Burdened Lives: Dual Marginalization in Imayam’s Narrative

Abstract

Imayam is a prominent writer who narrates the contemporary social and economic conflicts in the society. His works concentrate on caste, honour-killing, inter and caste discrimination, violence and dominance on women. Imayam’s The Beast of Burden is the portrayal of marginalization of Dalit people by the upper layer of Dalit community people. The aim of this research article is to bring out the double oppression experienced by the Vannar community people into light. The center of the research is to uncover how the Vannar caste is repressed by the people of dominant caste and of their own caste. An analysis on the social and economic struggle faced by the protagonist Arokkyam, a Vannathi woman is the vital focus of this article. The tireless hardship of Arokkyam to raise her three children and safeguard her family is illustrated by the novelist Imayam. He has showcased how Arokkyam struggles to protect her family and keep her family united amidst the caste and identity issues. The Intra-caste suppression faced by Arokkyam, her family and Vannar community people is explored in detail. The research article exemplifies how lower caste women are harassed by the male dominant society.