Volume II, Issue V, May 2026
Volume-II, Issue-V, May, 2026 |
Received: 22.05.2026 | Accepted: 27.05.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.05.2026 | Page No: 2145-2152 | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.05W.476 | |||
স্তনদায়িনী: একটি নিবিড় পাঠ ও প্রতিক্রিয়া ড. অপর্ণা দেব, সহকারী অধ্যাপক, বাংলা বিভাগ, সন্তোষ কুমার রায় মহাবিদ্যালয়, হাইলাকান্দি, অসম, ভারত |
'Breast-Giver': A Critical Reading and Reflection
Dr. Aparna Dev, Assistant Professor, Department of Bengali, Santosh Kumar Roy College, Hailakandi, Assam, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
In her renowned short story 'Stanadayini' the acclaimed writer Mahasweta Devi vividly illuminates the position of women within a patriarchal social order through the life of Yashoda. Social and cultural norms often make women’s exploitation appear natural by presenting caregiving and maternal labour as duties rather than valuable work. This paper examines Mahasweta Devi’s Stanadayini (Breast-Giver) from a feminist perspective to explore how women’s labour and bodies are exploited within patriarchal society. Using close textual analysis, the study investigates the experiences of Jashoda, whose maternal labour sustains both her family and the Haldar household. The analysis reveals that Jashoda’s motherhood and bodily labour are celebrated as noble sacrifices while being exploited for the benefit of others. She accepts her suffering as a social responsibility, which conceals the unequal power structures that depend on her labour. The paper critique of patriarchal values that romanticize women's sacrifice and normalise their exploitation. | ||
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