Overpowering Mind over Body: A Study of Shashi Deshpande’s The Binding Vine

Dr Jasleen Kaur Nanda

Assistant Professor, Department of English, GSSDGS Khalsa College, Patiala. jasleenvirdi@gmail.com

Abstract

The novel The Binding Vine by Shashi Deshpande is an intriguing work to study how the mind can overpower the body and its functions. The protagonist Urmi suffers from the trauma of the death of her infant daughter and she tries to cope with the situation in her own way. She does not want to forget her child and her memories, and she keeps remembering the past to keep her mind in touch with her past. She does not want people to console her but prefers to be alone during her recovery stage. It becomes extremely difficult for her to come out of the traumatic experience, yet she deals with the situation by coming out of her shell and helping someone else during her trauma. Urmi takes her stand as a modern woman who cannot let anyone wipe her identity. Her journey towards social work makes her realize that there are many psychological aspects of a woman’s life that make her strong and resilient. Urmi attempts to search for the meaning and purpose of existence. She realizes that sisterhood is another strength that gives power to women. The research paper explores the novel as an intricately woven narrative to highlight female psychology during different phases of life.

Keywords: Trauma, Body, Mind, Psychology, Sisterhood.