Examining Caste and Dilemma in Perumal Murugan’s Pyre

Authors

  • Parminder Kaur Assistant Professor, Department of English Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, Chandigarh

Keywords:

prejudice, dilemma, excommunicated, catastrophic, injustice

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyse the depiction of a caste-based prejudiced society as well as the dilemma of the leading protagonists in the novel Pyre, written by Perumal Murugan, an Indian contemporary author who writes in Tamil. In Pyre, he weaves the themes of caste and dilemma explicitly. Kumaresan and Saroja, the protagonists of the story encounter the hostile attitude of the villagers, because of the unidentified caste of Saroja. Marayi, Kumaresan’s mother too has no sympathy for Saroja. The family is excommunicated and is ordered to remain secluded from the rest of the village. This brings a catastrophic end for Saroja. The dilemma of Saroja is also evident from the onset, she is doubtful whether to stay with Kumaresan in the village or go back to her family in Tholur. This paper also discusses the weak protagonists who face the injustice and inhumane attitude of the villagers with no objection.

Author Biography

Parminder Kaur, Assistant Professor, Department of English Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, Chandigarh

Parminder Kaur is currently working as an Assistant Professor in the department of English at one of the reputed colleges in Chandigarh. She has taught in various educational institutions as well as online platforms. Her areas of interest are Indian Writing in English and communication skills. She has been actively engaged in carrying out activities based on communication skills and Personality Development in her college.

References

Balakrishnan, Anjana. “Book Review: Perumal Murugan's 'Pyre', may its heat singe some sense into you!” The News Minute. 18 Mar. 2017. Web. 25 Apr. 2023

Mehra, Meghna. “Book Review: Pyre By Perumal Murugan.” Feminism in India. 23 Oct. 2019. Web. 07 Apr. 2023.

Murugan, Perumal. Pyre. Trans. Aniruddhan Vasudevan. India: Penguin Books, 2016. Print.

Praseed, Malavika. “Examining the Problem Novel in “Pyre”.” Chicago Review of Books. 23 Feb. 2022. Web. 11 Apr. 2023.

Wallace, Jane. “Pyre” by Perumal Murugan.” Asian Review of Books .13 Aug 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2023.

Wilkerson, Isabel. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Random House, 2020.

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Published

01.07.2023

How to Cite

Parminder Kaur. (2023). Examining Caste and Dilemma in Perumal Murugan’s Pyre. Journal of Teaching and Research in English Literature, 14(3), 15–19. Retrieved from https://journals.eltai.in/index.php/jtrel/article/view/JTREL140304

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2023): July

Section

Research Articles

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