OBJECTIFICATION AND SUPPRESSION OF WOMEN IN TWILIGHT IN DELHI: A MARXIST FEMINIST READING

Abstract

This research explores the victimization and objectification of women in Ahmad Ali’s novel Twilight in Delhi from a Marxist feminist perspective. The theory states that the main cause of women’s oppression and discrimination is capitalism. In Twilight in Delhi, patriarchal practices are evident in the societal expectations imposed on women. Educational opportunities for women are restricted, and they also face many challenges, such as restrictions on personal freedom; women have no right to choose their own marriage. In Twilight in Delhi, women are portrayed as objects, viewed by men as possessions to be owned and controlled. Women occupy a disadvantaged position in society, often under the leadership of men. Their actions are restricted by the authority of their husbands or brothers, whereas men have the freedom to disregard the wishes of their wives, sisters, and mothers due to their dominant societal role. The society is manufactured by men and characterized by oppression and depression. Women are suppressed by men throughout the novel. The novel reflects the decline of traditional Muslim culture and aristocracy, and it depicts that women were objectified through traditional gender roles and that their rights were restricted by societal norms in the early 20th century in colonial India.