International Journal of Literacy and Education

This article takes a close look at how Shobha De depicts marital relationships in her novel “Socialite Evenings,” analyzing how the author questions traditional gender roles, explores emotional disappointment, and shows how elite Indian society views marriage as a commodity. De reveals the emotional vacuum and transactional relationships common in affluent marriages through the protagonist Karuna's transformation from a passive spouse to a proactive person. By depicting marriage as an institution characterized by performance, suppression, and manipulation rather than as a place of intimacy, the story depicts the social and psychological ramifications of patriarchal expectations.

Through the feminist viewpoint, this study examines how De questions the idealization and purity of marriage, highlighting themes of autonomy, betrayal, and identity conflict. In addition to dismantling the illusion of marital bliss, the article contends that “Socialite Evenings” gives a voice to the subdued resistance of women who are negotiating their agency under repressive relational structures. This adds to the larger conversation in contemporary Indian English literature about gender, sexuality, and domestic entrapment.