A Critical Study on Domestic Violence in Sudha Murthy’s Mahaswetha

Sudha Murthy is one of the famous Indian authors in Indian writing in English. She is a talented author who is also renowned social worker. She is a skilled person who balances life and reflects life of ordinary people in most of her works. She champions problems faced by women in society and voices against exploitation, subjugation of women especially in a patriarchal institution.

Empowerment for women is still seen as a far reality in certain areas in society. This paper reflects and analyse the presence of domestic violence and social evil in a patriarchal set up in the novel *Mahaswetha.*Sudha Murthy has focused on realistic issues and problems faced by women in the society, how they faced and overcome their problems, we can also analyse the oppressions of women in the day-to-day life. We see how Anupama the protagonist in the novel is subjected to domestic violence who comes from a poor family, well educated, a humble & a beautiful woman who had to encounter violence, suppression in her relationships with her husband, mother-in-law etc. who are guided by patriarchal norms without understanding her emotionally, cause mental agony psychologically, trauma trusted upon Anupama. We can view Anupama who faces and encounters the situations, and who later becomes a source of inspiration to other women from breaking the stereotype and emerges as an independent strong woman who walks away from the institution of marriage which broke her emotionally, mentally, with personal turmoil of humiliation. We can see her grow in life and breaks the patriarchal norms to an extent.

Keywords: Patriarchy, exploitation, stereotype, violence, trauma, subjugation.