Shashi Deshpande’s novels revolve around the circumference of real life experiences, evading the shadows of idealism. She travels in the terrain of human sensibility where all issues and obstacles are overcome gradually through self-introspection. Her protagonists find their way to discover their identity. Indu, the protagonist of the novel, Roots and Shadows, yearns for freedom and security. In an attempt to be completely free, she keeps running behind illusion. In this process, she also comes to know about the various problems women face in a patriarchal society, which include gender discrimination, child-marriage, dowry-system, man-woman relationship etc. At the end she overcomes all the shadows and becomes a self-confident woman in the face of all adversities and challenges that come her way.

Keywords: Predicament, dilemma, domination, patriarchy, discrimination.