Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part F (2024)

This paper examines the intersection of body politics and feminist theory in the portrayal of marginal women in Mahasweta Devi’s Draupadi and Manik Bandopadhyay’s The Final Solution. Through an in-depth analysis of the characters Dopdi Mejhen and Mallika, this study explores how their bodies become sites of both vulnerability and resistance within oppressive socio-political contexts. Devi’s Draupadi depicts Dopdi as a subaltern figure whose physical body is subjected to state violence, yet she subverts her docile status through an act of defiance that challenges patriarchal power structures. Similarly, Bandopadhyay’s The Final Solution portrays Mallika as a woman caught in the web of societal expectations and class-based oppression, leading to her ultimate sacrifice. By employing a feminist theoretical framework alongside concepts of body politics, this paper argues that both characters embody the silent yet potent struggles of marginal women against the forces that seek to control and erase them. Through these narratives, the authors critique the pervasive violence against women and highlight the resilience inherent in the female experience, offering a profound commentary on the ongoing battle for bodily autonomy and agency.