The Dark Holds No Terrors

Novel by Shashi Deshpande

The dark holds no terrors, that the terrors are inside us all the time. We carry them within us, and like traitors they spring out, when we least expect them to scratch and maul.”

The Dark Holds No Terrors is a novel by Shashi Deshpande, first published in 1980. It follows the struggles of Sarita (Saru), a woman caught between traditional gender-based social expectations and personal ambitions.

About the Author  

Shashi Deshpande (born 1938) is an Indian novelist known for her insightful portrayals of women’s lives in contemporary India. She is best known for That Long Silence (1988), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1990. Her writing often explores themes of gender, identity, family, and the constraints placed on women in a patriarchal society. 

Born in Dharwad, Karnataka, she was influenced by her father, the Kannada dramatist Adya Rangacharya. She studied Economics and Law, later pursuing journalism in Mumbai. Her literary career began with short stories, leading to her first novel, The Dark Holds No Terrors (1980). Over the years, she has written thirteen novels, short story collections, and essays, including Writing from the Margin and Other Essays. 

Deshpande is also known for her activism. In 2015, she returned her Sahitya Akademi Award in protest against intolerance and violence in India. Her work remains significant for its deep engagement with social realities, particularly the struggles of middle-class Indian women. 

Summary 

Shashi Deshpande’s first novel, The Dark Holds No Terrors, appears to have developed from her earlier short story, “A Liberated Woman.” Both works explore the struggles of an ambitious woman who marries outside her caste despite parental disapproval. In the short story, the protagonist becomes a successful doctor, but her marriage fails due to her success. Similarly, in The Dark Holds No Terrors, Sarita (Saru) rejects her mother’s wishes to pursue a medical career and even marries Manohar (Manu), a man from a lower caste. However, Manu, unable to accept his wife’s financial and professional superiority, grows resentful. Saru’s association with Boozie to further her career worsens their relationship. 

Seeking solace, Saru returns to her parental home after her mother’s death. However, she soon realises that she has not come to console her father but to confront her own isolation and suffering. She finds it hard to trust him with her thoughts. She was restrained by missed opportunities to talk with him, shame, and the perception that she is responsible for her misery. Her mother’s lifelong rejection had instilled in her a sense of unworthiness, reinforced by painful memories—her mother’s cruel words, “Why didn’t you die? Why are you alive and he dead?” after her brother Dhruva’s death. Besides, her father’s emotional distance further deepened her insecurity, making her question, “Whose business was I then?” 

Saru’s troubled marriage reflects the gendered power dynamics in Indian society. Something so trivial as a passing remark to Manu—“How does it feel when your wife earns not only the butter but the bread as well?”—triggers his deep-seated bitterness and insecurity, leading to hostility in their relationship. Despite her lifelong struggles, Saru reaches a moment of clarity, recognising the universality of loneliness:

All right, so I’m alone. But so’s everyone else.” 

Shashi Deshpande’s works focus on women’s self-exploration and identity within social constraints. She rejects stereotypes and questions traditional myths that shape women’s self-image in India. Though she acknowledges the unavoidable social responsibility of Indian writers, she values literature beyond direct commitment. Her novels, including Roots and Shadows and The Binding Vine, seek to break the ‘long silence’ of women.  

Themes  

1. Biases Gender Expectations  

From childhood, Sarita (Saru) faces discrimination simply because she is a girl. Her mother openly favours her brother, Dhruva, and even blames Saru for his accidental death, saying, “Why didn’t you die? Why are you alive and he dead?” This rejection instils in Saru a deep-seated fear of being unwanted and redundant. 

As she grows older, Saru challenges these gendered expectations by choosing an independent career as a doctor. However, society does not easily accept a woman who defies traditional roles. Her mother disapproves of her ambition, and even her husband, Manohar (Manu), resents her success. The belief that a woman’s primary duty is to be a wife and mother rather than a professional creates an ongoing conflict between personal ambition and social norms. 

Even after achieving professional success, Saru does not find true freedom. Her husband’s bitterness and insecurity lead to domestic violence, which she silently endures. This reflects how, despite education and financial independence, women still face oppression within marriage. 

The novel shows how biased patriarchal expectations dictate a woman’s worth in society—first through a mother’s rejection, then through society’s disapproval, and finally through a husband’s resentment. 

2. Power Dynamics in Marriage  

Saru’s marriage to Manu initially seems to be a choice made for love, but over time, power dynamics emerge. When they marry, Manu is a struggling poet, while Saru’s medical career flourishes. This reversal of traditional roles—where the wife becomes the breadwinner—deeply wounds Manu’s ego and masculinity. 

A simple remark from someone—“How does it feel when your wife earns not only the butter but the bread as well?”—triggers Manu’s insecurity. Instead of supporting Saru’s success, he behaves violently at night, while maintaining a normal facade in public. His abusive behaviour highlights how male pride and social conditioning prevent men from accepting successful wives. 

Saru, despite being a doctor, remains trapped in an abusive relationship. Her silence mirrors the condition of many women who, even when financially independent, struggle to escape marital oppression due to emotional bonds, fear, and social stigma. 

The novel questions whether marriage should be a partnership or a power struggle. Through Saru’s experiences, Deshpande critiques how men often seek to control and dominate rather than support and uplift their wives. 

3. Childhood Trauma and Self-Perception 

Saru’s troubled relationship with her defines the course of her entire life. Her mother’s favouritism toward Dhruva makes Saru feel neglected and unloved. After Dhruva’s death, her mother’s cruel accusation—that Saru should have died instead—deepens her guilt and self-doubt.   

Her father, though not actively cruel, is emotionally distant. He engages with Dhruva but barely interacts with Saru, making her painfully question, “Whose business was I then?” This lack of parental love leaves her emotionally vulnerable and turns her desperate for acceptance and validation in adulthood. She always considered herself the ‘redundant, the unwanted, an appendage one could do without’. Thus, She always lived under the fear of rejection. 

Even after her mother’s death, Saru cannot find solace at her parental home. She realises that she came back not to console her father but to escape her loneliness and suffering. However, she struggles to share her feelings with him due to: 

a. missing the right moment to talk.

b. feeling ashamed of her broken marriage. 

c. recognising that she is responsible for her own misery. 

Thus, the novel highlights how childhood rejection can shape a person’s fears, relationships, and self-worth, lasting well into adulthood. 

4. Confronting Loneliness and Acceptance 

Throughout her life, Saru is haunted by fear—fear of rejection, failure, and loneliness. As a child, she feared her mother’s disapproval. As an adult, she fears society’s judgment for having an unsuccessful marriage. In her marriage, she fears her husband’s violence but remains silent. 

Her journey back to her parental home forces her to confront these fears. She realises that she has spent her life seeking validation from others—her mother, father, husband, and even society. The realisation that loneliness is universal (“All right, so I’m alone. But so’s everyone else.”) gives her a sense of clarity and acceptance. 

In the end, the novel suggests that true freedom comes not from seeking external approval but from self-acceptance and inner strength. 

Conclusion 

Shashi Deshpande’s The Dark Holds No Terrors is a powerful commentary on gender roles, marriage, and emotional trauma. It presents the harsh realities of a woman’s struggle for independence, showing how social norms, parental influence, and marital oppression shape a woman’s life. 

While Saru does not find a clear resolution, she gains self-awareness—an essential first step toward reclaiming her life. The novel, therefore, is not just about external struggles but an internal journey—one of questioning, understanding, and ultimately, finding a way forward. 

If you are looking forward to prepare for UGC NET/JRF, you may find this article useful.

Here is a detailed list of topics you need to cover for your NET preparation.

©2025. Md. Rustam Ansari [profrustamansari@gmail.com]