Representation of Violence Against Women in Shashi Deshpande's The Dark Holds No Terror and The Binding Vine

Shashi Deshpande is one of the prominent female authors in the Indian writing in English who paved the path of a ‘new woman’ for a glorious and hopeful future. Though the female characters initially appear to be subordinated and subjugated but ultimately, they struggle against the patriarchal prejudices and stereotypes to make a mark of their own. The paper aims to bring out how violence has been used to suppress and subjugate women in a patriarchal setup by exploring Shashi Deshpande's The Dark Holds No Terrors and The Binding Vine. The Dark Holds No Terrors exposed the sensitive issue of marital rape and gender discrimination while The Binding Vine shows women facing violence through rape, marital rape, mental harassment and gender discrimination.