28, May 2025

Trapped in the Dark Room: A Study of Female Subalternity in R.K. Narayan’s Patriarchal Landscape

Author(s): Surender Kumar

Authors Affiliations:

Assistant Professor of English, JLN Govt College Haripur, Manali, Distt Kullu, H.P.

DOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/202505021     |     Paper ID: IJIRMF202505021


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This paper examines the character of Savitri in R.K. Narayan’s, ‘The Dark Room’ as a powerful representation of the marginalized subaltern woman, subdued by a rigidly patriarchal and socio-economically oppressive system. Through Savitri’s emotional and psychological journey, the novel highlights the silencing, erasure, and economic dependence experienced by women in pre-independence India. Drawing upon subaltern theory and feminist critique, this study explores how Narayan subtly probes the societal structures that enforce gendered subjugation and internalized confinement, while also illuminating the inherent limitations of resistance within a deeply traditional framework.

Subaltern, patriarchy, marginalization, Savitri, R.K. Narayan, The Dark Room, feminism

Surender Kumar(2025); Trapped in the Dark Room: A Study of Female Subalternity in R.K. Narayan’s Patriarchal Landscape, International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620, Vol-11, Issue-5, Pp.134-135.          Available on –   https://www.ijirmf.com/

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