Reflections on the Interconnectedness of Narrative Strategies and Identity Crisis in Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe

Abstract

Women experience subjugation, suppression, discrimination, and marginalization within patriarchal societies. Anita Nair's literary works explore the varied roles that women assume in their everyday existence and their challenges in the process of self-exploration. Anita Nair's first novel, Ladies Coupe, explores the protagonist's psychology and examines the suppression of women's identity in Indian society through her storytelling technique. To address the unfortunate situation of women, Nair briefly focuses on the condition of contemporary women in a culture dominated by men and their suffering due to the institution of marriage. The objective of this article is to examine the narrative tactics and strategies utilized in the novel Ladies Coupe. Nair's narration serves as a critique of gender norms and the subjugation of women inside a patriarchal culture. She focused her plot narration strategies on depicting women as independent, strong, and outspoken which reflects her changed role from the traditional norm. This paper tries to explore the different narrative techniques subtly interwoven into the texture and structure of her novel Ladies Coupe.