The Family Structure in Godavari.

It would be hard to fully appreciate this novel if Ma’s troubles are only read as being placed by a domestic structure. Ma and her family seem to have, to an extent, freed themselves from those restraints. This is evident through their expectations from life, such as those of Barki, who wants her parents to be “democratic” and not “dictators” (page 68) when it comes to her choices in love.

Ma is not the Phataan of manto’s “Sahib-e-Karamat”. She is not inhibited in the same way but instead seems to have agency, as seen on pages 38 & 78 where she misguides Ba and Ramesh so as to avoid something unpleasant. However, this agency is limited because this family, quite simply, has advanced from the traditional familial structure. Firstly, there is less distinction between the external and the internal and secondly, her choice/agency is undermined by those of others – others being Ba and Barki in particular. Ba’s unashamed lewdness and Barki’s liberated pursuit of love extend outside of Ma’s domain. So if Ba was to sneak out one night to make a move on Usha, Ma wouldn't be able to control it. Same with Barki as how she manages to develop an affair with Ramesh in the brief time they've been here. Hence, characters with enough agencies can cross weakly constructed barriers.

However, within her own roof Ma exercises sufficient control. She does manage to suppress Barki’s desires of meeting Ramesh when Barki brings up the topic. She also seems to have an upper-hand on Ba when it comes to making domestic decisions. So here’s not the woman we've previously known as being crushed by the roof but the one who is struggling to uphold it. This distinction is important. However, hers is not the only roof. And it’s much easier to enter and exit.

Ma seems to be struggling with this idea as well. This is evidenced on page 66, where she fantasizes about Sivaji while in bed with Ba.

“tasawur mien dusre admi ke saath ho kar maa ka dil pur sukoon ho gya.”

While this may be far off from actually happening physically, even Ma entertains the idea of “crossing the limit.”