehement the impact of industrialization on the working class (primarily women), where women were already looked down upon as a pro-creating devices used for satiating men's sexual appetite and to perpetuate their legacy. The story is presented in a linear chronological narrative, leading to
The paper aims at questioning the conventionally established sexuality of woman in Emma Donoghue'... more The paper aims at questioning the conventionally established sexuality of woman in Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin (2000). Plausibly, it lays bare female protagonist's (Mary) subversion of gender roles, her transgression of boundaries for the reclamation of her dreams and dignity, and the demand for reparation from her for disallowing them. Mary subverts the othered identity imposed upon her by patriarchy, which is conflated with capitalism that identifies her as sacrificial, feeble, and acquiescent. She redefines prostitution as a weapon for acquiring a subject from a treaty of object. To reclaim her autonomous identity, Mary uses her innate intelligence and quick-wittedness, with parody, hysteria, and sexuality to assert her uniqueness and to subvert patriarchy. This in turn, aids Mary to affirm herself as an individual and also to redefine her personhood, visa -vis her gender role, social space, and relationships. Reparation is posited with Mary's trial and hanging, which uncover the embedded biases and injustices in English society of the Enlightenment. The end enforces upon society the need to restructure itself and make reparations for the unjustness that subjected Mary, as vulnerable women were and still are, to homelessness, sexual assault, poverty, desperation, and murder; all merely for her wish to have a better life.
The Comparative study refers to the comparison of one piece of art with the other. The present pa... more The Comparative study refers to the comparison of one piece of art with the other. The present paper is an attempt to comparatively study Emma Donoghue's fiction Room Lenny Abrahamson's directed movie Room . The director Lenny Abrahmson, by conflating the prevalent contemporary elements of the age with the captivity of Ma and her son Jack in a suspenseful and horror narrative in the movie, has helped the readers to understand how
The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, stron... more The conventional perception of gender roles in a socio-cultural setup cast men as rational, strong, protective, and decisive beings thereby casting women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing, and submissive (Nayar 83-85). Therefore, women are expected to fit themselves in this frame, where in every sense they are inferior to men and lose their personal identity. Thus, women remain as mere object or property to men. Taslima Nasrin, on account of her personal experience of childhood sexual abuse and the deteriorating status of women in Bangladesh, contributes considerably to the feminist thought. In most of her writings, Nasrin gives evidences of her feminist leanings as she delineates situations pertaining to subjugation and marginalization of women by men who have patriarchal mindset. The female characters in Lajja: Kironmoyee, Maya, and Shammima Begum are all compelled to behave as per the patriarchal norms, wherein Nasrin aims at highlighting the situation of women belonging to minority community of Hindus in Bangladesh, who had to go through a tough phase during the demolition of Babri Masjid in India. The double marginalization of women on religious grounds on the one hand and their gender identity on the other is another crucial aspect in the novel. Taslima Nasrin exemplifies the woman who breaches the patriarchal code, and is thus maltreated. To exemplify, " In 1993, a fundamentalist organization called Soldiers of Islam issued fatwa against her. Rather than supporting her, the government sided with the fundamentalists and confiscated her passport, asked her to cease writing and banned her book Lajja (Shame) in which she depicted atrocities committed by Muslim fundamentalists against Hindus " (Nasrin, " Dissident " 42). Lajja deals with several feminist issues. In fact, Nasrin demonstrates the ways how patriarchal mindset challenges individuality and self-respect of women. In one of her interviews, she states that " everything she has written is for the oppressed women of Bangladesh. " She further stated that " she has wrung her heart out into her words " (Quiglay 24). One of the most important feminist issues that has been dealt with in the novel is the treatment of women at the hands of various patriarchal institutions like family, society and state, headed by a patriarch who either looks down upon women or marginalizes them. Kironmoyee as a mother is expected to be gentle, polite and understanding. Issues like her husband's infertility, physical ordeals, and extreme hunger, are supposed to be warmly accepted and humbly enacted by her in order to keep the family intact: " Kironmoyee did not eat herself, but kept Maya's share of food for her " (Lajja 100). A woman's desires carry no significance when it comes to her family; she is expected to make every sacrifice to keep the pot boiling. Likewise in case of Kironmoyee too " [h]er latest sacrifice involved selling a pair of her gold bangles to Dr. Haripada's wife. After all, gold was not so precious that it could not be sold if the need arose " (Lajja 113). Her desire to move to India to her relatives at the perilous hour (on account of the aftermath of Babri Masjid demolition) remained unattended. All she could do was secretly shed tears and behave submissively, which is refrential of the patriarchal setup, where the family is led by a male member, who is supposed to be all powerful and centralized. Such that, the female
This paper aims at analysing Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin, written in 2000 and set in mid-eighteent... more This paper aims at analysing Emma Donoghue's Slammerkin, written in 2000 and set in mid-eighteenth century England, projects a girl who in no time is pushed into the category of a 'fallen woman' for violating the prescribed patriarchal norms and roles for women. Here the girl, Mary, is represented as a universal subject who lives in the wretched condition of most women of her rank and background in the eighteenth century, at the same time, her singular personality interrogates the anti-women stance of the Enlightenment as she emerges into her own in the same inimical historical time and place to reach beyond it to the current readership. The scope of reclamation is dealt to facilitate lost selfhood in general and of women victims in particular. Its objective is to asseverate the wholeness of one's identity. Reclamation is synonymous to the redefinition of womanhood and her selfhood. The victory of assertion can be felicitously traced when Mary redefines the term prostitute by combating the patriarchal society of the Enlightenment that makes her a peripheral character. Thus, Mary in Slammerkin, works its way through the narrative of trauma and seek to reclaim itself persistently, powerfully and substantially.
In this research paper, I have made an attempt to analyze The Changing Dynamics of Motherhood in ... more In this research paper, I have made an attempt to analyze The Changing Dynamics of Motherhood in Emma Donoghue’s Room. The concept Motherhood is used as a tool to propound the feminist aspect using subversion for reclamation and reparation. Donoghue situates her protagonists—a woman and a child—in the historical and temporal contexts of extant societal processes. The novel delineates the disadvantageousness and subjugation of women in male dominated societies and their discourses. The three intertwined themes namely subversion, reclamation and reparation have been studied through the representation of the female protagonist and a little son, as they face and endure violent encounters with male-centred society. They experience stigmatization and double marginalization, imposed debilitating femininity, and negation of their humanity. They respond to these with their acts of transgression and subversion of the patriarchal oppressors to assert their selfhood and demand justice and reparation. Donoghue adopts a style of writing in Room that turns a potentially maudlin and gothic story into a powerful multilayered narrative of uncompromising female assertion and rejuvenated humanity. The story of Ma and Jack is illuminated throughout by the effulgent bond of a mother and her child. The novels succinctly establish Emma Donoghue’s contribution to the understanding of the development of complex matrixes of masculinity and femininity through history, tradition, and literary expositions till the contemporary feminist discourse.
Subversion, Donoghue postulates and concludes, is symbiotically joined with reclamation, as the very aim of subversion is to reclaim one’s personhood and autonomy. Ma is denied personhood and is deprived of her basic right to live a life of dignity and freedom. She is denied pleasure and reduced to mere sexual objects for sadistic or sexual pleasures of man. The ‘body’ of Ma is coercively and wantonly used by her perpetrator to assert his maleness or crushing bestiality on her, which helps her redefine the idea of ‘motherhood’.