Delineation of Male Characters: A Meninism Perspective in Kiran Nagarkar’s Jasoda

Abstract

Gender norms have been examined as a women's issue in the 21^st century. While the position of men is always problematic, they appear to be the cause of the protagonist's hardships in fiction. The intersection of patriarchy in fiction demeans mature male characters and asserts that males are the source of oppressive hegemonic masculinity. The modern society must recognise neglected masculine characters in literature. The primary objective of this paper is to highlight the neglected gender in society and literature. Meninism is underrepresented and functions in isolation, even in literature, and this must be acknowledged. The female characters in Jasoda by Kiran Nagarkar are powerful, independent, and supportive, but the male characters are hegemonic and dominant. In novels that focus on women, the male position of privilege is emphasised while the expectations he carries go unacknowledged. Despite increased freedom in society, gender equality is affected by societal misunderstandings about meninism. Gender equality focuses on the oppression of women, while society ignores the suffering of the other gender. This study is an attempt to express the unspoken grief of masculine identity in women-centric literature.