The Intersection of Tradition and Modernity: A Study of Marriage and Society in a Suitable Boy

This study analyses Vikram Seth's seminal 1993 book A Suitable Boy and how it deals with the complicated interplay between tradition and modernity. In the early 1950s, when India gained its independence, the novel paints a vivid picture of a society that was still reeling from the effects of colonialism and preparing to become a democratic nation. By analysing the text in relation to period scholarship and reviewing previous research, this study posits that marriage serves as a crucial lens through which Seth perceives the societal conflicts caused by rapid social change. It delves into the intricacies of four interconnected families - the Mehras, the Kapoors, the Chatterjis, and the Khans - whose members have contrasting views on religion, individual agency, arranged marriage/love marriage, endogamy/choice of caste, and endogamy. This paper presents an analysis of Seth's novel through the lenses of postcolonial theory, feminist criticism, and sociological theory. It argues that the novel does not blindly celebrate tradition or promote modernity, but rather represents the space of in-between that Indians were compelled to occupy after independence. Finding evidence in the text, critical writing, and socio-historical issues form the basis of this research, which is of the qualitative literary analysis kind.