Abstract

The paper explores the representation of contemporary women in comparison to the traditional women in literary works. Women in the past have generally been represented in literary works as being weak and oppressed. However, the contemporary women have been represented in completely different ways. They are represented as being strong, educated and independent. The paper tackles the ways that help the Indian contemporary women to change, mainly through Anju and Sudha in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Sister of My Heart (1999) and The Vine of Desire (2003).
The paper discusses the effects of childhood through Anju's and Sudha's childhood. It shows the effects of the traditional fairy tales, with their traditional theme of the masculine hero, and the contemporary ones, with a different theme that represents women as strong and independent . It also shows the effects of World literature through Anju who is affected by the new ideas of Virginia Woolf that help her to gain a revolutionary soul to rebe

Key words: Women Studies, World Literature, Contemporary Women, Indian women, Indian Culture, Oppression, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Sister of My Heart, The Vine of Desire, Empowerment, Education