Widowhood, Orthodoxy, and the Crisis of Modernity: Re-Reading Indira Goswami’s The Moth-Eaten Howdah of a Tusker

This paper presents a critical examination of Indira Goswami's novel, The Moth-Eaten Howdah of a Tusker, reevaluating its portrayal of cultural decay and social transformation in 20th-century Assam. Departing from a traditional thematic reading, this study argues that the novel functions as a complex commentary on the dialectic between inherited tradition and revolutionary change. The fall of the feudal Adhikar family and the crumbling Vaishnavite Sattra are analyzed not merely as allegories of decline, but as sites where ideological and material contradictions are fiercely negotiated. Drawing on theoretical insights from postcolonialism and subaltern studies, this analysis interrogates how Goswami's narrative unsettles colonial and indigenous power structures. The paper delves into the gendered oppression embodied by the tragic figure of Giribala, whose subtle acts of resistance and eventual demise reveal the systemic violence of patriarchal orthodoxy. Concurrently, it examines the character of Indranath as a failed liberal humanist, whose tragic end exposes the pitfalls of both ossified tradition and uncritical revolutionary fervor. Ultimately, the paper will examine how Goswami's work transcends a simple elegy for a bygone era, presenting instead a nuanced critique of modernity and a compelling case for a more ethically grounded path toward social evolution.