The Role of Emotional Insecurity in Marital Disturbance: A Study of Gambhiri Ghara by Sarojini Sahoo

This paper examines the complex connection between marital discord and emotional instability by critically analysing the prominent feminist Odia author Sarojini Sahoo's Gambhiri Ghara, often known as The Dark Abode in English. Within the setting of a socially functional but emotionally empty marriage, the study explores the protagonist Kuki's psychological development and emotional awakening through a feminist perspective and the theoretical framework of emotional insecurity. The article argues that emotional emptiness in the household can be just as upsetting as verbal or physical disagreement, positioning emotional uncertainty as both a sign and a critique of patriarchal marital rules. The study illustrates how emotional deprivation and fear of abandonment exacerbate emotional distance between partners, ultimately resulting in marital disintegration, by concentrating on the psychological state of the female protagonist. The study looks at how unmet emotional needs lead to ongoing conflict, disillusionment, and estrangement in marriages using feminist and psychology perspectives. In Gambhiri Ghara, the protagonist's emotional core turns into a battlefield where social norms and individual authenticity collide, highlighting the wider societal ramifications of private emotional collapses. In addition to highlighting the individual aspects of marital failure, this analysis shows how emotional instability is closely related to gendered expectations, patriarchal standards, and emotional neglect in traditional Indian marriages.