Author(s): Ayushi Siddharth, Dr. Neeru Varshney

Abstract: This paper discusses patriarchy and female subordination in the selected works of R.K. Narayan who is one of the most glorified English-language novelists of India. Based on novels like The Dark Room, The English Teacher, and The Painter of Signs, the paper will examine how Narayan gives a picture of the social, cultural and domestic framework that tends to disenfranchise women within postcolonial Indian society. This paper will discuss that although Narayan does not identify himself as a feminist author, his subtle characterizations unwillingly reveal and criticize gender dynamics of oppression inherent in the traditional Indian society. The analysis is done through a feminist approach to explore the structural elements of male domination, forced domesticity, suffering without reaction and the lack of control of the women in the fictional town of Malgudi. Placing his narratives in the larger socio-cultural contexts, this work will add to the current academic debates concerning the topic of gender, identity, and resistance in South Asian literature. The special focus is on women characters like Savitri, Susila and Rosie whose plights throw light on the strong patriarchal principles according to which their lives, relationships, and desires are determined.

Keywords: Patriarchy, female subordination, male domination, Malgudi, womanhood, traditional values, domestic oppression.

Article Info: Received: 30 Apr 2026; Received in revised form: 23 May 2026; Accepted: 26 May 2026; Available online: 30 May 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.113.35