Article Abstract index4

Hunger, as both a physical condition and a symbolic construct, occupies a central position in the poetry of Jayanta Mahapatra. This paper examines the allegorical dimensions of hunger in Mahapatra’s poems “Hunger” and “The Whorehouse in a Calcutta Street”. Moving beyond its literal connotation, hunger is presented as a complex metaphor for socio-economic deprivation, moral disintegration, and emotional emptiness in postcolonial India. Through the application of Marxist and Postcolonial and Feminist theoretical frameworks, the study investigates how Mahapatra exposes structures of exploitation and systemic inequality. The poems reveal a world where poverty compels individuals into dehumanizing conditions, reducing human relationships to economic transactions. Mahapatra\\\'s use of stark imagery, my minimalistic language and symbolic representation intensifies the emotional impact of these realities. This paper argues that hunger functions as a multi-dimensional allegory- encompassing bodily deprivation, psychological longing, and ethical collapse. Ultimately Mahapatra\\\'s poetry serves as a critique of societal indifference and readers to confront the persistent realities of marginalization and human suffering.
Keywords: Hunger, Allegory, Marxism, Postcolonialism, Feminism, Exploitation