Between Transgression and Liberation: Re-reading Gauri as an Epitome of Resistance in The Lowland

Abstract: The current paper examines the character of Gauri, the protagonist in Jhumpa Lahiri’s 2013 novel The Lowland, through the lens of liberal feminism, addressing a gap in existing literature that has largely focused on intersectional, spatial, and postcolonial readings. Liberal feminism advocates equal rights and opportunities for women within existing social structures, and this study explores how Gauri’s pursuit of education, marital autonomy, and career independence embodies these principles in a diasporic context. Drawing on the works of Wollstonecraft (2009) and Friedan (1963), this analysis positions Gauri’s choices against the backdrop of patriarchal norms, widowhood stigma, and migration. Often perceived as selfish, Gauri instead emerges as a complex figure whose resistance is enacted through self-determination and the rejection of prescribed gender roles. By contextualizing her agency within both Indian reformist traditions and contemporary transnational debates, the paper demonstrates the continued relevance of liberal feminism for interpreting women’s strategies of survival and empowerment in South Asian literature. Keywords: Feminism, diaspora, women’s agency, patriarchy, self-love, resistance