• Diptimayee Sahoo

Abstract For centuries, the rigidity of tradition and convention has confined individual’s autonomy and self-expression. It acts as a binding force that dictates all rules. Particularly women are the victims of this societal conventions. They are suppressed and oppressed in the patriarchal society. They have no voice in the patriarchal set-up. They are denied education and often treated as property. Many harmful social practices like child marriage, Sati, polygamy made their condition deplorable. They are sub-ordinated to their male counterparts. Many women novelists have presented a realistic picture of the plight of women. Ashapurna Devi, the prominent writer of Bengal is one among them who criticizes the patriarchal society for suppressing the voices of women. Her novel The First Promise portrays women’s struggle against patriarchy. The present paper attempts to explore women’s oppression in the patriarchal Hindu society of colonial Bengal and also their struggle for women’s emancipation. The protagonist Satyabati in the First Promise is bold and self-educated who refuses to remain silent. She asserts her individuality even in the face of strong opposition.

Key Words: Patriarchy, polygamy, Sub-ordination, oppression, struggle.

"The Voice of Protest: Tracing Satyabati’s Journey in Ashapurna Devi’s Novel "The First Promise"", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 11, page no.a68-a71, November-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2511010.pdf

"The Voice of Protest: Tracing Satyabati’s Journey in Ashapurna Devi’s Novel "The First Promise"", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 11, page no. ppa68-a71, November-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2511010.pdf