The recent rise in violence against women in Bangladesh—with cases of rape and harassment inundating news portals and social media—has been alarming, to say the least. More subtly, although just as menacingly, it comes with the tendency to police women for the ways in which they react to such distressing news. Women's expressions of anger and frustration—from the words they use to the protests they stage—are vehemently dismissed, mocked, and chastised. 

With International Women's Day being celebrated across the world tomorrow, we here at Star Books and Literature decided to take a moment to read and reflect on the many expressions of female rage in both ancient and contemporary literature, holding space for the women who have been angry on our behalf and who have kept the fight for women's rights alive through their collective, enduring rage.

Pratham Pratisruti

Ashapurna Devi

Anand Publishers, 1964

Ashapurna Devi's Pratham Pratisruti is a seminal novel in Bengali literature that portrays the journey of Satyabati, a rebellious young girl born into a rigid patriarchal society. Set in colonial Bengal, the novel challenges societal norms by depicting Satyabati's relentless fight for education, self-respect, and independence against oppressive traditions. Female rage in Pratham Pratisruti is not loud but deeply transformative, manifesting through Satyabati's resistance, resilience, and refusal to conform. When she realises that her voice, decisions, and opinions hold no value in a society that treats her as the 'other,' she chooses to walk away; leaving behind everything to reclaim her agency. Her departure is not surrender but an act of ultimate protest against a system that refuses to recognise women as individuals.

Medea

Euripides

When Jason, Medea's husband, leaves her to marry the daughter of King Creon for power and status, she vows revenge. The sorceress and former princess poisons Glauce—the king of Crete's daughter and the woman Jason left her for—and while trying to save his daughter. Creon also dies by poison. However, that isn't enough for Medea to ruin her betraying husband. Driven mad by rage and betrayal, Medea also murders their two sons. This act of vengeance denies Jason any legacy and proves to be the penultimate act of punishment. Finally, escaping any consequence, Medea flees to Athens in a chariot provided by the sun god Helios, her divine ancestor, leaving Jason in complete ruin. This play by Euripides written in 431 BCE tells a tale of how women, when pushed to their limits, will shed all sense of reason, morality, and justice, and act solely on blind revenge and anger. Surrounded by men, living in a patriarchal society, Medea chooses to remain collected, but every oppressive state has an expiry date—and when that clock strikes, even kingdoms fall.

Debi

Humayun Ahmed

Abosor Prokashana, 2004

The first book of the Misir Ali series, Debi follows the plight of the protagonist, Ranu, who claims to have visions, hears voices, and possesses the power of premonition. Even the ever pragmatic and calculated Misir Ali, although initially fascinated by the unusualness of this case, eventually finds himself in a predicament in trying to understand whether the occurrences with Ranu can actually be explained with psychology or whether they are, in fact, supernatural in nature. Regardless, Ranu's past is that of tragedy and loneliness and Ahmed's story begs readers to think to what extent a woman's plight can snowball into flaming rage—to the point that it turns into a supernatural manifestation.

I Who Have Never Known Men

Jacqueline Harpman

Avon Eos, 1998

Harpman's novel takes place in an underground bunker, where 40 women, including the nameless protagonist, are imprisoned. They have no memory of arriving there and are cut off from the outside world in all respects, except when they have to interact with the guards who control them. I Who Have Never Known Men packs a punch despite being a rather short read, and the women's understated rage—at being denied love, memory, and a fulfilling existence—echo throughout its pages, fuelling their survival as they escape.

Hajar Churashir Ma

Mahasweta Devi

Karuna Prakashani, 1974

Mahasweta Devi's Hajar Churashir Ma is a powerful feminist narrative that channels female rage through Sujata's transformation from a submissive wife to a defiant woman who reclaims her voice. Sujata, a grieving mother, undergoes a profound transformation as she realizes her life has been dictated by patriarchy, silencing her voice and agency. Her son's brutal death as a Naxalite radical awakens her to systemic oppression both political and personal. Sujata's rage is quiet yet immense; she refuses to remain the passive, obedient woman she was and instead breaks free from societal expectations. Hajar Churashir Ma serves as a powerful reminder of the quiet but revolutionary rage of women refusing erasure.

Hangor Nodi Grenade

Selina Hossain

Anannya Prakashan, 1976

Selina Hossain's Hangor Nodi Grenade is a harrowing tale of war, sacrifice, and the unyielding spirit of women during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Boori, a mother, embodies female rage through her defiance of patriarchal and colonial violence, ultimately sacrificing her disabled son to protect freedom fighters. Her actions, challenge conventional motherhood, redefining maternal love as resistance. Boori's fury is silent yet revolutionary, showcasing how women, often dismissed as passive sufferers, became active agents of war. Hangor Nodi Grenade stands as a testament to the unacknowledged sacrifices and fierce resistance of women in history.

Circe

Madeline Miller

Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019

Circe retells the story of a powerful sorceress from Greek mythology, perhaps best known for turning Odysseus' sailors into pigs. "In the Odyssey, Circe is very clearly the incarnation of male anxiety about female power," the author said in an interview, "the fear is that if women have power, men are getting turned into pigs." Miller's retelling, however, explores Circe's life far beyond the scope of the Odyssey, from her tragic and neglected backstory to her coming into power that even the gods grow wary of.

But Circe is not the only fierce and formidable woman in her story, and the novel abounds with other powerful women from Greek myth, such as Medea and Pasiphae, whose characters illustrate the various nuances of women wielding power. In another interview, Miller mentions how she wanted to "highlight the poverty of choices available to women then (and often now)" in Circe. "If women act in traditionally approved ways they get stepped on; if they wield power like men, they're reviled. The only way that Pasiphae can have any agency in the world is to make men afraid of her—to leverage her witchcraft and charisma against them. To become a 'monster.'"