Why are women treated as slaves and possessions? Do women deserve to be treated less than men? Women have been discriminated against for centuries, perhaps ever since the beginning of time. In many cultures women are given less importance than men. It has always been the same way, men dictate the fate and future of women and they hardly care about women's feelings. But who ever thinks of what happens to women who take the control of their lives in their own hands and are determined to break free from the bondages of slavery? In the short stories "Her Three Days" and "Giribala" the main characters are wives who show their hopes, weaknesses and determination in "their bad relationship." This is evident in Sembene Ousman's short story "Her Three Days" ". Her three Days is a story of a woman, Noumbe, who is the third wife in a muslim marriage. Noumbe is a heart-broken woman when her husband doesn't show up during her three days, which is her right. Noumbe life highlights the status of women in a typical Muslim society. Noumbe is a victim to the Muslim polygamy rule that "every wife of a Muslim is entitled to three days of her husband's company each month. "She displays all the qualities of a loyal and dutiful wife who never gave up on waiting for her loved one. But at the end she saw the light and she now knows that she does not deserve to be ill treated. Just as Noumbe is a victim of imperious husband, Giribala, in Mahasweta Devi's "Giribala" is another dynamic character who suffers in hands of her husband's actions. Giribala goes through a painful journey of her life after her marriage to a heartless man who sells their daughters into prostitution. Their lives are shaped and controlled by their husbands. In both cases, these women break the shackles of slavery, and appear as unexpectedly women of strong will and determination.
Noumbe is hopeful in many aspects: from the meals she carefully prepares for her husband, taking care of her appearance, making her henna darker by putting oil, to the sleepless nights waiting for her husband's visit. "Her Three Days" opens where Noumbe has been involved in preparing a meal for her husband, Mustapha, and also preparing her self for her three days. She has been anxiously waiting for Mustapha, and does not loss hope even when he does not show up on his first day. Paragraph 23 line 5 throws light on her being a hopeful character "All this time she has been hoping that he would come, if only for a moment." Noumbe thinks about her three days in a thousand different ways, she does not care about her health or gives attention to her children. Paragraph 24 line 2 "... already her "three days" filled her whole horizon. She forgets her illness and her baby's ailments." The very thought of his coming gave her happiness and arouse her spirits. Paragraph 41 line 14 "All this vivacity sprang from the joyful conviction that Mustapha would arrive this evening very hungry and be hers alone." Nombe most undoubtedly is a character of high hopes which did not seem to be shaken by his husband's long delay.
Giribala, like Noumbe, is a woman with soaring hopes, despite the hurdles on her way. From the very beginning of Giribala's arranged marriage to Aulchand, who marries her for money, she demonstrates her power of hope for a better future. When she arrived to their home which had no doors she again demonstrates her fortitude and does not yield to the situation of her living condition and remains optimistic. Paragraph 35 "The only dream they shared was a home of their home." Giribala knew that her husband is a vagabond, but only if she could help he might able to build their house. She asks Bangshi Dhamali for help with a lighting flame of hope. Paragraph 81 line 1 "It felt like a pleasant dream to Giri, that they could have a piece of land of their own for a home of their own." Her love for her children is immense. When Aulchand sells Bela, their daughter, she keeps searching for her. Paragraph 112 line 3 "Wherever you are, my daughter, stay alive! Don't be dead! If only I knew where you were, I'd go there somehow...I wrote you a letter with the babu's help, to the address they left." She is a concerned mother with expectations of a better tomorrow for her children. Paragraph 75 line 11 "She also wondered if her son Rajib could stay there and go to school her brother went to. But she mentioned nothing to her parents bout this sudden idea that felt like a dream. "
We can see that both Noumbe and Giribala are so full of hope that they do not mind to undergo any kind of trouble. It is their hope which allows them to go through struggles and pains of life. Despite being characters of hope both the characters have some flaws which make them vulnerable to their situations.
Noumbe has some weakness in her character which is rooted in her cultural upbringing. She suffers the ill consequences of polygamy which is condoned by the Muslim society in return which does not seem to do any good for her but tortures her mentally. The never ending wait for her husband makes her go through the torment during her three days. Mustapha has never shown any concern to her health and fails to perform the duties as a husband. Paragraph 23 line 3 "she had a heart condition and her husband had quite openly neglected her. Mustapha had not been to see her for a fortnight." Noumbe who has been sincerely waiting for her husband and making all the arrangements ends up with nothing, not even a word of appreciation. Paragraph 120 line 1 "Look what she's done, the silly woman... I haven't seen her -only two days, and she cries her eyes out." Saying no words of love and showing no care for her health Mustapha leaves, leaving her deprived of her three days.
In the same aspect of Noumbe, Giribala is a not a strong character who does not fight back until the very end. This is made clear in the very opening of paragraph 1 line2 "Nobody ever thought that she could think on her own, let alone act on her own thought." She surrenders without struggling to the hollow beliefs of the culture which live by the saying "A daughter born, To husband or death, She's already gone." After her marriage with Aulchand she was warned by the maid at babu's place about his indifference to support her. This is shown in paragraph 29 line 6 "Who knows how he manages to feed himself, doing whatever else he does! ...go back home tomorrow to leave behind the bits of silver that you have got on you." Despite the concerns raised by the maid Giribala just keeps on staying with Aulchand, showing no signs of willingness to get out of the relationship. Paragraph 30 line 1"But Giri did not go back home the next day...Instead, in the morning she was found busy plastering with mud paste the exposed,..." Later, when Aulchand sells their daughter into prostitution he defends his actions to Giribala's father in the following words Paragraph 98 line 5 "If she had brought out earlier, then there would have been a home for us and no need to sell my daughter." Giribala does not retaliate against her husband instead she punishes her self by "hitting her own head against the wall." Giribala keeps suffering the flawed and unjust system, which created by the society and perpetuated by her husband. Nombe and Giribala are women who despite the culture upbringings surprise the reader by unexpectedly go against the tide of their societies. They evolve from down trodden, oppressed women to women of strong will and determination. They turned out to be the women having their mind set on freedom and putting their foot down against the oppression created by the society they live in.
Noumbe is a woman of determination which does not surface up until the end of the story, when she is weary of her husband's wait and wonders why she has to let herself be a part of the wrong system. The system which has given right to men to be superior to women. She realizes that her life is not worth dragging it along the lines of a shallow culture and wants to live a free life. Paragraph 61 lines 14 "...arouse a desire of escape from the circle of polygamy and to cause her to ask herself-it was a moment of mental aberration really-"why do we allow ourselves to be men's playthings?"" She is determined that she is not going to be a piece of lifeless toy in her husband's hands. It does not matter to her any more that Mustapha is with her. She just wants to get even with him. Paragraph 92 "Where you left it this morning when you went out." Also she breaks the plates which she had carefully laid for each day in his wait. This not only shows the way she mocks at him but also that she does not need him any more.
Giribala, like Noumbe shows strong determination of her will to have a bright future for her and her children. She does not curse her fate by getting married to Aulchand. Rather, each time she gets on her feet with stronger determination to carry on. She never gives up when her husband fails to provide for her and her children with the basic needs of life, like a house. She is determined to have a house of their own and does not hesitate to work to get one. Paragraph 45 "We'll both work on the Panchayat road and have our home. We'll save some money by working harder." Her strong determination and sense of responsibility is evident in her action of getting herself sterilized without taking permission from her husband. She is not afraid of the consequences of her decision even if it leads to a beating from Aulchand because she is confident that a small family will be better off. The significant turn in her life results from her unmovable determination. She frees her self and her children from cruelty of her husband when she leaves him. Paragraph 180 line 2 "...hot tears flooded her face and blurred her vision. But she did not stop even to wipe her tears. She just kept walking."
In the conclusion we can say that Sembene Ousman's character Noumbe and Mahasweta Devi's character Giribala both covey a theme about how women are still pathetically treated in a male dominated world. They both possess positive and negative characteristics which makes it easy for the reader to relate with them. These two characters not only cry for the end of the men's tyranny but also point to the need for the women's freedom from the gender bias.
