Infertility, Patriarchy, and
the Social Subjugation of Women in Madhorubagan: Lineage
over Love
M. Revathy¹*, P. Sowmya², K.
Tamilarasi³
ABSTRACT
Madhorubagan (One Part Woman) by PerumalMurugan is a compelling examination of social expectations, gender discrimination, infertility, and the repressive systems ingrained in conventional culture. The story, which is set in the rural Kongu district of Tamil Nadu, depicts the emotional and psychological challenges faced by Kali and Ponna, a devoted couple whose marriage comes under public scrutiny because they are unable to conceive. The story demonstrates how infertility is a societal stigma that disproportionately affects women in addition to being a biological problem. Murugan illustrates the humiliation, marginalization, and psychological agony endured by women whose value is determined by childbearing through the figure of Ponna. By emphasizing all of the responsibility for reproduction on women, the book further demonstrates how patriarchal society, traditions, and religious beliefs perpetuate gender disparity. The study looks at how inheritance and lineage support social pressure, showing how the need for heirs makes childlessness a social issue rather than a personal one. Additionally, the article examines the conflict between personal desire and societal norms, emphasizing how social meddling progressively erodes Kali and Ponna's emotional closeness. This study makes the case that Madhorubagan reveals how patriarchy, property, ancestry, and tradition interact to shape women's lives by drawing on feminist literary criticism and sociocultural analysis. Because it captures the ongoing reality of gender discrimination and reproductive expectations in many countries, Murugan's work is still relevant in the twenty-first century. In the end, the work is a critique of social mechanisms that value motherhood over womanhood and ancestry over human dignity.
Keywords: infertility, patriarchy, lineage, gender discrimination, motherhood, social pressure, Perumal Murugan, feminism.
