Kaikeyi

Patel creates a world around Kaikeyi rife with misogyny and sexism. The foundations that the societies of Kosala and Kekaya rest on a single foundation—the perceived will of the gods, a will that decrees women are not allowed to be unaccompanied in public or to speak for themselves (34). These rules inform the way that women are allowed to exist in the world, but they also impact the way that men perceive and treat women. Because the sages, the religious officials, decree that women must be treated as inferior to men, men view them as subservient. Kaikeyi sees this treatment from her father and the other men at the Kekaya court, and even in Yudhajit’s joke about why anyone would want to be a woman. In response, she thinks, “the words [are] callous, careless, a joke. He [is] my brother, my twin, and I [think] at the very least he believe[s] me his equal. I [have] fooled myself into thinking I [can] be an exception, an intelligent woman in control of her own destiny” (77). Yudhajit’s joke represents a cruel awakening for Kaikeyi, who has believed that Yudhajit at least saw her as an equal, as someone equally capable and clever. Yet, his words illustrate that he is as tainted by pervasive, systemic misogyny as the other men around Kaikeyi. 

Kaikeyi’s recognition of gender inequality in the world around her allows Patel to subvert the traditionally prescribed roles of women in a patriarchy through Kaikeyi’s character arc. When Kaikeyi marries Dasharath and moves to Ayodhya, she witnesses the full impact of the patriarchal structure of society, engaging with women outside of her own family and court. Manthara brings her to the market, and she sees the roles to which women are relegated. She notices, “There [are] women to be sure, folding fabric, rearranging their goods in preparation for customers. But all [are] accompanied by men, and none [seem] in control. […] Even in palaces, women [are] rarely heard” (109). Kaikeyi realizes that she, Dhanteri, her mother, and the other women of court are not the only ones who suffer from the detrimental effects of institutionalized sexism. Women of every class lack the freedom to make their own choices and exercise control over their lives. The injustice she observes motivates Kaikeyi to make positive change not just for herself or her fellow radnyis but for all of the women in her kingdom. When Dasharath asks why she wants to make change when she has enough freedom herself, she answers that it is “possible to want something for others too,” and she wants to make change for the women who are just as “capable” as men—a task she sees as part of her “duty” as radnyi (138). She feels an obligation to ensure that other women experience the same level of freedom as her, regardless of the class of their birth or their socioeconomic status. 

Kaikeyi’s relationships with Yudhajit and Dasharath lay the groundwork for the central conflict of the novel: the showdown between Kaikeyi and Rama, which Patel connects to the broader thematic conflict between misogyny and feminism. Even though Dasharath claims Kaikeyi has freedom within their marriage, that freedom remains in a precarious position as Rama rises to power. Lakshmana tells Kaikeyi that the sage Vamadeva who trains both him and Rama at the ashram “thinks it shameful for women to be out in the open, believes that women are weak and foolish and will ruin Kosala” (316). Vamadeva decrees that women cannot exhibit autonomy and also blames them for the ruination of the entire kingdom. He instills these violently sexist values within Rama, who tells Kaikeyi during their conflict that Kaikeyi has “disrespected the gods” and that the gods believe “women [bring] weakness to the world” (451). Rama and the sages seek to subjugate all women based on their flawed interpretation of the gods’ will—a will not always shared by the goddesses. When Kaikeyi asks Sarasvati if Rama and Vamadeva are right, Sarasvati admits that they are not. In establishing a generational pattern of misogyny in which patriarchal values are passed down from sage to prince, Patel establishes the marginalization of women as learned behavior rather than a divine mandate or natural law.

Despite Rama and Vamadeva’s sexist mission, Kaikeyi manages to make tangible change for the women of Kosala. Through her work on the Women’s Council and the Mantri Parishad, Kaikeyi enacts legislative and social change that allows the women of Kosala to expand their freedoms. When she returns to Ayodhya after the death of Yudhajit, she watches in the marketplace as girls study. Patel contrasts this scene with Kaikeyi’s initial visit to the market in which she saw the systemic misogyny of her society everywhere. Kaikeyi notes that the women “[switch] from sums to religious studies, something that women had once been forbidden from practicing. But still the girls [sit] there, learning the lessons” (466). Kaikeyi cannot dismantle the entirety of the misogynistic, patriarchal system that governs the continent of Bharat, but she can use her influence as radnyi to improve the lives of the women in her kingdom and grant them opportunities to which they would not have otherwise been allowed access.