Addressing Gender and War in Sudha Murthy’s Novel “House of Cards”

Abstract

The Purpose of the Paper is to Study the Gender and War in Sudha Murthy’s Novel House of Cards. Several Indian novelists exposed the real picture of Indian Society and how women are oppressed. Indian English novels revealed the struggle of Indian women to create their own identity. House of Cards is the story of Mridula, a bright young woman with enormous enthusiasm for life who hails from a Karnataka village. A chance meeting with Sanjay, a talented but impoverished doctor, leads to love and the couple marry and settle in Bangalore. The more Mridula sees of the world, the more she realizes how selfish and materialistic people can be, but she does not take the ups and downs of life to heart and lives each day with positive energy. Trouble brews when Sanjay quits his government job and starts an immensely successful private practice. With affluence come the neverending ambition for more and the inevitable slide into corrupt practices. For a long time, Mridula has no idea that Sanjay has sold his soul. When the truth hits her, she has no recourse but to walk out on him, but can she really find a space of her own? This intricately woven novel explores human relationships in telling detail and holds up a mirror to our society with candour and with conviction.