Articulation of Resistance by Subaltern Women: Reading Mahasweta Devi’s ‘The Hunt’ and ‘Bayen’

The term “Subaltern” has a very wide scope as it stands for all those who are marginalized, exploited, or oppressed due to low caste, low class, low office etc. Limiting the scope, the proposed paper will focus on the community that is marginalised on sexual terms and class/caste wise as well. The hierarchical division among women allows upper class women to articulate themselves and speak out against patriarchal oppression. But an eminent writer Mahasweta Devi through her works tries to recover the voice of socially denigrated group which according to Spivak’s problematisation of the term ‘Subaltern’ are real subalterns. The paper on the above mentioned topic will attempt to explore the intensities of resistance that a female subaltern can display when the pot of her suffering starts brimming over. It will be dealing with two stories namely “The Hunt” (1995) and “Bayen” (2004). Through the analysis of these stories, the paper will highlight the oppression and injustice as an inevitable part of female subalterns’ life. Her female protagonists Chandidasi Gangadasi in ‘Bayen’ and Mary Oraon in ‘The Hunt’ have been portrayed as subalterns. ‘Bayen’ explores feminine sensibility and the trauma that a woman undergoes because of the harsh treatment meted out to her in the name of oppressive and outdated social values and obsolete traditions. Chandidasi Gangadasi has been depicted as a helpless woman before the superstitions prevailing in her society. But as the story unfolds, she emerges as a powerful and moving persona, arousing great admiration and sympathy. ‘The Hunt’ is the saga of a woman named Mary Oraon who also appropriates violence used against her as a weapon. She becomes the aggressor and, activating a tribal ritual as an expression of resistance, turns the exploiter into a ritual prey. Analysing these two characters, the paper will try to answer the questions: What kind of possible language can be used by female subaltern to resist the atrocities inflicted on them? Do they all respond similarly and with equal intensity? If they respond differently, then to what extent do their experiences of oppression vary, and why? In crux, the proposed paper will aim to understand the situation and consciousness of the female subaltern. Keywords: Subaltern, Resistance, hegemony, discourses, oppression, third World.