A Feminist Reading of Female Characters in Anita Nair's The Puffin Book of Magical Indian Myths

Abstract

This research article will study at the female figures in Anita Nair’s The Puffin Book of Magical Indian Myths from a feminist point of view. This paper will also argue on how Nair breaks down patriarchal narratives by rewriting traditional Indian folk tales and gives a more complex look at women’s power and identity. By looking at the main roles of gods, demons, and normal women again, the analysis shows that these roles can be seen as feminine archetypes that Nair breaks or disrupts as the passive damsel or the evil temptress. The main intention of this paper is about how Nair gives voice to figures who have been silenced or pushed to the edges of original mythologies. The story is about power, struggle, and being determined to do what one want. The female characters show what drives them and what their inner lives are like. Feminist literary theory will be used to break down the gender roles in the study, with a focus on how the stories were told from the point of view of the women who lived in them. Further this study gives a hint that Nair’s collection is not just a new version of old stories, but a major contribution to the study of women’s roles in Indian writing. In order to appeal to modern readers, it retells old stories in a new, positive way. It also shows how myths and folktales show women to be powerful.