Delving the Cultural Discrepancies in Manu Joseph’s Serious Men

Name of Author : Geethu T. Mohan

Abstract: The issue of inequalities under the domain of caste, culture and religion is a unique feature of Indian society. The conscience of inequality is the result of the social exclusion and discrimination faced by the backward communities like Dalits. Manu Joseph‘s award- winning novel Serious Men fictionalizes such a clash between the two cultures. In this novel, Manu Joseph clearly showcases the ruthless subversion of caste system in India by juxtaposing the life of a cunning Dalit, Ayyan Mani, and a pompous Brahmin, Aravind Acharya. Through my paper, I intend to explore the discrepancies between two cultures. The novel can be seen as a counter attack of a Dalit to the elite Brahmins. We can see that marginalized people are being subjugated again and again in our society and some like Ayyan Mani resist this subjugation. Manu Joseph exposes and satirizes the profound instabilities of the two cultures- the inane routines and clashes within the intellectual elite as well as the tendencies of the marginalized to go to any extend to scale social heights.

Keywords : culture, caste discrimination, vengeance

DOI :