Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part L (2025)

In Tripathi's reimagining of ancient Indian characters, Sati emerges as a pivotal figure challenging patriarchal norms and asserting her agency, Kālī, twin of Sati by birth was forced to be a “Naga” and finds herself doomed to be a perennial outcaste. Shiva, initially portrayed as a lower-caste tribal man, undergoes a transformative journey that challenges societal expectations. Additionally, it highlights the fluidity of identity in Tripathi's narrative world when he takes up the role of a “Nataraja”. This study employs a qualitative approach, drawing on textual analysis applying the theory of Social Stratification by Max Weber to deconstruct the representation of caste, class, and status in relation to female empowerment in Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy using Judith Butler’s ideas of “Gender Trouble”. The concept of "stratified realities" helps to analyze how caste and class distinctions shape the experiences and decisions. Further, it analyzes how these dynamics intersect with gender to shape the empowerment narratives of mythological women in contemporary Indian literature while shedding the light on the navigation of social realities by examining moments of resistance, negotiation, and transformation.