Author: Mrs. S. Sangeetha, Dr. M. Aarthika

Abstract: Sudha Murthy’s Mahashweta intricately explores the tension between individual identity and the socially constructed forces that shape and often suppress it.Moreover, it reveals the strict determinism of Indian patriarchal hierarchies based on class, caste, beauty, and gender via the heroine Anupama's path from social exaltation to ostracism and ultimately self-realization. This paper looks at how Murthy presents social determinism that reveals and constrains the process of identity creation. It explores the woman protagonist’s psychological transformation throughalienation, empowerment and rejection using Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory of identity development. In addition, it reveals that the author turns into a symbol of defiance against societal destiny. Therefore, the article shows how moral strength and self-awareness exceed deterministic constraints, even when identity is shaped by social circumstances.

Keywords: Social determinism; identity, patriarchy, resilience, self-realization

Article Info: Received: 15 Oct 2025; Received in revised form: 12 Nov 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025; Available online: 22 Nov 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.106.24