Subjugation and Resistance: A Feminist Reading of The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty

Abstract

Mythological narratives such as the Mahabharata have long functioned as cultural texts that transmit moral, ethical, and social values across generations. However, these narratives are deeply embedded within patriarchal frameworks that privilege male heroism and marginalize female voices. Women are frequently portrayed as passive figures—obedient daughters, devoted wives, or sacrificial mothers—whose identities are shaped by male authority. In this context, contemporary Indian English writers like Kavita Kane play a crucial role in revisiting and rewriting these narratives to foreground the voices of marginalized female characters. In The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty, Kane reconstructs the character of Satyavati, traditionally viewed as ambitious and morally ambiguous, into a powerful and complex woman navigating systems of oppression. As Jerlin Flower S and N. Sowmia Kumar observe, “women are often denied the freedom to express themselves in a world dominated by men” (Flower and Kumar 1). Kane’s narrative challenges this silencing by granting Satyavati a voice that articulates both her suffering and her aspirations. The novel functions not merely as a retelling but as a revisionist intervention that questions dominant patriarchal ideologies. It highlights the processes through which women are “oppressed, marginalized, and subjugated” while also demonstrating their capacity for resistance and transformation (Flower and Kumar 1). Through a feminist lens, Satyavati’s life becomes a site of negotiation between subjugation and resistance. Kavita Kane’s The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty presents Satyavati as a multifaceted feminist figure whose life embodies both systemic subjugation and strategic resistance; through her assertion of sexual autonomy, political ambition, and social agency, she challenges patriarchal norms while simultaneously exposing the complexities and contradictions of power within oppressive structures