FIR Reading Blog #7

Title: Witch (Bayen) from the book "Asian Women in Literature"

Author: Mahasveta Devi

Date: August 8, 2010

No. of pages: 11 pages

Time alloted in reading: 1 hour

Summary

In a tribal society steeped in superstition, the spells of witches often are blamed for stubborn illnesses, a stroke of bad luck, the drying up of wells, crop failure or the inability to give birth to a son. But social analysts and officials said that superstition and faith in witchcraft often are a ploy for carrying out violence against women. In the play, Chandi is separated from her husband and son when she is accused of being a Bayen, a women who breastfeeds dead children and has the ability to curse others. The villagers are afraid to kill a Bayen, and instead imprison her in a small hut by the railroad tracks. Chandi is labeled as a Bayen after several village children die of disease. Since she works in a burial ground and is, at the time, lactating her breast while digging the graves of children, Chandi is singled out as a Bayen by the community. Chandi is forced to stay in this condition because of the surveillance of the village hence, deviation from expectations of social norms is monitored through the understanding that one is constantly subject to the observation of those around them. Chandi is repeatedly reminded not set her eyes upon anyone in the village, as she supposedly has the “evil eye”. Her inability to stare upon the village, as they constantly monitor her exemplifies this idea of punishment. She is constantly subject to the gaze of those who seek to control her, yet she has no means of knowing when she is being monitored and whether any violation of her imprisonment will have any repercussions. Chandi turns her back to her ex-husband when she has been conditioned to ensure that she does not set her eyes upon him or their child. It is only after her death at the end of the play, when Bhagirath, her son publicly decries her treatment that the villagers are willing to accept that she is not a Bayen. This affirmation of her motherhood posthumously (occurring or continuing after death) removes her status of Bayen, but of course, at this point it is too late to have any significance. Despite the fact that she is dead, this reaffirms that the denial of Chandi’s motherhood is fundamental to the construction of her subaltern status.

Insight

The novel demonstrates the transformation of a working class woman into a public scapegoat (the one who suffers in place of others) and ultimately, a subaltern woman with no bodily or social agency. The play demonstrates the way that her subaltern status is constructed by the society around her. The need for a scapegoat combined with inherent gender bias supports the transformation of Chandi into a subaltern. She is forced to accept the constraints and restrictions of this condition because of fear of violent retaliation from the community, all of who collectively have control over her life. Her subaltern status denies her access to her child, and thus, her inability to fulfil the role of mother further preserves her position as a subaltern. The depiction of Chandi as a “subaltern woman” reveals that those with dominion power gain from the preservation of the status of subaltern women. Subalternity is strictly constructed by society, and that the plight of these individuals advantageously serves those with dominion power. By presenting the plight of subalternity through this literay piece, there is hope that the plight of women like Chandi will create considerable drive for social change, as often, those who view these texts are complicit (aware and has the ability to report such incident) in the subalternity of women. This also has something to do with exploitation and cruel disciplines associated with subalternity, and are thus essential for any understanding of the plight of Chandi as a disempowered individual.

The depiction of Chandi as a “subaltern woman” reveals that those with dominion power gain from the preservation of the status of subaltern women. Subalternity is strictly constructed by society, and that the plight of these individuals advantageously serves those with dominion power. By presenting the plight of subalternity through this literay piece, there is hope that the plight of women like Chandi will create considerable drive for social change, as often, those who view these texts are complicit (aware and has the ability to report such incident) in the subalternity of women.