| ISSN: 2583-3812 | ISSN: 2583-3812JOURNAL ARTICLE
Keywords: Caste system, patriarchy, gender roles, food, small desires, intergenerational bond, cultural resistance.
Abstract: Women in patriarchal societies are frequently entangled between the family needs and traditions, with a handful of chances to pursue their own desires. The Remains of the Feast by Gita Hariharan is a short story that illustrates this conflict beautifully through the character of Rukmini, a 90-year-old Brahmin widow on her deathbed. After following caste rules and family responsibilities, Rukmini ultimately starts to exhibit long-suppressed cravings for foods like ice cream, samosas, garlic, onion, and other taboo treats, as well as cake baked by a Muslim in a Christian store. She subtly breaks the caste, gender, and purity norms by letting into these cravings with the help of her great granddaughter Ratna. These seemingly simple acts become a powerful assertion of resistance and agency. Drawing on the concept of social liberty stated by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, this paper argues that food in Hariharan’s story represents more than just cravings. It also serves as a metaphor for identity reclamation, self-assertion, and autonomy. Her final acts show how even small pleasures can disrupt long -held systems of control structures and how deeply rooted cultural hierarchies can be challenged by individual, small desires. Hariharan’s story thus confirms the fundamental human need for liberty, dignity, and choice even in her twilight of life.
Article Info: Received: 06 Oct 2025; Received in revised form: 04 Nov 2025; Accepted: 08 Nov 2025; Available online: 12 Nov 2025
DOI: 10.22161/ijeel.4.6.5
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