The Film Water

There seems to be a recurring theme between religion and the proliferation of oppression at the expense of certain groups of people. However, religion cannot merely be reduced to faith and faith alone. It is most often a rigid structure with strict rules that defines a particular society’s perception of reality. A reality where faith and tradition wield the power of constructing and enforcing a certain societal order. The film “Water” by Deepa Mehta paints a vivid picture of how patriarchal and non-secular systems of organization typically result in stratification that primarily targets and exploits women and young girls. Hindu society was, and to some extent, still is largely constructed of a hierarchy known as the caste system. Which is essentially

What is and isn’t considered to be the absolute truth usually rests in the hands of those who are in power. Therefore, resistance against socially crafted realities is harshly discouraged through subjugation, chastisement, and ostracism. For example, when Chuyia boldly questioned the double standard of widowers she was met with harsh reprimands for even suggesting such a thing. This suggests that the gendered dynamics of power are firmly rooted within the male hegemonic ideal. This ideological framing that centers maleness is so entrenched and internalized within their society that to even acknowledge gendered inequality is perceived to be unnatural and unethical. The repression and self-deprecation that widows endure has become a part of their new identity as an

A scene that struck me was when Kalyani and Chuyia were playing and actually seemed to be having fun despite their miserable conditions. Joy, in relation to systemic oppression, is a revolutionary act in itself. Especially in a society that teaches widows to denigrate themselves. In that moment, they weren’t repressed widows but young girls innocently playing. Additionally, becoming aware by way of revelations or knowledge is the ultimate form of resistance. By recognizing the ways in which society imposes impossible and socially constructed norms, the oppressed can begin the process of self-liberating themselves from the institutions that perpetuate their injustice. For instance, Shakuntala had a crisis of faith in which she realized her religion’s treatment of widows were based on pretense disguised as unwavering truths. Truths that she unknowingly fed into which were ultimately the source of her