Ideological Interpellation of Individuals in Vikram Seth'sA Suitable Boy

Abstract

This paper analyzesthe ideological interpellation of individual by class and caste ideologies of mid-twentieth century Indian society from in Vikram Seth’s novel A Suitable Boy. The novel, setin a fictitious town of India, Brahmpur, of a fictitious Indian State called Purva Pradesh depicts various class and caste ideologies centering of finding a suitable boy to marry with Lata, the younger daughter of Hindu family. In the Indian society of that time, the marriage of the daughter is not their solely personal matter rather it is the concern of her elders and family members to find her a proper groom is based on Hindu religious ideology that interpellates all the individuals of the household in different ways. RupaMehra, a widow after her death of her husband, and Arun, Rupa’s son and the familial authority next to his mother, take pain to find a suitable person for Lata to marry as her time of marriage approaches after the marriage of her elder sister Savita. Savita marries the person her family chooses for her but in Lata’s case, it is more difficult as she is quite rebellious that she should know her man before her marriage and even loves a Muslim boy. In the process of finding her a right personfor marriage, various ideologies come into play in the novel. The individuals in the novel are interpellated by various interrelated ideologies. Key Words:Ideology, interpellation, class, caste, Hindu-Muslim strife, state apparatus, subjectivity