Alpha and Beta Masculinities: Negotiating Male Identity in Perumal Murugan’s Pyre and One Part Woman

Abstract

Perumal Murugan’s Pyre and One Part Woman offer a nuanced portrayal of how masculinity is constructed, contested, and ultimately constrained within the rigid boundaries of caste and patriarchy in rural Tamil Nadu. By applying the Western constructs of “alpha” and “beta” masculinity alongside gender and caste theory, this study investigates how the male protagonists, Kumaresan and Kali, embody forms of male identity that defy dominant ideals of aggression, virility, and communal authority. Kumaresan stands out as a beta figure in contrast to the collective alpha masculinity exhibited by his village and even his own family because of his vulnerability and refusal to mimic caste-driven aggression. Similarly, Kali's concerns about not having children and his tender love for Ponna challenge the strict definition of masculinity that his society expects. Both tales demonstrate how, in order to preserve caste purity and social order, masculinities based on compassion, closeness, and moral conviction are penalized. Murugan reminds us of how societies suppress alternative masculinities and equate male honor with dominance and control by bringing attention to these struggles and the ways that gender and caste combine to discipline both men and women. Situating these texts within South Asian gender discourse, this study argues that reading Murugan’s works through the alpha–beta framework brings into focus the often overlooked costs that caste patriarchy exacts on men who refuse its violent imperatives.