Gender, Identity, and Agency in the Fiction of Sudha Murty

Abstract

Sudha Murty’s fiction offers a compelling exploration of gender, identity, and agency within the framework of everyday life. Her narratives, though simple in style, engage deeply with the lived realities of women negotiating patriarchal structures. This paper examines how Murty represents women’s struggles, their subtle forms of resistance, and their journeys toward self-realization. Drawing on feminist literary theories alongside close textual reading, the study argues that Murty constructs womanhood not through overt rebellion but through resilience, moral clarity, and gradual self-awareness. Her work foregrounds voices that are often overlooked, thereby contributing meaningfully to the representation of women in contemporary Indian literature.