Power, Politics and Patriarchy in The Palace of Illusions

Abstract

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Palace of Illusions reimagines the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata from the perspective of its most marginalized yet central female character - Draupadi. With Draupadi narrating in the first person, Divakaruni explores how women struggle through patriarchal ideologies that dominate political spaces. This paper analyzes how the novel mocks gender roles, exposes the illusion of power for women, and places emphasis on the political and emotional cost of a woman's voice in a world constructed around men. The analysis focuses on Draupadi’s personal agency, her strategic engagement in politics, and how the structures of patriarchy continually undermine her authority, despite her intelligence and ambition.