Women are the expression of life. The best form of this manifestation is seen in our beloved caring mothers. As the world unites to remember, celebrate and honour women there are some stories from literature which offer us insight into women. In today’s digitally dominated world women are equal to men in every way. They have reached every male dominated sphere in every field. Inspite of this success women continue to be subject to a plethora of issues. 
Anton Chekhov’s stories and plays commonly share certain themes. They often examine people that can be described as voiceless or exploited by others. These themes are well illustrated in the short story Anyuta, which highlights the issues faced by some women who suffer in silence. The tale’s namesake is a young woman whose social position leads the upper classes to look down upon her. Stepan Klochkov is the young medical student with whom Anyuta is having an affair. Stepan is a terrible human being. At one point, he uses Anyuta as a human prop and draws markings on her body as he uses her as a study aid for a medical examination. Chekhov uses this story to illustrate exactly what kind of a terrible person Stepan is. He is a kind that all too often exists among the respectable class of society. Despite the fact that he is cruel and lacks empathy, he will be accepted by society and considered a reputable person. This is illustrated at the point that he decides to leave Anyuta. The young girl is a victim of verbal and physical abuse. She gets no moral support. Sound familiar? For her part, Anyuta is one of many of Chekhov’s long-suffering protagonists. She is resigned to her position. There is something terribly sad about her. She doesn’t speak up for herself. It is time that women stood up for each other and we all stood up for the rights of women, all across the globe. When she is thrown out of the apartment, we see Anyuta’s poverty as all she owns in this world is her coat. It’s a sad, harsh world indeed.
A modern story ‘A White Heron’ by American writer Sarah Jewett is about a girl named Sylvia who lives on a farm. Sylvia is starting to love country life. One day while she was walking her cow home, she heard a whistle. The whistle was from a hunter who offered her money, to help him find a white heron. She dreams of what the money could do for her. Sylvia climbs to the top of a tree to look for the heron’s nest. Sylvia eventually discovers the nest, but she never tells the hunter. ‘A White Heron’ can be taught in the classroom to study gender roles, as all the characters are living a peaceful life until a male hunter interrupts. So in real life some women are preyed upon by men who initially offer confidence, opulence and fancy dreams. Months later the woman discovers their love was actually concealed lust. Some women recover but some don’t. They live as depressed individuals and view life with negative eyes. The White Heron can also symbolize aspirations and dreams of women who are waiting to take flight.
Death is the final chapter of life. Rabindranath Tagore’s 1903 Bengali novel Chokher Bali is referred to as India’s first modern novel, where he highlighted the issues of women’s education, child marriage and the treatment of widows in 19th and 20th Century Bengal. Chokher Bali traces the story of Binodini – a beautiful, convent educated widow who cannot easily endure society’s negligence. Tagore presents the complexity and fragility of human relationships through psychological inter-play. Tagore tries to teach the importance of education for all women, everywhere. An educated woman can work and is productive. She can live an independent life. In this story Tagore presents the internal struggles, frustrations and emotions of a widow. All married women will at some stage become a widow. That doesn’t mean life stops. South Asian traditions expect widows to wear dull colours and live in a restricted manner. We must prudently break these chains of ignorance. Widows irrespective of their age can live positive lives and enhance the lives of others. Let’s appreciate the women around us, and make them feel loved and special.
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