Othappu, written by the Malayali rebel and feminist writer Sarah Joseph, is not simply a novel on the Christians in Malayali society. There are various threads that run through the story and are concurrent, intriguing and interwoven with Sarah Joseph?s dexterity. This novel won her the Crossword Award. The translation by Valson Thompu retains the essence and the anguish of Margalitha as she strives to find a place in society that looks askance at the ?doubters?.
It is an iconoclastic novel that delves deep into soulless conformity of the custodians of the church.Through the ages religion has been questioned and the inquisitive mind has been ostracised. The protagonist of Othappu, Margalitha, is no different. She goes beyond the doubting and actually dares to defy family, society the the church. She paves a way for herself out of necessity.
Institutionalising religion has never been the answer. The answer lies in reforming and revitalising a religion to suit the dynamic society. Margalitha, like all Malayali Christian girls, nurtures a secret wish to join the church. This desire runs concurrent to the flowering of womanhood. But her rebellious spirit cannot be bound by the insensitive restrictions of the church. Her attraction for Karikkan and her admission of her own sexuality proves to be her downfall as she walks out of the fetters of the church.
She does not realise that her own family would be ashamed of her honesty and society would condemn her.
Karikkan questions the concept of honesty. He defends Margalitha by saying that it is more honest to walk out of the church than to remain there, pretending obeisance and conformation. These and similar redefinitions make the Church defensive and uncomfortable. This book is an intense study into the psyche of a woman. She explores the inner recesses of Margalitha?s mind. It also deals with Othhapu or faltering within the human psyche. Celibacy, poverty and humility-the trinity of vows make the life within the church always vulnerable to temptation. Roy Francis Karikkan, the handsome priest, is the colour in the nuns? lives and his secret pining for Margalitha is his private pain and later his shame when he impregnates and deserts her. The Othappu should lead to liberation and not humiliation.
Two powerful messages are conveyed. Christ is not within the confines of the church and, secondly, a woman?s sexuality and spirituality are not two separate entities. The narrative is gripping, even as it vacillates between two extremes. The bursts of sublime poetry are interspersed with serious philosophical musings. The discourses between Karikkan and Daniel Achen are vivid examples. There are inherent contradictions that are so very natural. Karikkan leaves the church as an escapist and Margalitha is a rebel and liberates herself. The action is the same but the cause is different.
This novel provides an insight into the trials and tribulations within the church, the doubts and dithering within the mind and the narrow confines of society that are bound by institutionalised religion.