The present paper analyses the representation of women in Koirala’s Narendra Dai with the contention that the
patriarchy does not subject women to exploitation always through the force and
coercion but also through their interpellation by its ideology of gender. Gauri
and Munariya’s failure to see any mistakes in the part of their husband,
Gauri’s attempts to conform to the parameters of ‘ideal woman’ and her devotion
to her selfish husband stand as the recurrent evidences of their interpellation.
Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala, one of
the towering political leaders of the Nepali politics is also a well-known
literary figure in Nepali Literature who places literature above the politics
and portrays the psychological aspects of human life in his works. He has
distinct styles of writing, use of language, sentence structures and creativity
that has established him a unique litterateur. He depicts the life of an
individual in social contexts to reveal the inner psyche of the person. His
works explore human psyche and reveal the facts that individual desires are
superior to social desires. Therefore, inner feelings should not be repressed
rather they should be expressed independently. Despite his appreciating
attempts to explore human psyche, his works reveal the hierarchy between man
and woman in which women have been dominated. His works appear to be
demonstrating the patriarchal structure in which women have become victims.
Mostly, Koirala uses first person
narrative with flashback technique to expose the hollowness and shallowness of
the society revealing the absurd and fatalistic life. To be specific, Narendra Dai, moves around the three
characters: Narendra, Gauri, and Munariya whose stories explore the position of
an individual in the society along with social structure. The conflict arises
when the family pressurizes Narendra to continue conjugal life with Gauri, ritually
married wife but Narendra ignores her and falls in love with Munariya, a
housemaid and gets married with her. Gauri, a traditional woman, learns to live
without protest accepting everything as her own fate. She uses love, sincerity
and honesty to win his heart but suffers badly. Narendra and Munariya go to
Banaras to settle life but Narendra, returns leaving Munariya when he suffers
from tuberculosis. After Narendra’s return, Gauri devotes herself completely in
his care, thinking that her penance is answered but becomes abnormal. When he
dies of tuberculosis, she again becomes alone and dies due to earthquake.
Both Gauri and Munariya suffer
because of Narendra, a patriarch who gets married and leaves both
irresponsibly. Munariya suffers in Banaras for she does not dare to face her society
of the village and Gauri suffers because she tries to adjust in the society.
Both accept everything as their fate but do not realize their status in society.
Realizing their fatalistic bent of mind, Giri Raj Acharya agrees that “In Narendra Dai, Narendra, Gauri, and Munariya
have become the victim of fate though none of them are guilty” (qtd. in
Koirala, 36). Acharya makes the characters sketch merely through the fatalistic
frame of reference. Similarly, Gyanu Pandey writes, “Narendra Dai exposes the reality that human life is futile, absurd
and meaningless though one is free to take decisions, ultimately, one doesn’t
have other options than to suffer in life” (own translation,174). Pandey
analyses the novel through the existential lens. Therefore, she finds absurdity
and futility represented in the novel. Narendra Dai portrays the characters of
our society. While reading novel, the
reader feels as if he is already well acquainted with all the characters. In
one of his interviews, Koirala admits “My novels are not far from reality, but
colored with imagination. Basically, being based on real life incident, they
don’t have magic realism”(Koirala, Sahityakar
B.P. Koirala 53). As he has introduced sex psychology in the Nepali
literature, the preface of Modiaain highlights
the fact that “Koirala has significant contribution in developing psychological
and sex-psychological culture in Nepali Literature, especially in stories and
novels.” Preface gives him a space to
Koirala, as a forerunner of psychological fiction writer.
None of these critics, despite
their wide-ranging criticisms and counter criticism, analyses Koirala’s
projection of women who have internalized the patriarchal ideology of gender.
Thus, the paper contends that the woman characters’ adherence to the norms and
values of the oppressive society results from their interpellation of patriarch
ideology, which consequently subdues their agency and the subject position. In
this regard, Koirala stands as gender biased and elitist.
“Ideology is the system of the
ideas and representations which dominate the mind of a man or a social group” (Althusser,
120). Althusser argues that ideology shapes the mind of a person and makes them
act accordingly. The patriarchal ideology also dominates the mind of the women,
they internalize the oppressive norms and values of the patriarchy, and
ultimately, it subdues their position. The whole story of Narendra Dai revolves round Narendra, Gauri and Munariya revealing
the same fact, as the narrator recalls them in retrospect. Narendra, who is ritually
married to Gauri, is no more interested in her and keeps illicit relationship
with Munariya. He leaves home to settle new life. Gauri,a woman who is a member
of patriarchal society, has learnt well how to adjust in the family. She tries
to win the heart of her husband being loyal, sincere and dutiful. She never
protests and complains. Her role reflects what Gyanu Pandey tells about
traditional woman “To be a woman is a bad luck, therefore she has to face all
the troubles of life as they come and to be a tolerant is the measuring rod of
an ideal woman” (Pandey, 322). Gauri always tries her best to be an ideal woman
in the house. Her husband has illicit relationship with Munariya but she does
not mind. When Narendra decides to leave the house she blames to herself and tells
the narrator “Babu, the misfortune came in the family because of me” (Own
translation, 33) obviously, she has not committed any crime but she accepts
Narendra’s home leaving as her crime. She does not blame to Narendra. She writes
a letter to Narendra just the day before he leaves village though the narrator
does not deliver to him. We can read Gauri’s mind through the letter, which
says “My Lord! what is my fault? I am deprived of right to love but and now my
right to serve is also snatched. Now I pray I could put my head on your step
and I could devote myself in your service” (own translation, 35).
Gauri’s submission and devotion to
her husband come as norms of patriarchal legacy. She has completely forgotten
that Narendra has not only ignored her but also committed an illegal act by
having illicit relationship with Munariya. But she never blames Narendra. Though
Narendra does not receive this letter, the readers come to know Gauri’s inner
feelings. She reveals the facts that she made many attempts to be his wife. She
admits:
The more you tried to be far from
me, the more I tried to win your heart by making my figure and mental more fit.
I tried my best to be your wife: I started taking nutritious food to be fit,
started doing make up to attract you; started
reading books; started taking tuition classes; started singing ignoring the family boarder
after I had known your interests in songs; started humming your songs; But […] and today, I’m rejected, I have become the
root cause of your home leaving. (own translation, 36)
These statements highlight that she
has tired her best to change herself in accordance to Narendra’s interests. She
even dares to go beyond the family limitation that of learning music which is
supposed not to be done by an ideal woman. The letter reveals the fact that
despite many efforts of adaptation she has been ignored. In the letter, she
assures him
“My Lord! do not leave the house; I do not
attempt to come in front to disturb your life; I will return to my corner. I
assure you that you will not even notice my presence in the house. Just feel
free to live in the house. I have given up the habit of hoping from you.
Therefore, just allow me to lead lifeless life. I accept Munariya as my sister”
(own translation, 37).
Gauri clearly exposes her line of thought
shaped by male dominated society. She
tries to conform to the Parameters of what society calls an “Ideal woman” In
this regard she has been “ interpelleted by ideology [of patriarchy]”(Althusser,148).
She has been taught to preserve the family prestige at the cost of everything.
Gauri becomes ready to compromise anything for the dignity of her family but
Narendra does not pay any attention towards the family prestige and decides to
get married to Munariya, a housemaid. Patriarchal laws function differently to
man and women. What it consents men to do refuses the same to the woman. One
has to mind here that what is allowed to man in the patriarchal society is not
allowed to woman. Gauri tries to be an ideal woman by internalizing all the
rules and codes of male dominated society.
In this context, her role reminds us
woman lives in a world in which
virtually all meaning has been defined by patriarchal language. Therefore,
though they may not realize it, women do not speak as active originators of
their own thoughts. Rather, they passively imitate previously spoken ideas.[…]
men have defined femininity in terms of their own needs, fears and desires (Tyson,
101).
She does not want to do this by her
heart but she has been taught to save the prestige of the house even if she has
to ignore herself. She sticks to male ideology and gives up her Self. She just
wishes to exist but her living does not have any identity and dignity. Being a member
of the house, she has carried out all the responsibilities yet, there she is
alone and like a widow. Her devotion, submission and loyalty to her house are
nothing but the internalized result of hegemony. She has internalized the facts
that men are superior and as a woman, she should not go against their will.
Here, she echoes with the view “Hegemonic masculinity consists of the current
practices and ways of thinking which authorize, make valid and legitimize the
dominant position of men and the subordination of women. (Francis, 16)”. Gauri
writes this letter not to assert her identity but to show her submission, and
loyalty to her husband. The fact that she becomes ready to accept Munariya as a
sister, is not a common sacrifice on the part of ritually married wife.
The dream of Munariya to settle a
new life shatters when he returns to village after suffering from tuberculosis.
She sells her body to live and leads the life of humiliation and suffering. She
tells with the narrator:
I am grateful to Narendra who introduced me
love and made me familiar with feminine love. I can never forget him. If it is
possible to be grateful in love, I will be grateful to him throughout life. I,
too, had given him love which made his masculinity greener than before which
was about to go dry up. […] Narendra was not a playboy anymore who plays with
the life of maid. (own translation, 48).
Munariya also feels that it is
Narendra’s right to make her suffer. She does not mind at all though she has
suffered due to Narendra whose selfishness brought her in that position. She
does not blame to Narendra for leaving her in Banaras. She first follows
prostitution and again marries to a pot-seller. She accepts that it is her fate
and and she has to welcome as it comes. She has fully internalized that man
never makes mistakes and woman should not think about her Self. As a member of
male dominated society, she even does not notice that Narendra has committed, at
least, a moral crime. Instead of blaming to him, she becomes grateful to him.
She does not claim her right to return to home rather stays in Banaras and
lives a miserable life.
On the other hand, Gauri heartily
welcomes Narendra and devotes herself in his service. Narendra does not have
any hesitation for his past misdeed. He surrenders in front of her selflessly but
without any humiliation. She writes many letters to the narrator from which the
readers come to know about her in details. She thinks that her penance has been
succeeded and becomes abnormal in his love. She does not bother to think why Narendra
has returned but submits herself in his care. She does not doubt in his
intention though he has come there because of tuberculosis but not because of her love, she feels happy
to be with him. Narendra has not fulfilled minimum responsibility towards her
but she never blames him rather forgives
him and worships him like a God. Narendra, a patriarch, deserves respect and is
always right whatever he does whereas Gauri, a woman, suffers every time
unfairly.
To sum up, Koirala’s Narendra Dai presents the woman
characters who have internalized patriarchal norms as their own and have
submitted their self to the male dominated society. Gauri and Munariya have
suffered because of their internalization of patriarchal rules, which wants
them to be an ideal. Therefore, they are subjected to exploitation not only by
the patriarchal social structure but also by their own internalization of its
rules which consequently interpellete them.
Works Cited
Althusser,Luis. “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatus”. Mapping Ideology.Ed.Slavoj Zizek.
London:Verso,1999. 100-140.
Francis, Anne Crany, et al, eds. “Ways of Talking”. Gender Studies. NewYork: Palgrave,
2003.1-41.
Koirala, Bishweshwor Prasad. Modiaain. Lalitpur: Sajha Prakashan, 2056.
Koirala, Bishweshwor Prasad. Narendra Dai. Lalitpur: Sajha Prakashan, 2063.
Koirala, Khem Nath. Sahityakar
Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala. Kathmandu: Shree Vidhya
Prakashan, 2059.
Pandey, Gyanu. Existentialism
in Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala’s Novels. Kathmandu: Nepali
Aakhyan Samaj,2062.
Tyson, Lois. Critical
Theory Today. Kathmandu: Ekata Books Pvt. Ltd, 2009.
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