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Articles

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026): ILN Journal: Indian Literary Narratives

Gendered Spaces and the Quest for Selfhood in Anuradha Roy’s All the Lives We Never Lived

Submitted
25 April 2026
Published
2026-06-30

Abstract

Gendered space is constructed by those in positions of power and control, attributing specific duties and responsibilities to men and women, respectively. Generally, the public sphere is dominated by men, leaving zones of leisure and recreation primarily to them. In her novel All the Lives We Never Lived, Anuradha Roy uses the character of Gayatri to narrate the struggle of domestic women who are confined to the kitchen, sacrificing their potential for their children and husbands. Gayatri takes a poignant step by leaving her family to pursue her artistic passion, an act that mirrors the stifled dreams of many Indian women who suppress their own identities to nurture their families. Situating that rebellion within the sociology of gendered space, this paper reads her flight not merely as a private transgression but as a critique of the spatial logic that allots the outdoor world to men while immuring women within the home. It examines the urgent need for a shift in male attitudes and argues that traditional masculinity must be redefined to accommodate female autonomy.

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