Psychological Scripts and Gender Roles in Perumal Murugan’s Narratives

Abstract

This study examines the influence of society’s gender roles and the deep-seated cultural norms followed by communities in India, and how these factors affect the psyche of individuals living in closely knit communities. The study will closely analyse the chosen texts, One Part Woman, A Lonely Harvest and Trial by Silence, using Transactional Analysis Theory. Drawing on Dr. Eric Berne’s Transactional Analysis theory, the paper will explore the Adult, Parent and Child ego states of the characters and how they affect their behaviours, to show that these behaviours are a result of deeply rooted belief systems followed by cultures and also study the influence that they have in shaping Adult, Child and Parent ego states. The life scripts of the characters are analysed using sex-role scripting introduced by Hogie Wycoff. The paper focuses on understanding Perumal Murugan’s selected texts as representations of psychological conditioning that normalise their endurance.