Constructing the Goddess: Female Subjecthood and Subjugation in Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay’s “Devi” and Anuja Chauhan’s The Zoya Factor

Gender-based violence manifests in diverse forms, shaped by the specific cultural and social contexts that sustain it. A prevalent characteristic across various cultures is the denial of female subjectivity and personhood, which significantly contributes to the normalization of gender-based violence. Women are often relegated to reductive archetypes, such as the witch or the vamp, that label them as deviant, thereby justifying the violence perpetrated against them.

In the Indian context, the figure of the goddess serves as a similar signifier. Although often perceived as an empowering symbol, the goddess can be co-opted by patriarchal forces to undermine women's agency and subjecthood. This duality is vividly illustrated in Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay's short story "Devi" and Anuja Chauhan's novel The Zoya Factor. Mukhopadhyay’s narrative, set in colonial Bengal, and Chauhan’s contemporary chick lit work set in modern India, though divergent in genre and temporal setting, reveal striking parallels in their critiques of the patriarchal underpinnings and violent repercussions of labeling the female subject as a goddess.

Through a comparative analysis of these texts, I aim to further elucidate the themes of female oppression and agency, while examining the interrelatedness of the goddess and the witch as signifiers that serve to both elevate and subjugate the female subject. This analysis will highlight how these archetypes perpetuate a cycle of violence and marginalization, thus reinforcing the need for a critical interrogation of the cultural narratives surrounding female identity.

Keywords: Goddess, Witch, Female Agency, Gendered Violence