?Githa Hariharan's debut novel, "The Thousand Faces of Night" articulates the problems of women, the basics of Indian Mythology. Hariharan links the plight of her women characters with the Indian myths as Mahabaratha, (Sanskrit stories etc.) to the gods, goddesses and legendary heroines in the epics of India. These stories were instrumental in supporting the insidious patriarchal concepts. The lives of the three women in "The Thousand Faces of Night" - Devi, Sita and Mayamma - exposes the different dimensions of women's oppression. The reworking, revisioning and retelling of the myths as allusions of the character's story is the highlight of the novel.
             The story of the three women delves into about the society's patriarchal pattern and that society 's expectations and taboos laid by men. 'Story within a story' is the narrative technique which Hariharan employs in the novel. To substantiate her stories, she uses mythological allusions from the great epics of India.
             For any Indian women, the institution of marriage ensures protection, love, compatibility and happiness. Typically, marriage a woman expects happy events, compassion, empathy, mutual understanding and a protective atmosphere to be provided by her husband. However, marital life in India lays a lot of restrictions and constraints which constrict women from a life of freedom. They suffer disappointment and disillusionment in the face of reality.
             "The Thousand Faces of Night" is the portrayal of different facets of women suffering different kinds of suffering and depicts the status of women in Indian society. It articulates the problems of women with the help of Indian Mythology and yokes together the various vicissitudes faced by the women of the Puranas.
             Devi, a young educated girl with 'the American experience' struggles to cope with her husband Mahesh, who is often away for business. She feels alienated in her own ...