Dimensions of Resistance: Subversion as a Strategy in The Serious Men

Abstract

Manu Joseph through his debut Serious Men has puffed in a new breath to the Indian writing scenario by dealing with the sensitive class issue in a way not previously dealt with by other writers. Subversion is the key with which he unlocks and let flow the long-repressed anguish of a Dalit. Ayyan Mani is central to the novel’s satirical power. As a Dalit man working in an elite institution, he is acutely aware of his limitations in upward mobility due to the caste barriers. But, instead of adopting a victimized stance, he opts to fight against the system using deception and wit. The years of suppression undergone by Ayyan have made him furious and revengeful and he wrecks his vengeance upon the Brahmins. His cynicism and dark humor comes as weapons against the deeply ingrained caste hierarchy that seeks to render him invisible.