Sense of Belonging

The book is a treatise on an individual's search for self identity and belonging through the two acclaimed novels of Anita Desai, 'Cry, the Peacock' and 'Fire on the Mountain'. Anita Desai is an Indo- German by descent and one of the renowned Indo- Anglican Novelists. Her writings depict the richness of English language matched with the sophistication of her mind. They are filled with imagery, feminine consciousness and awareness of human psyche. The present study deals with the identity crisis of two characters namely 'Nanda' in 'Fire on the Mountain' and 'Maya' in 'Cry, the Peacock'. The study explores the struggle of the two women for identity and sanity. It explores the concept of psychoanalysis through the character of Maya. Maya tries to recapture her illusory world, where she loses her identity and sense of belonging. Through the character of Nanda, Anita Desai projects that self-respect is a basic human need; sense of belonging will emerge in one's life when they confront their miseries and arise from the illusory world. In the two novels, Anita Desai describes the need and solution for self-identity.