Bara Rani's 'Home' and Bimala's 'World': A Feminist Critique of Rabindranath Tagore's The Home and the World.

Rabindranath Tagore's The Home and the World (1916) is a fine piece of work that addresses the political and feminist issues on an equal footing. The novel touches upon the complex dilemma faced by women as they balance their home and the world. Most of the studies on this novel dive deep into the psyche of its three lead characters: Bimala, Nikhilesh and Sandip. This paper seeks to analyze another interesting character in the novel, Bara Rani. The novel, despite being a focal point of discussion in the feminist studies for a long time, has drawn little research on the complexities posed through the character of Bara Rani, a widow in the household of a rich landlord. Several studies have analyzed Bimala, the leading female character, as empowered and educated. However, the character of Bara Rani yearns for attention. This paper is an attempt to bring her persona to the forefront and study her point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]