Author(s): Pavitar Bulla, Dr. Priyanka Singla

Abstract: “The Ultrasound” is a short story by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni from her book Arranged Marriage: Stories (1995) which deals with the intersections of reproductive technology, patriarchy, and female agency. The story traces how medical knowledge gets tied up with the cultural expectations of gender, motherhood, and eugenic desire for male children through the experiences of Anju and Runu. This study examines the story through Michel Foucault’s notion of biopower, feminist notions of bodily autonomy, and Adrienne Rich’s distinction between motherhood as experience and as an institution. The ultrasound in the story is used as a narrative device, and the female body is presented as an object to be observed, interpreted and controlled in terms of reproduction. Anju’s experiences in the United States and Runu’s experiences in India are presented by highlighting the relationship between cultural expectations, family authority, and reproductive freedom. The paper indicates that technological progress does not necessarily lead to female autonomy, and female solidarity and resistance open up opportunities to recover the agency of reproduction.

Keywords: Ultrasound; Biopower; Reproductive Technology; Female Agency; Bodily Autonomy.

Article Info: Received: 03 Oct 2026; Received in revised form: 30 Oct 2026; Accepted: 02 Nov 2026; Available online: 08 Nov 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.116.11