The Female Body as a Site of Violence and Resistance: Reclaiming Female Agency in Mahasweta Devi’s Draupadi

Abstract

The female body has always been objectified either for amassing economic profit or for eulogizing the male power. The male gaze dramatizes the already existing inequality between men and women by privileging the male viewer while dehumanizing the female object of view. However, what happens when the female body refuses to give voyeuristic pleasure to the male gaze and instead threatens the foundation of masculinity? By analyzing Mahasweta Devi’s short story Draupadi, my paper will examine how the female body can be a powerful weapon to resist the male gaze. It aims to explore the significance of women using nakedness as a powerful form of embodied resistance against the oppressive violence of the state. What cultural contexts give rise to these radical protests? How effectively do they confront the gendered violence perpetrated by the state and challenge the patriarchal narratives that perpetuate such violence on a broader scale? These questions are crucial for understanding the impact of women's activism in transforming societal perceptions of gender and power