The Green and the Feminine: A Deeper Ecofeminist Investigation of Modern Indian Fiction

Abstract

This paper investigates the various aspects of feminist and subaltern opposition in contemporary Indian writing in the English language, mainly from Arundhati Roy and Namita Gokhale. Both authors work within different but complementary liturgical models, which are all concerned with challenging and destabilizing entrenched power structures, all of which are hierarchical, colonial and patriarchal. Arundhati Roy uses a macro-level postcolonial lens to attack the intermingling of caste, class and state violence. In novels such as The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Roy draws attention to the harsh social marginalization of subaltern groups, such as Dalits, transgendered people and marginalised women, through both linguistic subversion and black comedy to reveal the effects of the brutal machinery of institutional oppression. Namita Gokhale, on the other hand, bases her stories on the liberal and existential feminist ideals. In her novels, like Things to Leave Behind, Paro: Dreams of Passion, and The Book of Shadows, Gokhale depicts the close psychological worlds of her characters and how they break down the boundaries at home and the mythic stereotypes of women to gain existential independence, education, and equal rights. In addition, the novelists clearly bring in the ecofeminist viewpoints and show how very intertwined are the exploitation of nature and the subjugation of the female body. Roy and Gokhale completely reshape the Indian literary scene, using subversive techniques like the carnivalesque, the self-deprecating joke and the radical revision of Indian historical memory and ancient myths. In the end, their imaginaries tell us that the edges of the society don't only hold the potential for suffering, but also for resiliency, endurance, and deep emancipation.