• Akankshya Biswal
• Dr.Minushree Pattnaik

Abstract Anita Desai’s Cry, The Peacock (1963) presents a profound exploration of female subjectivity, psychological disintegration, and the oppressive structures of patriarchal society through the lens of its protagonist, Maya. This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of Maya’s mental decline as a product of emotional deprivation, existential isolation, and unresolved childhood trauma. Employing a psychoanalytic and feminist framework, the study investigates how Desai constructs a rich interior landscape where madness becomes both a symptom and a form of resistance. Through symbolic motifs, such as the peacock and the astrologer’s prophecy, and narrative techniques like stream-of-consciousness and temporal disjunction, Desai renders the fragmentation of the female psyche with stylistic innovation and lyrical intensity. The novel critiques the emotional sterility of marriage, the infantilization of women, and the gendered silencing of desire and grief. This research situates Cry, The Peacock within broader feminist and postcolonial discourses, emphasizing its enduring relevance as a pioneering work in Indian-English literature that interrogates the boundaries between sanity, identity, and cultural expectation.

patriarchy, psychological fiction, Indian-English literature, feminist criticism, stream of consciousness

"The Caged Mind: Patriarchy, Trauma, and the Female Interior in Desai’s Cry, The Peacock", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 7, page no.e126-e128, July-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2507425.pdf

"The Caged Mind: Patriarchy, Trauma, and the Female Interior in Desai’s Cry, The Peacock", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 7, page no. ppe126-e128, July-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2507425.pdf