Assignment Contemporary Literature
Gender and Sexual Identity in Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: A Cixousian Perspective on Hijra Resistance and Self-Transformation
Table of Contents
Personal Information
Introduction
Arundhati Roy: A Literary and Political Icon
About Novel
A Cixousian Analysis o Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Gender and Sexual Identity in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Resistance and Remaking of the Self in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Conclusion
Work Cited
Personal Information
Name: Kusum J. Sarvaiya
Batch: 2023-25
Semester : 4
Roll no. : 17
Enrollment Number : 5108230041
Paper: 207: Contemporary Literatures in English:
Topic: Gender and Sexual Identity in Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: A Cixousian Perspective on Hijra Resistance and Self-Transformation
Email : kusumsarvaiya2304@gamil.com
Introduction:
Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is a powerful exploration of gender, identity, and resistance, particularly through the experiences of the Hijra community. The novel challenges traditional gender binaries and societal exclusion, focusing on Anjum’s journey of self-reclamation. Drawing from Hélène Cixous’s feminist theories, particularly écriture féminine and the rejection of patriarchal structures, the novel presents identity as fluid and self-defined. Through a fragmented narrative and shifting perspectives, Roy not only critiques systemic oppression but also highlights the resilience of marginalized individuals. This analysis examines how The Ministry of Utmost Happiness queers identity, portrays Hijra existence as a form of resistance, and aligns with Cixous’s ideas on writing as liberation.
Arundhati Roy: A Literary and Political Icon
Arundhati Roy is a renowned Indian writer and activist known for her lyrical prose and bold socio-political critiques. She gained international fame with The God of Small Things (1997), which won the Booker Prize, and later expanded her influence through activism and political essays.
Early Life and Background
Born on November 24, 1961, in Shillong, Meghalaya, Roy was raised in Kerala by her mother, Mary Roy, a social activist. She studied architecture in Delhi, where she developed an interest in storytelling.
Literary Career
The God of Small Things (1997)
A semi-autobiographical novel set in Kerala, exploring caste, forbidden love, and political unrest. It won the Man Booker Prize, making Roy an international literary star.
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)
A politically charged novel about gender identity, religious conflict, and marginalized communities, featuring Anjum, a Hijra protagonist. It reflects her activist concerns and experimental storytelling.
Political Activism
Roy is a vocal critic of capitalism, nationalism, and environmental destruction. She has:
Opposed large-scale development projects like the Narmada Dam.
Advocated for Kashmir’s right to self-determination, facing sedition charges.
Criticized Hindu nationalism and religious intolerance.
Major Works
Fiction: The God of Small Things (1997), The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017).
Non-Fiction: The Cost of Living (1999), The Algebra of Infinite Justice (2002), Capitalism: A Ghost Story (2014), Azadi (2020).
Writing Style and Themes
Poetic, non-linear storytelling blending the personal and political.
Themes of gender, caste, religious conflict, and environmental justice.
Impact and Legacy
Roy remains a literary and political force, challenging power structures and giving voice to the marginalized. Her work continues to inspire debates on justice, identity, and resistance.
About Novel:
Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) is a powerful novel that explores identity, displacement, and resistance in contemporary India. The story revolves around Anjum, a Hijra (transgender woman), who leaves her home and finds refuge in a graveyard, turning it into a sanctuary for society’s outcasts. Parallelly, Tilo (S. Tilottama), an architect connected to the Kashmir conflict, navigates personal and political struggles through her relationships with Musa, Naga, and Biplab.
Roy blends poetic prose with political critique, addressing religious intolerance, caste discrimination, and state violence. The novel’s non-linear structure, shifting perspectives, and fragmented storytelling make it an intense yet thought-provoking read. Despite mixed reviews on its unconventional style, it was widely praised for its bold commentary on India's most pressing issues.
Ultimately, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is more than a novel—it is a testament to resilience. Through the lives of Anjum, Tilo, and other marginalized characters, Roy challenges mainstream narratives and highlights the hidden struggles of the oppressed, making it a significant work in contemporary literature.
A Cixousian Analysis o Ministry of Utmost Happiness
This analysis applies Hélène Cixous’s feminist theories to Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, focusing on the resistance and self-remaking of marginalized identities, particularly the Hijra community.
Overview of Hélène Cixous’s Feminist Theories
Hélène Cixous, a French feminist theorist, is best known for her concept of écriture féminine, which promotes a form of writing that breaks away from patriarchal structures and embraces fluid, unrestricted expression. She challenges binary oppositions (male/female, rational/emotional, strong/weak) that reinforce hierarchical power structures and argues for a self-redefining, transformative identity that resists rigid categorization.
Écriture Féminine: Feminine Writing and Expression
Cixous encourages a literary style that rejects traditional, masculine forms of writing and instead embraces emotion, fluidity, and multiplicity. Roy’s novel mirrors this through its non-linear narrative, shifting perspectives, and poetic prose, which challenge conventional storytelling and reflect the fragmented experiences of marginalized individuals.
Rejection of Patriarchal Binaries
Cixous critiques the rigid gender binaries that define identity within patriarchal structures. In The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Anjum’s journey as a Hijra directly challenges these binaries. Born as Aftab and later embracing her identity as Anjum, she exists beyond the traditional male/female divide, embodying the fluid, non-binary existence that Cixous envisions.
Self-Remaking and Resistance
Cixous’s theories emphasize self-creation as an act of defiance against social norms. Anjum’s transformation—leaving her family, living in the Khwabgah (Hijra community), and later creating her own space in a graveyard—symbolizes this process of self-remaking. She reclaims agency in a world that marginalizes her, illustrating Cixous’s idea that rewriting one’s own identity is a form of resistance.
Application to Non-Binary and Marginalized Identities
The Hijra community, historically excluded and oppressed, embodies Cixous’s call for liberation from restrictive identities. Roy’s portrayal of Anjum and other marginalized characters aligns with Cixous’s belief that identity should be fluid and self-defined. By embracing their own narratives and resisting imposed categories, they challenge the patriarchal and heteronormative structures that seek to erase them.
Through a Cixousian lens, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness becomes a powerful exploration of alternative identities, resistance, and self-expression, making it a crucial text in feminist and queer literary discourse.
Gender and Sexual Identity in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness presents a complex exploration of gender and sexual identity, particularly through the representation of the Hijra community. The novel challenges rigid gender norms and highlights the struggles of those who exist outside traditional societal definitions.
One of the most striking aspects of the novel is its representation of the Hijra community, which has historically been marginalized in India. Through the character of Anjum, Roy offers an intimate portrayal of the challenges faced by Hijras, including discrimination, exclusion, and the search for belonging. Anjum, born as Aftab, gradually embraces her identity as a Hijra, leaving behind her family and joining the Khwabgah, a home for Hijras. However, even within this space, she struggles with internal and external conflicts, eventually seeking independence by building her own sanctuary in a graveyard. Her journey reflects the intersection of gender identity, social exclusion, and resilience.
The novel also queers identity by portraying gender as fluid and performative. Anjum’s life challenges the rigid categories of male and female, illustrating that identity is shaped by self-perception rather than biological determinism. Her struggle between cultural identity and self-definition reflects the broader difficulties faced by non-binary and gender-nonconforming individuals. Rather than conforming to societal expectations, Anjum carves out her own space, symbolizing resistance and the possibility of self-reinvention.
Roy’s depiction of gender and sexual identity in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness aligns with contemporary queer and feminist theories that emphasize the fluidity of gender. By centering the Hijra experience, the novel not only brings visibility to an often-overlooked community but also challenges conventional narratives about identity and belonging. Through Anjum’s journey, Roy creates a powerful critique of societal norms and a celebration of those who redefine themselves on their own terms.
Resistance and Remaking of the Self in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness presents identity as an act of resistance, particularly through the experiences of Anjum, a Hijra who challenges societal norms and redefines her existence. The novel highlights how marginalized individuals resist oppression by creating spaces of belonging and asserting their own narratives.
Anjum’s Hijra identity itself becomes a form of resistance against the rigid structures of gender and social exclusion. Born as Aftab but identifying as female, Anjum defies traditional binaries, rejecting both societal expectations and biological determinism. She first finds refuge in the Khwabgah, a communal space for Hijras, but later moves to a graveyard, where she builds a new sanctuary. Both the Khwabgah and the graveyard serve as sites of resistance and reclamation, spaces where the marginalized create their own rules and find solidarity. By transforming a place of death into a home, Anjum symbolically asserts life and agency in the face of exclusion.
From a Cixousian perspective, the novel also aligns with Hélène Cixous’s concept of feminine writing and self-expression. Cixous advocates for a literary style that breaks away from patriarchal constraints, embracing fluidity and emotional depth. Roy’s fragmented narrative, poetic prose, and shifting perspectives mirror this approach, offering a form of storytelling that resists rigid structures. Moreover, storytelling itself plays a crucial role in Anjum’s self-remaking. By reclaiming her own narrative and forging a new identity outside societal norms, she embodies Cixous’s belief that self-expression is an act of liberation.
Through Anjum’s journey, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness illustrates how identity is not just imposed but can be actively reshaped. The novel presents resistance as both a personal and collective act, showing that self-definition and the creation of alternative spaces are powerful forms of defiance against oppression.
Conclusion:
Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness challenges rigid gender norms and highlights the struggles of marginalized communities, particularly through Anjum’s journey of self-reclamation. The novel aligns with Hélène Cixous’s ideas on feminine writing, using fluid storytelling to resist patriarchal constraints. By portraying identity as dynamic and self-defined, Roy presents resistance as both personal and collective. Ultimately, the novel is a powerful exploration of resilience, defiance, and the fight for belonging in a world that seeks to erase non-conforming identities.
Work Cited:
Anuar, Nur Ain Nasuha. “Gender and Sexual Identity in Arundhati Roy’s the Ministry ...” Researchgate, Dec. 2021, www.researchgate.net/publication/357125026_Gender_and_Sexual_Identity_in_Arundhati_Roy’s_The_Ministry_of_Utmost_Happiness_A_Cixousian_Analysis_of_Hijra’s_Resistance_and_Remaking_of_the_Self. Accessed 04 Apr. 2025.
Bhattacharjee , Urnesha, and Any Tikkanen. “Arundhati Roy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Feb. 2025, www.britannica.com/biography/Arundhati-Roy. Accessed 05 Apr. 2025.
Prakash , Dr. Nilima. “Ijfmr.” IJFMR , 2024, www.ijfmr.com/papers/2024/2/16279.pdf. Accessed 04 Apr. 2025.
Shibsankar , Mal. “The Hijras of India: A Marginal Community with Paradox... : Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry.” LWW, Mar. 2018, journals.lww.com/ijsp/fulltext/2018/34010/the_hijras_of_india__a_marginal_community_with.14.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 05 Apr. 2025.
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