Application of Spivak’s Subalternity in Roy’s novel, 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’

This paper examines Gayatri Spivak's postcolonial theory, "Can the Subaltern Speak?" in the latest novel by Arundhati Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. The novel was published in 2017, which is possessed by the number of 'subalterns': Hijras, women, political revolutionaries, and poor people facing silence. The sexual, social, and religious minorities are equal to 'Dalits' in experiencing segregation and abuse by the dominant indigenous groups. They are considered 'Untouchable' and pushed into the circle of 'Others'. Even though they are fighting segregation and marginalisation, they cannot truly speak. The research aims to discover how the agency of 'subalterns' is snatched in India by those who are phrased as the 'elite'.