A Study of Existentialism in Anita Desai’s In Custody

Existentialism has been a much discussed topic over the years, especially after World War – II. The paper studies the life of the protagonist Mr. Deven Sharma of In Custody in the light of the existential tendencies. The frame of the novel traces the feelings of despondency, sadness and a sense of disappointment. In the nexus of the daily petty and inconsequential happenings that entrap a individual’s life, persons like Deven find it difficult and traumatic to go on and continue with their routine mediocre life and suppress their desires and dreams. Anita Desai’s exploration of individual identities and self formations work in a delicate and problematic way, creating instead miniatures, and guiding the reader’s responses through a combination of omniscience, internal focalization, indirect speech and symbolic tropes. Thus, Anita Desai has carved a niche owing to her particular attention towards psychological insight and existential concerns, which are clearly manifested in delineating the pitiable plight of Deven.