Myth as New Voice of Feminism: A Study of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s the Palace of Illusion

Abstract

Writers are constantly lookout for new ideas to integrate into their upcoming projects. Myth exists as a supportive topic that gives the depicted literacy works a huge sense and connection. The usage of myth in English literature has a long and storied history. Reciting mythological stories and conducting reactionary research on mythical stories and characters has now emerged as a new area of research. Feminist, social, and psychodynamic techniques were used by writers to evaluate mythical stories. The stories and characters of the major ancient epic Mahabharata are given new meanings.The epic’s female protagonists are portrayed as perfect examples of endurance and tolerance.  Women, on the other hand, are held at the bottom of the social hierarchy.  Their presence is downplayed and ignored. However modern writers have redefined, revamped, and reinvented the female protagonists, by giving them a new voice by constructing them powerful, defiant, and self-reliant. ‘The Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni recounts the story of Draupadi, an exceptional woman. She is the heroine of the novel. Divakaruni, who endowed Mahabharata with the qualities of a woman by telling the story from Draupadi’s perspective,In this case, myth acts as an open forum for women to share their suppressed cries, lifeless dreams, and suppressed emotions. Draupadi’s life and struggles serve as a metaphor for all women, who are all “unexpected” and “uninvited” into this world.