Caste, Silence, and Social Oppression in the Fiction of Perumal Murugan

Perumal Murugan’s fiction offers a compelling exploration of caste as a pervasive and enduring structure of socialoppression in rural South India. Rooted in the lived realities of Tamil Nadu’s agrarian communities, his narratives illuminate how castehierarchies regulate personal relationships, silence marginalized voices, and normalize everyday forms of violence and exclusion. Thisarticle examines the interrelated themes of caste, silence, and social oppression in Murugan’s major works, particularly Pyre and OnePart Woman, situating them within broader debates on caste, power, and resistance in Indian society. The study argues that silence inMurugan’s fiction operates both as a mechanism of domination and as a survival strategy adopted by oppressed individuals navigatinghostile social environments. Through an analysis of narrative structure, characterization, language, and rural ecology, the articledemonstrates how Murugan exposes the tacit codes that sustain caste prejudice while also foregrounding subtle acts of resistanceembedded in love, desire, and personal choice. By articulating the lived experiences of those constrained by caste norms, Murugan’swriting challenges the myth of a casteless modern India and underscores literature’s critical role in making visible the silencedhistories of social injustice.