Patriarchal Politics in Perumal Murugan’s One Part Woman and Shashi Deshpande’s The Dark Holds No Terrors

Author(s)	Dr. Ritu Tomer Rathi
Country	India
Abstract	Perumal Murugan’s One Part Woman presents patriarchal structures that regulate female life in Indian society, especially in rural areas. The novel exposes different aspects of married life for woman and shows how the ages old set pattern is followed in order to circumscribe woman’s life to home. Motherhood is presented as a social obligation rather than a personal choice. The novel also presents how childlessness is transformed into a marker of social disappointment. Through the experiences of Kali and Ponna, Murugan demonstrates how the sensitive matter like reproduction becomes a mechanism of social control. This paper examines the politics of patriarchy in One Part Woman and compares Murugan’s representation of patriarchal oppression with Shashi Deshpande’s portrayal of women struggling against gendered expectations in The Dark Holds No Terrors. The study argues that both writers reveal that patriarchal societies construct of female identity through domestic and reproductive roles. These traditionally governed societies also deny women autonomy over their bodies and lives. The selection of these two novels is based on the fact that social obligations remain restraining whether woman is financially independent or not.
Keywords	Patriarchy, Fertility, Childlessness, Politics, Motherhood, Reproductive Politics
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-07-19

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