RECLAIMING THE SPACE WITHIN

The Resilience, Resolution, and Resistance of Women in Constrained Shared Spaces

Abstract

The world of Indian women on the margins encompasses multiple conflicting spaces which result in bonding or brokenness, parity or inequality, vulnerability and oppression. The decision to be either overpowered by conflicting intersecting spaces or to break free from their clutches requires resilience, resolution and resistance. We see this dilemma unfold in Thrity Umrigar’s novel The Space Between Us, revealing the intricacies involved in shared spaces at diverse levels, in
all cultures and in all religions. Bhima, a faithful and hardworking domestic maid, is torn between problems in her own family and the difficulties she encounters in the home where she is employed. In moments of crises, class and caste bonds hold stronger than faithful but unequal ties of friendship. No matter how hard we try to bridge the spaces, we realize that there will always be some crevices, some spots and some uneven terrain. The article first looks at varied understandings of space. It then explores the multiple spaces between people and their implications. Finally, it acknowledges the strength of women who, heeding the divine or prophetic voice, can go beyond the barriers of social, cultural and religious stratifications, negotiating the spaces between to reclaim the core space within.