Goddess of Revenge Part 2
Summary
TLDRThe lecture explores the narrative of 'Goddess of Revenge' by LJ, focusing on the character Tatri who, after being wronged, becomes a prostitute to exact vengeance on the men who abused her. Tatri gathers gifts from these men as evidence, leading to their banishment. The lecture delves into themes of gender discrimination, female sexual liberation, and the monstrous feminine, while also highlighting the narrator's neutrality and the societal restrictions faced by Brahman women. It raises questions about the impact of Tatri's actions on the community and the complex nature of revenge and justice.
Takeaways
- 📖 The lecture discusses the story of 'The Goddess of Revenge' by LJ, focusing on the character Tatri who seeks revenge against the men who wronged her.
- 🎭 Tatri transforms herself into a prostitute to gather evidence against the men who abused her, using gifts they gave her as proof of their encounters.
- 🕰 The story spans over five years, during which Tatri's husband unknowingly becomes one of her clients, only to be shocked when he discovers her true identity.
- 👥 Tatri names and provides evidence against 65 men, including close relatives, during a trial known as 'Smaranam', leading to their banishment from the community.
- 🤔 The lecture raises questions about gender discrimination and the societal expectations placed on women, regardless of their caste.
- 🚫 The story highlights the restrictions and lack of freedom faced by Brahman women, expected to remain confined and pure according to societal norms.
- 💔 Tatri's actions are a response to the sexual abuse she suffered, including by her husband's brother, and the silence of others who knew about it.
- 🔥 The theme of female sexual liberation is explored through Tatri's decision to become a prostitute, seeking to reclaim her sexuality and autonomy.
- 🗡️ Tatri is portrayed as a 'fatal woman', using her beauty and sexuality as weapons to avenge the abuse she endured, reflecting the concept of the 'monstrous feminine'.
- 👩💼 The narrator, Ljamb, maintains a neutral stance, stating that the means do not justify the end, and does not fully support Tatri's actions.
- 🌐 The story touches on broader themes of gender inequality, societal norms, and the struggle for women to find their voice and agency within a patriarchal system.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the lecture on 'The Goddess of Revenge'?
-The main theme of the lecture is the story of Tatri, a woman who seeks revenge against the men who have wronged her, including her husband and other Brahman men, by transforming herself into a prostitute and collecting gifts as evidence against them.
How does Tatri use her new identity as a prostitute to her advantage?
-Tatri uses her new identity to collect gifts from the men who visit her, which she later uses as evidence against them in a trial, exposing their hypocrisy and seeking justice for the abuse she and other women have suffered.
What is the significance of the gifts that Tatri receives from the men?
-The gifts, often imprinted with family names, serve as concrete proof of the men's actions and are used by Tatri to publicly shame and punish them in the trial.
How does Tatri's husband react when he discovers her true identity?
-Tatri's husband is shocked and surprised to learn that the woman he had been with is actually his wife, Tatri. He runs away from her, unable to reconcile the image of his wife with the prostitute he had just been with.
What is the role of the 'smaranam' in the story?
-The 'smaranam' is a trial where upper-caste Brahman men interact with a maid to communicate with the accused woman, in this case, Tatri. It is through this trial that Tatri names and provides evidence against the 65 men who had wronged her.
Why does the narrator, Ljamb, not take a clear stand on Tatri's actions?
-Ljamb does not take a clear stand possibly due to the societal constraints and expectations placed on women, especially Brahman women, to avoid controversial topics and the potential repercussions of supporting Tatri's actions.
What is the historical context of Tatri's story that is not explicitly mentioned in the script?
-The historical context includes Tatri's past abuse by multiple men, including her husband's brother, which led her to seek revenge and highlights the systemic sexual abuse and silencing of women in society.
How does the story reflect on the societal expectations and restrictions placed on Brahman women?
-The story shows how Brahman women are expected to adhere to strict societal norms, maintaining purity and confinement, which often leads to their oppression and stifling of their voices and freedom.
What is the concept of 'femal sexual liberation' as portrayed in Tatri's story?
-The concept of 'female sexual liberation' is portrayed through Tatri's decision to become a prostitute as a form of rebellion against societal norms and a way to reclaim her sexuality and autonomy.
What does the term 'Sadam' signify in the context of the story?
-The term 'Sadam,' translating to 'thing' in English, signifies the erasure of a woman's identity and name from history, particularly in the context of women who were put on trial or were considered impure by the Brahman community.
How does the story explore the idea of the 'monstrous feminine' or 'fatal woman'?
-The story explores this idea through Tatri's actions of weaponizing her beauty and sexuality to seek revenge against her abusers, embodying the image of a woman who uses her power to challenge and disrupt the patriarchal order.
Outlines
🔍 The Goddess of Revenge: Tatri's Transformation
This paragraph introduces the story of Tatri, who seeks revenge by transforming herself into a prostitute to punish the men who wronged her. She collects gifts from her clients as evidence of their encounters. After five years, her husband unknowingly becomes one of her clients and is shocked to discover her true identity. The paragraph sets the stage for a tale of betrayal, revenge, and the consequences of Tatri's actions on her community.
📖 The Silenced Voices: Tatri's Backstory and Impact
The second paragraph delves into Tatri's past, revealing that she was sexually abused by multiple men, including her husband's brother, and that the 65 men she named were all complicit in her suffering. The story also touches on the narrator's struggle to write about controversial topics due to societal expectations and the impact of Tatri's actions on Brahman women, who face increased restrictions as a result.
🌙 The Writer's Dilemma: Time, Space, and Cultural Constraints
This paragraph explores the narrator's personal challenges as a Brahman woman and writer, despite having the resources and a room of her own. She faces a lack of time due to her roles as a mother and wife, and societal expectations limit her ability to write freely. The paragraph also discusses the broader theme of gender discrimination and the plight of upper-caste women who are trapped by societal norms.
🚫 The Monstrous Feminine: Tatri's Weaponized Beauty and Sexual Liberation
The fourth paragraph examines Tatri's decision to become a prostitute as an act of sexual liberation and revenge against her abusers. It discusses the concept of the 'monstrous feminine' or 'fatal woman' as Tatri uses her beauty and sexuality as a weapon. The paragraph also touches on the historical erasure of women's names and identities in trials, referring to them as 'things' to be excluded from history.
🤔 The Neutral Narrator: Reflections on Patriarchy and Moral Ambiguity
The final paragraph concludes the story with the narrator's neutral stance on Tatri's actions, suggesting that the means do not justify the ends. It reflects on the broader themes of patriarchy, the narrator's aloofness, and the moral complexity of Tatri's revenge. The paragraph leaves the audience with questions about the consequences of Tatri's actions and the societal structures that perpetuate gender inequality.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Goddess of Revenge
💡Patriarchy
💡Prostitution
💡Sexual Abuse
💡Cultural Restrictions
💡Gender Discrimination
💡Smaranam
💡Monstrous Feminine
💡Female Sexual Liberation
💡The Other
💡Aloofness of the Narrator
Highlights
The Goddess of Revenge is a story narrated by Tatri to a narrator who may be a Brahman woman herself.
Tatri transforms herself into a prostitute to take revenge on men who have wronged her.
Tatri collects gifts from the men who visit her, which she later uses as evidence against them.
After five years, Tatri's husband unknowingly visits her and is shocked to discover her true identity.
The story reveals a trial where Tatri names and provides proof against 65 men, including her relatives, for their misconduct.
Tatri's actions lead to the banishment of the 65 men from the community, causing a significant upheaval.
The historical background of Tatri suggests she was abused by multiple men, motivating her quest for revenge.
The narrator, Ljamb, takes a neutral stance on Tatri's actions, suggesting the complexity of the situation.
The story reflects on the societal restrictions and expectations placed on Brahman women, contributing to their challenges.
Tatri's narrative explores themes of gender discrimination and the plight of upper-caste women.
The concept of female sexual liberation is presented through Tatri's decision to become a prostitute.
Tatri is portrayed as a 'monstrous feminine' figure, using her beauty and sexuality as a weapon against her abusers.
The term 'Sadam' or 'thing' is used to describe women who are ostracized and erased from history due to their actions.
Tatri's story ends with her leaving the community, signifying the narrator's aloofness and the unresolved issues of patriarchy.
The lecture discusses the impact of Tatri's actions on the Brahman community and the increased restrictions on women.
The narrator's struggle with time and societal expectations reflects the broader challenges faced by women writers.
The lecture concludes with an exploration of the themes of gender discrimination, female sexual liberation, and the monstrous feminine.
Transcripts
hello everyone so we'll continue with
our lecture on the goddess of Revenge
written by
LJ as we were discussing uh the story or
the story narrated by tatri to our
narrator who can be L beand of herself
so here theatri had transformed herself
into a prostitute and so she herself
says that the fame of this new harlet
spread far and wide those who came to
her went away gladdened and she did not
forget to persuade them to express their
satisfaction through gifts so whoever
had approached her used to give her
gifts either it might be some ornament
or sometimes it might be the cloth they
were wearing they would they would leave
that behind so these gifts she used to
keep it safe and the these are the gifts
that or these gifts were the ones that
she later provided as proofs against
these men we'll come to that in the
next part of the lecture so here these
men who used to visit her provided her
with gifts and all and she used to keep
it safe now it has already been 5 years
since she had met her husband and
finally that day had approach when her
husband arrives at her door and her
husband is approaching this new woman
that everyone is talking about and he
has completely forgotten the face of
tatri he does not recognize his own wife
and after after this uh physical
relation tatri herself asks so how did
you feel about it and he shockingly says
that he had never experienced such such
kind of Happiness ever before and she is
shocked to hear it but she also tries to
play along and simply says that so are
you sure about it what about the
movement you were married to or what
about your wife and we see that it it is
at this point even her husband
recognizes her and he is surprised he's
shocked to see that the woman he had
known as an anjanam is now a prostitute
and he simply runs away from there so
after some time the news starts
spreading that this new Harlot that
everyone is talking about is none other
than tatri who is an andj or a Brahman
Woman and that is when the smaranam
starts and uh the smaranam usually
happens where a group of uh upper cast
Brahman men they have an interaction
with one of the maids of this and janum
so and it is through this maid that she
communicates the women who uh who is
considered as an adulterous person she
has to communicate at everything to this
maid and Maid is the one who talks to
the Brahman brahmans so sometimes the
king would be present over there and
they are directed or they are instructed
by the king himself so in this
particular trial that happened in the
year 19 note5 it is mentioned that she
was able to name around
65 men 65 men including her father her
father's brother many of her um close
relatives her uncle her husband her
husband's brother so she was able to
name and provide proofs for these 65 men
so uh these like I mentioned earlier the
men who used to visit her they came with
gifts and these gifts were the ones that
she provided as proofs now these rings
and all which were gifted to her it had
the family name imprinted on it so it
was a proof and U she provided these
gifts as a proof against these men and
uh at this point she was so proud of
herself you know at this moment she felt
that she had achieved something because
she had
caused a sort of Havoc that all these 65
men had to be banished had to be
banished from the community so it is for
the first time that she feels a sense of
satisfaction she was able to feeled s
this fi she was able to avenge or she
was able to punish The Men Who had done
wrong to her now this part um of uh is
not revealed in the story U of lamika
Adar but when we trace the history of
tatri we get to know that she all the
men that approached her had abused her
and she was trying to avenge that abused
in the sense we have a story that goes
like this this when she was uh when she
was around 8 years of age or something
she was taken to her mother's house and
there she used to learn music and that
is when a man had abused her constantly
for many days and uh she was in a lot of
pain at that time and this man was later
she figured out that her husband's
brother and he had even abused her on
the night of her marriage so there were
many men who had sex sexually abused her
and many men who came to know about the
sexual abuse and remain silent so all
these 65 men were in one way or the
other responsible for the sexual abuse
that tatri had gone through in her life
so uh this part is not mentioned in the
story and um there is a lack of clarity
for why she was trying to you know uh
trying to blame these men or was it just
that you know she wanted to uh like she
want she had hatred for all the men in
the society that is the idea that we get
from this particular narrative but when
we get an understanding of the
background the story that led her to
take such a step we get more clarity
about the event so like I mentioned the
men who were banished from the community
were in one way or the other responsible
for the abuse that she had gone through
in her life so as the story progresses
and you know when tatri is done with her
narrative she asked ljam or she asked
the narrator so what do you think do you
think that I am at fault here do you
think that the step that I had taken it
was wrong do you think that I can be
blamed so surprisingly we find that
lamba andanam does not take a bold stand
over here she kind of plays neutral uh
she simply tries to say that the means
does not justify the end that is how she
ends this interaction with tatri she is
not trying to take the side of tatri not
she is not trying to support tatri in
the decision that tatri had taken and it
can be because you know if we try to
align this this ending of the story to
the beginning of the story where the
narrator mentions that it is quite
difficult for women the underjams to
talk about topics or to write about
topics that are controversial in nature
or that has certain obscene elements in
it so maybe the reason why lamba andanam
herself is hesitant to take a stand is
because of that particular situation
which is a reality that can be one
reason and maybe the other reason is
that she herself feels that tatri is in
one way responsible for the problems
that the anjanam or the Brahman women
face in their lives because in the story
The narrator does tell that um because
of tatri because of the ACT uh committed
by tatri the Brahman M were put into
more
restrictions and you know if something
goes wrong they were blamed or they were
warned about tatri that you know your
behav you should not be like that of
tatri so it had added up to the
restrictions that they were already
facing and that is why that can be one
of the reasons why lanam or our narrator
is not supporting the act of tatri so
that is how the story comes to an end
where you know like I mentioned the
narrator is taking a neutral stand and
tatri herself feels that there is no
point in staying here anymore and she
leaves so it is kind of like an entity
that appears in front of the narrator
like an abominable being that appears in
front of the narrator and this
interaction is what is narrated
throughout the
story while looking at some of the major
ideas that is being discussed here uh we
can see that some some important themes
or ideas we can see in this particular
story would be in the beginning itself
we see how the the narrator is
mentioning about lack of time to write
because she is a writer she likes
writing literary pieces but there is a
lack of time for her to write now uh
this kind of coincides with the idea put
forward by Virginia wolf in her work a
room of onon where she states that if
women have uh enough money and if they
have a room of their own they can create
wonderful literary pieces uh if women
are given the that particular
opportunity or resources are provided to
women they can create uh wonderful
literary pieces but here we can see that
uh the narrator she belongs to an upper
cast she is a Brahman woman she has the
wealth in her house but still even then
and even she has a room of her own where
she is sitting and writing the resources
are there but even then there is a lack
of
time she is not having the availability
of time to engage in this act of writing
it is because of the commitments that
she is pushed into being a mother or
being a wife uh being a part of this
Brahman
community so she is expected to do
certain things she is expected to follow
certain uh patterns in that household
and that is why the only time that she
can find to write is midnight and even
then she is uh physically drained she is
so tired she just wants to sleep if then
the story comes to an end we get an
understanding that it was kind of a
dream that uh the narrator goes through
so she falls into sleep because of the
uh tired tired because she was so tired
she falls into sleep and that is when
she dreams about tatri so this idea of
you know if a woman is from provided
with the resources she will be able to
create uh literary pieces wonderful
literary pieces will it align with every
woman in the world will it be possible
for every woman in the world there are
cultural differences um there are
differences in societal practices so
that can also be a factor when it comes
to women writers creating literary Works
another major idea would be gender
discrimination regardless of cast so
here uh again the initial part from the
beginning itself we see how the narrator
is trying to say that being a writer is
not easy she has to be very careful with
the topics being discussed in her
literary Creations similarly when we
look at the life of tatri so uh the
second and third idea the plight of
under JMS um these two points kind of uh
coincide with each other like I
mentioned in the beginning where the
narrator is uh mentioning about the
hardships that she has to go through
being a writer similarly the life of
katri what she is facing in her life so
all these all these points kind of add
up to that discrimination being faced by
women regardless of the cast to which
they belong so it is usually there is
kind of like an idea that women
belonging to the upper clast they are
they might have more privileges but then
it is always easy to stand out out of
that box and you know observe the box
and make
statements but when you are inside that
box you understand the Suffocation that
you are going through so it is it is
this similar incident that the women of
the upper cast or under JMS are going
through they themselves are suffocated
because of the system they themselves
feel trapped because of the practices
now when you look at all these practices
be it in the lower cast Community or the
Brahman Community whatever it is it is
all set by the men it is all defined and
described by by men and the victims are
always women so uh it is always women
are always at the receiving end here
also when a Brahman woman is being
instructed not to leave her house she is
she is always to remain inside that
confined space so it is the idea of
Purity being associated with them if
they leave the house you know it it can
cause some other problems men will be
staring at them that is the idea
associated with it right so these kind
of thoughts are always created by men
and women are at the receiving end
coming to the fourth Point uh female
sexual Liberation so this point can be
described in association with the story
of tatri so I mentioned how tatri had
taken the decision to leave her
husband's house and be in her own house
so she was a young woman who was
beautiful young and Lively so just
because she looked at somebody outside
and smiled at them all the trouble
started but what what is being mentioned
over here is or we can give another
interpretation to this is a woman who
was with her husband who was having
physical relationship with her husband
had had got used to that idea of
physical pleasure and then she was taken
away from it so her idea of being a
prostitute can even be associated with
the idea of that sexual Liberation that
she wants to achieve like her husband
had mentioned you know her husband had
all the freedom to be with uh every
woman that he wanted he would be with
one woman um today maybe another woman
next night so that was a freedom he had
and she also wanted to she wanted to
actualize that idea of sexuality that
sexual feeling and that is that can be
one of the reasons that she decides to
go into prostitution so that idea of
female sexual Liberation is also very
much evident in it then we have the idea
of fetel or the Monstrous feminine or
the Fatal women however we describe it a
woman who decides to avenge like I
mentioned this part is not uh clearly
described in the story but when we look
at historical references we have an idea
of why tatri decides to Target certain
men um they were in one way or the other
associated with the sexual abuse that
tatri had gone through in her life so
here she decides to web I her beauty so
she was abused because of her innocence
and her beauty or that or her or being a
woman that that was more than enough for
being uh being abused so she decides to
weaponize that she decides to weaponize
her beauty as well as her sexuality in
order to fight against these men who had
abused her at one point of time so what
she decides to do is she collects all
the gifts given by these men stores it
as a proof and gives it to the king and
then the judgment is passed so she is
using her beauty or her sexuality as a
weapon that is a clear uh image of a
monstrous feminine or a female uh fatal
female so that is the idea of fetale
again evident in the story the other uh
the idea of the other or ill fated s
this is being mentioned in the text ill
fated Sadam so the term Sadam translates
into thing in English it translates into
thing sadanam is a Malayalam word and it
it means thing so uh when you look back
in history look back at history we find
that women who were put under trial or
who had to be a part of smart viar they
were called as Sadam or a thing they
were they names were never mentioned the
Prime Focus of it was to erase their
names from history um they did not want
the history or the story line or the
family line of a Brahman uh Brahman
Society to be contaminated by such kind
of women so when a woman was being
referred to as a Sadam the purpose
behind behind this was to eradicate
their name names from history so here
she was being referred to as the ill
ated sad the other a woman who is to be
kept away from the community because she
is considered as impure okay so that is
where where the narrator also mentions
like when she first realizes that this
is tatri the thought comes to the first
thought that comes to her mind is how
her mother had wanted her or her mother
had you know clearly uh denied narrating
the story of tatri so she was the other
in all these incidents when it comes to
the relationship with her husband again
she is the other over there when it
comes to she being in her own house and
being considered as impure or a disgrace
to the family she is the other over
there so in all these context she is at
the receiving and she is the other or
this ill fated sad like uh because it is
always she who is is being blamed in all
these contexts and last we have the
aloofness of the narrator like I
mentioned in the last part or the ending
of the story we find that the narrator
is not taking a stance or
ljam is not taking a stance she decides
to play neutral at this point she
decides to
uh decides to just wind up this
discussion by simply saying that you
know the means cannot justify the ends
or the actions of tatri cannot be
considered or did not put a full stop to
this whole idea of patriarchy in the
Brahman community so that is how she
ends the story over there she is not
taking a stand she decides to play
neutral so there is that aloofness of
the narrator like I mentioned it can be
because of two reasons first is where uh
she she considers or she decides to play
safe by not discussing such kind of
controversial topics or the second would
be that she herself does not support the
act of tatri she herself feels that uh
the step that tatri had taken was a bit
severe maybe she herself feels that that
is why there is an alness of the
narrator so these are certain ideas that
we can
find in this particular chapter
Weitere ähnliche Videos ansehen
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)