The Projection of Submissive and Revolutionary Bengali Rural women in Syed Waliullah’s Tree Wihtout Roots

Abstract

This paper represents Syed Waliullah’s comprehensive understanding of Bengali rural women in his novel “Tree without Roots”. It concentrates on the controversial protagonist Abdul Majeed who grasped the rural people especially the simple and innocent like women for his greater projection of power and hunger. As a part of his prosperity, Majeed deeply feels inside that women can be the most flexible and reliable field for smooth cultivation and experimental adventure. Following qualitative content analysis method, it moves forward having three parts. Firstly, it shows how the peace loving women are intentionally abused and humiliated in the name of religious values and self-made superstitious customs to make women submissive. Secondly, it discusses how a tender aged girl Jamila becomes a revolutionary woman against Majeed’s temporary tactics and mechanism. Thirdly, it figures out several factors that enforced rural women to be both submissive and impulsive from a feminist approach. Besides, it investigates how Majeed changes his extraordinary strategies and undetectable weapons like everlasting fear of God, inadequate religious education and dominant patriarchy to ensure his doubtful legitimacy and fragile existence.