Dialectics of Women's Resilience in Shashi Tharoor's Riot

Abstract

Historically speaking, patriarchy makes women undergo physical and psychological traumas right from their birth. While few women lose their lives, others survive the odds and demonstrate a great degree of resilience against inequities and injustices occurring across the board. Shashi Tharoor’s novel Riot is one of the best examples for this where women are depicted as resistant, resilient against atrocious social systems. Therefore, the present research paper attempts to highlight the dialectics of women’s resilience in Shashi Tharoor’s Riot. This paper can be divided into three parts. The first part is meant to highlight the persistence and resilience of women against universally presumed asymmetrical stereotypical patriarchal system accompanied by an overview of theorists and writers whose theories and ideas helped women maintain their resilience against the unjust systems. The second part provides a brief introduction to Shashi Tharoor and his position in Indian English literature. The third part highlights narratives of resistance, resilience and representation of women in Shashi Tharoor’s Riot. Thus, this paper is a conscious attempt to appreciate the resilience of women against patriarchal game of power and pre-established discriminatory systems.