The Self Question in Woolf and Deshpande Women: Gender Performances Through the Lens of Goffman’s Dramaturgy

Abstract

Amidst the dilemma on switching gender roles in a conservative society, the experiences of women as a gender in collective has always been the ‘other’ irrespective of the socio- cultural differences. Even varying in degrees of experiencing the 'otherness', the expectation persists in accepting the otherness as gender roles and gendered responsibilities. The choosen works decodes the ties which bind women to their gender roles and dilemmas in deviating from those to commit to their individual self. The study employs a close analysis of examining the experiences of the female characters and their gender performances. The investigation extends to the application of Goffman's Dramaturgy over the characters' performances of gendered social roles. In conclusion, the article tests the idea of confining women in their gender roles for the benefit of the society by screening them from committing to their individual self as portrayed in Mrs. Dalloway and That Long Silence.