📄 Abstract
This paper examines the renowned Assamese folk tale Tejeemolã by Lakshminãth Bezbaroã through the philosophical framework of Simone de Beauvoir. In her seminal work The Second Sex, Beauvoir asserts that society categorizes men as the "Subject" which views them as agents of their own destiny, while it relegates women to the position of the "Other," as existing primarily in relation to men. The analysis highlights how Tejeemolã is consistently denied individuality, that she is defined solely by her roles as a daughter or stepdaughter. The incident where her stepmother kills her using a rice pounder (dhekee), serves as a metaphor for the oppressive force of patriarchal norms, which destroy a womans sovereignty and obstructs her capacity for action. Even in her reappearance as elements of nature, such as plants or flowers, Tejeemolã remains passive and incapable of influencing her own fate. The paper concludes that Tejeemolã's eventual restoration to human form is entirely dependent on her fathers intervention, which informs of her lack of agency over her own identity. Through a close reading of this folk tale, the study reveals how traditional narratives can subtly reinforce societal expectations for women to embody passivity as well as dependence on male authority.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Ankur Goswami, Dr. Sanghamitra Roy , GENDER ROLES AND PATRIARCHAL IDEOLOGY IN LAKSHMINÃTH BEZBAROÃS ASSAMESE FOLKTALE TEJEEMOLÃ: A FEMINIST READING THROUGH SIMONE DE BEAUVOIRS THE SECOND SEX , Volume 12 , Issue 5, May 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) ,