Women and Gender in Graphic Novels: An Analysis of Amruta Patil's Kari

Abstract

The history of human kind has crossed ages, reaching every generation through stories. These pictures appended with verbal comments or conversations exhibit a remarkable impact on people. The outcome of this amalgamation has resulted in the emergence of a sub-genre of the novel, termed graphic narratives. Though not popular as the other sub-genres, graphic narratives depict various themes of human life. This paper aims to analyse women and gender in a select Indian graphic novel, focusing on gender theory. The novel chosen for study is Amruta Patil’s Kari, the study analyses the novel in the light of heterosexual matrix and gender performativity theory by Judith Butler. Hailed as the first Indian graphic novel by a woman, the novel Kari, depicts the life of a homosexual queer and her struggles to confirm within the spheres of a heterosexual society. As the study of gender is multi-dimensional in nature, the attempt of using this theory in one field will contribute to other areas as well. The study attempts to have a look at the various ways in which women characters emerge in the graphic novels contributing to the growth of female empowerment.