Transcript: An e-Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies

e-ISSN: 2582-9858
Vol. 4, No. 1, January-June 2024, 46-56
https://doi.org/10.53034/Transcript.2024.v04.n01.004

Madhabi: A Female Bildungsroman

Livia Tinglianhoi
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8444-9621
Rayburn College, Manipur
Abstract
As a literary phenomenon and genre, Bildungsroman has been extensively used as a literary term
and a critical research method. This particularly applies to the current novel, Dr. Kamal’s
Madhabi, under study. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to critically analyze the novel
translated from the original Meiteilon into English by R.K Birendra Singh. It explores the
common themes of the genre Bildungsroman, specifically female Bildungsroman, such as the
quest for identity, female character psyche, socio-cultural factors, female education, etc. in the
novel, emphasizing Madhabi, one of the female characters and her ‘bildung.’

Keywords: Madhabi, female bildungsroman, quest for identity, character analysis, female
psyche.

Introduction
Bildungsroman, etymologically, is a term derived from the German words ‘bildung’ meaning
‘education’ and ‘roman’ meaning ‘a novel.’ As the words suggest bildungsroman novels are
‘novels of education’ or ‘novels of development.’ It is, therefore, inevitable to find traits of
development in the psyche and morality of the protagonist as he or she passes through
experiences ranging from whims and fancies of childhood through conflicts leading to the final
‘self-acceptance’ state of adulthood or maturity which German historian and psychologist
Wilhelm Dilthy calls ‘inwardness’ and ‘personality’ in his Poetry and Experience (1906).
Bildungsroman as a literary genre was first coined by philologist Karl Von Morgenstern in 1819
in a lecture called ‘On the Nature of the Bildungsroman’ where he wishes to capture “…The
most beautiful aspects of modern European man’s development and of the age that [is] coming to
be” (Boes 647). However, it was not until the late nineteenth century that it was fully embraced

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 47

leading to its full-fledged development in the mid-twentieth century. Gradually gaining

popularity in England and the United States, novels of its kind were produced in large numbers,
typically narrating the journey and struggle of the protagonist to find meaning and purpose in
life. This supposed journey also serves as an instrumental tool for the authorial comments on the
contemporary social and political issues which is instrumental in their quest for identity and
awakening.
Variations of the term such as entwicklungsroman (novels of development),
erziehunsroman (novels of education), kunstlerroman (novels of artistic development), and
zeitroman (development of an era along with personal Development) have been validated and
taken definitive literary forms in literature. These ‘coming of age’ novels, as most critics would
like to put it, emphasize a series of unfortunate events inevitable for the character’s growth such
as internal conflicts and everyday crises. Although the narrative bears a standard pattern:
introduction, conflict formation, and climax, the narrative typically ends with the protagonist’s
culmination or a denouement that lays a distinct foundation for himself or herself amidst the
drawbacks and challenges. It is most agreeable that a genre of this kind for the most part has
been applied almost entirely to the male characters thus inviting the attention of feminist critics
claiming to foster an “anxiety of authorship” in the words of Sandra and Susan Gubar.
Prominent male models to be mentioned are Huck in The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn where Huck as a white boy is torn between society’s attitude towards slavery and his moral
sensibilities. Charles Dickens’s orphan boy Pip was also put under the test of conflicting values
and ethics in mid-nineteenth-century materialistic England. Ralph Waldo Ellison’s ‘Invisible
Man’ witnessed the social and intellectual complexities faced by a socially invisible man as an
African-American in racist-driven twentieth-century America. Thus, owing to the emotional and
physical hardships they were put under, they were able to reach a point of resolution and
settlement. Other characters such as Hardy’s Michael Henchard and Lawrence’s Paul Morel
could be analysed as Bildungsroman on the grounds of sexual politics. Finally, James Joyce’s
Stephen Dedalus is a Künstlerroman, a variation of Bildungsroman that centers on the
development of an artist where artistic maturity is attained through alienation and sacrifice.
A Eurocentric discourse of the genre and the problem it poses on postcolonial nations
have been brought to light in Abhisek Upadhyay’s paper “Postcolonial Bildungsroman in India,”
wherein he argues that a character’s bildung serves as a testament to the political turmoil fostered
 48

by the spirit of nationalism and resistance. Although this genre has been identified with the
Bildung of a white middle-class man in the European context, there is little room for doubt as to
whether this genre has been customized and appropriated to meet the demands of the
postcolonial milieu. R.K. Narayan, for instance, is accredited for bringing the genre to a different
degree of relevancy as he employs his fictional town Malgudi to accommodate figures who are
voices of social issues particular to the Indian context.
G.M.A Christy’s “The Traits of Bildungsroman in the Select Novels of R.K. Narayan”
extensively studies Narayan’s characters such as Swami, Raju, Mr. Sampat, and Chandran.
Narayan’s debut novel Swami and Friends (1935) asserts the narrative of lives narrated by a ten-
year-old boy caught in the nation’s stirring political consciousness of self-rule. Raju’s, one of the
main characters, Bildung is achieved due to his precarious juggling between being a common
man and a sadhu, while Chandran’s coming of age or character development resulted largely
from internal conflicts and delirious episodes like romantic relationships. It comes as no surprise
that Rushdie’s ‘Booker of Bookers’ award-winning novel Midnight’s Children (1981) is
considered one of the most influential works as far as the Bildungsroman genre is concerned.
The novel relates Saleem’s attempt to find himself in a young nation resonating with Bakhtin’s
ideas of a true bildungsroman i.e., one “that presents a young man who represents a changing
society” (Bakhtin 10). This paper, thus, proposes to delve into the subject and nature of this
genre which, according to Tobias Boes, is the most problematic entry in the lexicon of literary
studies with special reference to a female character Madhabi, and her ‘Bildung’ while taking into
account dominant motifs and themes of the genre.

Female Bildungsroman
Undeniably, some bildungsroman novels uncover female protagonists such as Bronte’s Jane Eyre
set in the Victorian society of class and gender roles. Ibsen’s Nora can also, from a feminist
stance, be considered as one as the play ends with Nora walking out of everything she was
accustomed to because the affection and motherly labels she gained from her husband were not
‘self-sustaining’. Sylvia Plath’s Bell Jar, although not in the traditional sense of the term, can be
considered to be one as Esther Greenwood undergoes her disturbing psychological journey and
the readers are left to decide about her final state of mental instability. Nonetheless, feminist
critics view the Bildungsroman genre with suspicion for several sensible reasons. Annis Pratt, in
 49

Archetypal Patterns in Women’s Fiction, declares that society provides women with models of
‘growing down’ instead of ‘growing up’ as opposed to the counterpart male models of the genre
(Pratt 14).
Besides the limited number of female protagonists in the list or traditional generic
categories for that matter, there have also been arguments as to whether these women fulfill the
typical characteristics of the genre such as education, social conflicts, and maturity provided by
age. Feminist critics think that the genre is male-dominated and male-centred and therefore,
‘growing’ women need not be rated and weighed solely on the traditional bildungsroman scale
which was strictly androcentric. For instance, education which is supposed to be an important
factor for growth cannot always be applied to women as formal education to date is a basic
requirement women have no access to. Adding to this, the phrase ‘coming-of-age’ is also highly
controversial because, unlike the male protagonists who have ‘grown’ through experiences and
circumstances brought about by their age, women protagonists’ growth may not necessarily be
the same. In most cases and most agreeable, the latter grows out of the emotional conflicts and in
their search to find their self-worth and purpose as an independent being.
Indian women authors, beyond the shadow of a doubt, have been articulating nuanced
experiences and social concerns through their writings that fashion larger-than-life characters.
Taking into this perspective, the Booker Prize winner The God of Small Things (1997) by
Arundhati Roy, is acclaimed for its exhaustive portrayal of the role of childhood in a person’s
‘Bildung’ as seen in Rahel and Estha. Cracking India (1991), by Bapsi Sidhwa, narrates a series
of experiences in an undivided India torn by religious ideology as the protagonist Lenny
undergoes her journey of self-discovery and denouement. Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day
(1980) and Where Shall We Go This Summer (1975) projects the troubled affairs and internal
turmoil that shape the female characters Bim, Tara, and also Sita, as they are engulfed in the ebb
and flow of life in postcolonial India. Shashi Despande’s The Dark Holds No Terror (1980) is
also one notable Bildungsroman text as the novel entails the influence of traumatic experiences
of childhood that impede a woman’s ability to fair through the challenges of life. It exhibits the
conventions of a female Bildungsroman and presents, through the protagonist Saru, the
inevitable distortion in the female psyche due to abuse and negligence. A similar trend is most
notable in A Terrible Matriarchy (2007) by Easterine Kire, a renowned female author from
Northeast India. Kire skillfully weaves the tapestry of Delieno’s life molded by her arduous
 50

childhood experiences of alienation. Delieno belongs to a typical Naga familial setting, wherein
the supposed matriarch Vibano is also sinned against by the societal system rather than
committing the sin of perpetrating oppressive patriarchal values by herself. It can be fathomed
and accepted that Delieno’s reconciliation with her grandmother Vibano is the final act of
maturation. Another work titled Mari (2010) by the same author recounts the heartrending story
of a young girl and her gradual development to maturity in a war-torn Naga community during
WWII. Likewise, celebrated authors from the region including Temsula Ao, Mamang Dai, Mitra
Phukan, and Sudra M Rai, have done extensive work which can be read as the Bildungsroman
narrative of a coming of age through conflicts, internal and external, by placing their subaltern
characters in a society largely dominated by patriarchal values.
Needless to say, Madhabi, the first Manipuri novel, has been celebrated for its beautiful
portrayal of sacrifice, an ethos quintessential to Manipuri society. However, the character of
Madhabi and her growth has been overlooked in almost all critical readings to date. Even though
Madhabi, as a character in the storyline, appears only a couple of times with few pages dedicated
to her, she, nonetheless, can be seen as the embodiment of the main themes of the novel such as
love and sacrifice. Therefore, the need for an in-depth study of her psychological development
arises and her peculiar journey to maturity, as seen in the novel, secures her a position in the
domain of the female bildungsroman. This study, hence, is a germinal attempt to structure the
gradual unfolding of a female character through her resistance to expectations, and her search for
meaning and purpose in life.
Manipuri Literature in the twentieth century was an age of experimentation and
exploration with the staging of the first Manipuri historical play Nara Singh (1925) by Ibungohal
and the publication of the first novel Madhabi in 1930 which was later translated into English in
1974 by R.K Birendra Singh. Madhabi, which can be classified as one of the neglected literary
works of the North-East, falls into the category of female bildungsroman. It is written by Dr.
Lamabam Kamal, a pioneer poet, who besides Hijam Anganghal and Ashangbam Minaketan in
the early twentieth century, is credited with shaping the canon of Manipuri Literature. Madhabi
is eponymously named after the female protagonist, who at the end of the novel, has been
developed into the epitome of universal love and sacrifice. Madhabi in its simplest form is a
story of unfulfilled love while offering a panoramic view of the transitioning Manipuri society in
the early 20th century. The two major characters Madhabi and Urirei are named after flowers
 51

symbolizing their vulnerability and fragility in a societal structure that inculcates values
generated by patriarchy. The potential lovers of the two heroines are Birendra and Dhirendra
Singh who belong to the more privileged section of the society, unlike their counterparts who
were oppressed and subjected at different levels. The two pairs meet in the second chapter titled
“Hillside Bower” and we can instantly witness the unruly nature of love as Biren begs Urirei to
‘untie’ him (Madhabi, 10). Separated by a till-date practice of sending youths ‘outside’ to pursue
their career lest their education come to an abrupt end, a series of events followed including
Urirei’s ill fate, ultimately ending in an ‘happily-ever-after’ celebration of the union in the last
chapter “Strange Marriage”. As for Dhirendra and Madhabi, the love they seek to nurture is
watered by doubts and uncertainty and thus never blooms. Madhabi’s character is provocative
and unconventional and although she appeared in the novel only a few times, she is nonetheless
important and her noble growth should be brought to the fore.

Madhabi as a Female Bildungsroman

This paper will dedicate itself to identifying unquestionable traits that are hallmarks of an
individual’s ‘Bildung’ while being mindful of the larger institutions that come into play.
Typically, the bildungsroman characters grow out of conflicts between their inner voice and
failed social expectations. The major conflict in the novel is the emotional conflicts brought
about by romantic relationships. Madhabi first appeared in the hillside bower of Kanchipur with
Urirei. As they gather flowers for the approaching pilgrimage to Nongmaijing Hill, she tells
Urirei:
Dear Urirei, I have dedicated my heart and soul to someone, I am not, therefore, at liberty
to move about freely…. (Madhabi 11)
Madhabi, here, appears to be no different from another conventional woman of her time who
would readily sacrifice her freedom for love. A woman in the conservative society of the early
nineties had very little say and participation in the social structure, not to mention making life
decisions of their own. However, the next episode of her appearance unravels her unconventional
nature as she refuses to acknowledge her true feelings and denies her lover a definite reply. This
can be seen as Madhabi’s refusal to succumb to the degenerative position of a subjective woman
of her age and time. The symbolism in the chapter “Dhirendra Singh’s Puzzle” where Madhabi is
spotted with the ‘jewel’ (Dhirenda Singh) of her heart on a boat amidst the blooming lotuses,
 52

illuminates further (Madhabi 40). Dhirendra Singh demands a definite reply to her feelings and
even threatens to ignore her if she denies him the same. Here, Madhabi tells him of her distrust in
the hearts of young men who are often enchanted by the sight of a beautiful face. Despite his
relentless effort she subsides her feelings and promises him a definite reply in the next birth.
Soon after, she jumps into the water and leaves him puzzled and disappointed. Thus, his love-
lorn heart receives dejection and a clear sign of unfulfilled love is to be witnessed later on as the
story progresses. This particular scene is also an allusion to the Manipuri epic poem “Khamba-
Thoibi Sheireng” by the bard of Samurou—the story of two young lovers who faced the wrath
and vengeance of God of love because they put their love and loyalty to a test. Madhabi combats
the values and ethics of society thus bringing in conflicts between her inner self and the larger
(socio-political) structure. These inner and outer conflicts, and how she navigates through them,
amount to her ‘Bildung.’
It is befitting to say that Bildungsroman novels are narratives of a quest for identity or
self-discovery. On defining a female bildungsroman, Labovitz rightly declares that ‘Bildung’
takes a greater toll from the heroine in that she embarks upon a quest for self-discovery, of
discovering things she has known but cannot yet act upon” (150). Madhabi is a character who
opens her journey of self-discovery in an environment that offers little nourishment to a
dissenter. It is in her quest that she unravels the meaning of life and a sense of fulfillment.
Conforming to the institutions does not cater to her more than worldly needs. She, therefore,
resorts to alienation and rejection as is evident in ‘change in Madhabi’s mind,’ when she decides
to alienate herself from the bigger structure to the gorges of Heibok Hill with a greater cause:
To be born in this world and to live contentedly with good food and beautiful clothes is
significant. What is essential is to be able to help others. (Madhabi 77)
It is in this search that she attains her Bildung of uncontested sense of morality and humanity
earning herself a symbol for sacrifice, a theme dear to the author himself in the words of E.
Nilakanta Singh: “Madhabi represents the symbol of sacrifice, a theme dear to the author: a
remarkable feat on the part of a village girl” (Intro to Madhabi). She is an antithesis of Urirei
who represents ‘the traditionally accepted form of love’ marked by a happy union and often
induced with prospects of institutions like marriage and family. Madhabi rejects human love or
romantic love as she finds them selfish and restricting thus offering an alternate perspective on
the meaning and purpose of life. Madhabi’s refusal to conform to the fixed gender roles that
 53

await her if she accepts and acknowledges her feelings is what distinguishes her as a different
village girl or anyone for that matter. After Dhiren left for his further studies, she also pursued
her journey of attaining the perfect example of selflessness by saving a distressed woman like
Urirei who suffers at the hands of villains like Bhubonchandra. She fashions plain clothes and
with her disheveled hair and uncanny appearance, she seems to have metamorphosed into the
‘Heibok’ goddess as she presented herself to save the abducted Urirei. In her search for an
answer to the unknown, she ends up shaping her distinct identity. Her journey, however, is
misunderstood by the villagers denying her ‘natural’ place as a woman.
Formal education is another factor that brings the gender perspective into question.
Elizabeth Abel, et al, in “The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development” (1983) give a
response to the unaccommodating nature of the genre as far as the female protagonist is
concerned. They argue that “…even the broadest definitions of the bildungsroman presuppose a
range of social options available only to men” (Abel et al. 7). These authors demand a broader
definition of the genre that fails to examine a prominent factor such as formal education which
has been for so long exclusive to men. Although, Manipur witnessed the first girls’ school in the
valley in 1899 under British rule (Devi 2017). Madhabi is introduced as a simple and wayward
village girl with no mention of her schooling or education nor any travel to develop her career
while the heroes Dhiren and Biren were sent away from home to the cities for a better prospect.
They, as a result, encounter no difficulty in orienting themselves even after years of absence.
Instead, they avail themselves of a warm reception after earning their educational degrees and
marriage awaits them. A factor such as education fails to shed more light on Madhabi’s Bildung.
However, it draws one’s attention to the existing flawed social structure of the time that offers
little support for women like Madhabi.
In the ‘epilogue’ of the novel, Madhabi is seen making a garland with tears in her eyes.
As she is lamenting over the fact that she will not be able to put the garland on the desired neck,
Dhiren approaches her. She can be seen in all her fully realized non-conforming ascetic
appearance. This is the culminating point on her path to moral and psychological or almost
spiritual growth because she is put to a final test. Despite the comfortable and easier life with her
much-awaited lover at hand, she refuses to give in as it would mean sinning against the young
girl to whom Dhiren is betrothed. The greater cause of humanity, however, stems from her
refusal to ‘objectify’ what true love is. She refuses to confine her notion of love to a single
 54

object, namely Dhiren, and instead, she chooses not to limit her ideals of love by devoting her
life to helping the poor and needy. She chooses to ignore her worldly desires and ends their short
encounter with these last words:

It is not in this world for her to give a definite reply; let her wait for that world in which
there is no separation. (Madhabi 126)
Madhabi’s final words can be interpreted in many ways. This cold gesture might spring
from a pool of disappointment with mortal love subjected to changes and circumstances but her
refusal to disclose her identity which is a possible gateway to fulfillment for a woman of no
education and few prospects would mean turning the fate of another young girl who is betrothed
to Dhiren. She, therefore, resorts to sacrifice and give all with dedication to her call of helping
people in need. Madhabi yearns to attain the unattainable in her worldly existence and she sees
the world around her from a transcendental point of view. She hopes to reach a different world
where she would be able to put her kind of love into practice. It is for certain that romantic love
posits itself deeply but she wishes to attain a transcendental and higher form of love marked by a
higher truth and virtue that is sacrifice.

Conclusion
Madhabi, as a noble character, transcends all worldly desires and emotional gratification
provided by the romantic love of Dhirendra, who belongs to the opposite gender, for whom she
believes, “Love sprang not from the heart but from the eyes”. It can be said that she has
outgrown the socially conceptualized gender relations and constrictions of society. Her character
invokes the universal human condition or desire for fulfilment which she executes in her way. A
feminist reading on Madhabi will also authenticate her journey as a woman ahead of her time
and society. Her psycho-social development and the socio-political condition of the time offer
much scope for further study. Madhabi as a female bildungsroman, besides having a universal
appeal brought into persective by themes such as love and sacrifice, is an exploration into the
conventions of the contemporary Manipuri society whereby only a dauntless woman like
Madhabi can undertake the tedious journey or a spiritual quest almost as in the case of Margaret
Atwood’s unnamed protagonist in Surfacing (1972). Like any other female protagonist of her
 55

kind, Madhabi passes through a stage of introspection and achieves her ‘Bildung’ which is, of
course, not without sacrifice and selfless temperament.

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Bionote
Livia Tinglianhoi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Rayburn College,
Manipur. She can be reached at [email protected]

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