The Intersection of Masculinity and Rape Culture: Studying the Novel The Temple Bar Woman in feminist lens
Author(s): Sandya Velumani, Dr. Pavithra Balasundararaj
Authors Affiliations:
Sandya Velumani
PhD Research Scholar, Department of English,
PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore.
Mail: Ssandyaharshu@gmail.com
Dr. Pavithra Balasundararaj
Associate Professor, Department of English,
PSG College of Arts and Science, India.
DOIs:10.2017/IJRCS/202502013 | Paper ID: IJRCS202502013The novel The Temple Bar Woman by Sujatha Parashar published in 2018 serves as a literary depiction of the occurrence of rape and its aftereffects in current Indian culture. The protagonist of the novel, Radha, is abducted, raped, and thereafter confined to an upmarket brothel known as the Temple Bar. The work exhibits the factors behind the causality of rape as an event of exerting power through masculinity by the perpetrator. Susan Brownmiller's theory redefined rape as a tool of patriarchal oppression rather than a simple expression of human desire, challenging dominant perceptions and examining sexual violence throughout history and cultures. The primary cause contributing to Radha's rape in the story is the patriarchal dominance of the perpetrators, further exacerbated by their influence in the political system. The paper seeks to examine the rape culture that powers perpetrators’ masculinity and to show how Radha tackles her life as a survivor following the rape crime from a feminist point of view.
Sandya Velumani, Dr. Pavithra Balasundararaj(2025); The Intersection of Masculinity and Rape Culture: Studying the Novel The Temple Bar Woman in feminist lens, International Journal of Research Culture Society, ISSN(O): 2456-6683, Volume – 9, Issue – 2., Pp.80-83. Available on – https://ijrcs.org/
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