Finding her own voice: protham protisruti, subarnalata, shwet pathorer thala & dahan

Abstract

This study analyses the antidotes to women�s subalternity prescribed in four Bengali novels by women writers � Ashapurna Devi�s Protham Protisruti and Subarnalata, Bani Basu�s Shwet Pathorer Thala and Suchitra Bhattacharya�s Dahan. The novels are set in different periods of the history of Bengal. Yet, the common thread that connects them, through the different ages, is that in all the four works the female protagonists are subordinate subjects of patriarchal socio-cultural arrangements. The novels portray that in succeeding generations women have gained greater agency in Bengali, and Indian society as a whole. Yet, much remains to be achieved to acquire gender equality. They focus on the causes of women�s subalternity, and attempt to decipher means by which women can successfully find their voice. However, patriarchy in India operates through a complex multi-layered process. It is not a simple question of men versus women. Furthermore, Indian culture prioritizes the collective over the individual. The novels seem to suggest that under these circumstances tempered feminism which aims to bring gradual transformation in societal thinking within patriarchal structures can be more effective than sudden radical rebellion in certain societies of India such as the middle and the upper-middle class societies in Bengal.