লিঙ্গবৈষম্য বিরোধী স্বরের প্রতিষ্ঠায় একুশের তিন উপন্যাস/ THREE NOVELS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY IN ESTABLISHING VOICES AGAINST GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Abstract

In her famous work The Second Sex (1949), renowned feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir demonstrated that in a patriarchal society, men are considered the ‘First Sex’, while women are relegated to the status of the ‘Second Sex’. Consequently, women bear the identity of second-class citizens within society. Society imposes artificial constructs and divisions of gender upon women. Femininity is constructed using features opposite to whatever society considers symbolic of masculinity. This construction brings inequality and deprivation to women.

           Literature serves as one of the primary mediums for fostering human sensitivity and plays a vital role in eliminating various forms of discrimination from society. In Bengali fiction, authors have frequently taken up their pens against numerous societal inequalities. Many short stories and novels have been written in the Bengali language addressing gender discrimination; the list of such narratives is extensive.

          For this discussion, we have selected three novels from the twenty-first century: Suchitra Bhattacharya's Uro Megh (2002), Tilottama Majumdar's Ajo Kanya (2010), and Sayantani Putatunda's Nandini (2013). This essay will explore how the discourse against gender discrimination manifests within these three novels.

          Several educated, modern, working women are represented in these texts. Yet, even in the apparently progressive society of the twenty-first century, they face numerous deprivations simply because they are women. awful crimes such as female feticide, dowry-related torture, molestation, and rape remain all too common. Through these narratives, the authors portray the inhumane suffering women experience as a result.

          However, these are not merely stories of oppression; the female authors also document the rebellion of individualistic female characters. In this rebellion against patriarchy, they are often supported by empathetic men. Thus, the novels raise a consciousness against gender discrimination within the readers of the twenty-first century.