Author(s): Anjali Kadian

Abstract: This paper explores the psychological struggles of female characters in Indira Goswami's The Blue-necked God through the lens of Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory. Central to the analysis is the concept of identity formation as shaped by societal constraints, particularly in a patriarchal order. Saudamini, Sashiprova, Mrinalini, and the maternal figures—Anupama and Mrinalini's mother—are examined through Lacan’s key ideas: the mirror stage, symbolic order, lack, and the Real. The characters’ identities are defined by external reflections of widowhood, spinsterhood, and motherhood, causing deep internal splits between their desires and societal expectations. By applying Lacanian theory, this paper reveals how societal structures exacerbate the mental anguish of these women, leaving them in states of profound alienation and despair.

Keywords: mirror stage, lack, desire, the real, widowhood, depression

Article Info: Received: 15 Sep 2024; Received in revised form: 12 Oct 2024; Accepted: 19 Oct 2024; Available online: 23 Oct 2024

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.95.51