The construction of a madwoman in the attic: A re-reading of aparna sen’s parama

Abstract

The identification of madness as feminine has been an age old practice whose reflection is found in literary texts. The present essay is an attempt to understand the politics behind the construction of the madwoman in a patriarchal society. As it’s primary text, it has taken a Bengali movie, Parama, directed by Aparna Sen which deals with the process which leads to the victimization of the protagonist as she chooses to question social norms. She is gradually segregated from the mainstream society and identified as a woman with little sanity. Taking this process as it’s key pointer, the paper intends to read the film text and lay bare the politics of marginalising women as mad and thereby stifling their voices.