Author(s): Muhammad Ramzan, Kashif Ahmad, Noor Muhammad

Abstract: The theme of forced marriage in Rabindranath Tagore's short stories Subha and The Wife's Letter shall be analyzed on the backdrop of a feminist perspective. The paper seeks to explore the manner in which the narratives represent the emotional and psychological consequences that women suffer in forced marriages and, thereby further underlines the systemic oppression engineered by patriarchal norms. In Subha, the protagonist's silence signified that women's voices were silenced and, therefore, heard less. On the other hand, in The Wife's Letter, the struggle with the demands and expectations of society by Mrinal manifests strong autonomy. Themes concerning consent, autonomy, and gender dynamics are analyzed through feminist literary criticism, thus providing new insights into the portrayal of oppressive practices through Tagore's works. Findings of the study, rather dehumanize the forced marriages, and at the same time, gives the transformative potential of women's agency in resisting such patriarchal structures. Therefore, this research contributes to the feminist literary criticism discourse and gives a flavor of why Tagore's works endure so well as an answer to issues within contemporary society about gender inequality and women's rights. Through a close analysis of these stories, the study suggests that there be social reforms towards women's liberation and dignity.

Keywords: Rabindranath Tagore, forced marriage, feminist literary criticism, Subha, The Wife’s Letter, gender roles, emotional trauma, patriarchal oppression, women’s autonomy, South Asian literature

Article Info: Received: 14 Sep 2025; Received in revised form: 11 Oct 2025; Accepted: 15 Oct 2025; Available online: 23 Oct 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.105.72