"What did I learn that day in the sabha?All this time I'd believed in my power over my husbands. I'd believed that because they loved me they would do anything for me. But now I saw that though they did love me— as much perhaps as any man can love— there were other things they loved more. Their notions of honor, of loyalty toward each other, of reputation were more important to them than my suffering. They would avenge me later, yes, but only when they felt the circumstances would bring them heroic fame. A woman doesn't think that way. I would have thrown myself forward to save them if it had been in my power that day. I wouldn't have cared what anyone thought. The choice they made in the moment of my need changed something in our relationship. I no longer depended on them so completely in the future. And when I took care to guard myself from hurt, it was as much from them as from our enemies"

Woman Feminism

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About Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American novelist and poet known for works such as The Mistress of Spices and The Palace of Illusions. She has also taught creative writing in the United States.

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