Sumana Choudhury

Circe , written by Madeline Miller is a grasping tale of dawning the duns of inner fear and contravening the limitations earmarked by the society whether men or gods. Circe, being born as a most insignificant and weak nymph to god Helios and naiad Perse sought aegis in her father's glory , solace in her brother's company and love in Glaucus's dependence. She discovered her inner 'Pharmakeia' only when she was denied all the refuge she sought. Millers digs deep in circe's mind. Her devine journey from dependence to defiance , rejection from Glaucous to self revelation by transforming Scylla was very much humane. Author never missed a thread in weaving vicissitudes of her journey from a naive daughter , loving sister , ardent lover to an exiled enchantress , a rape survivor , a single mother to a complete woman who takes men as she please but never yearns for fulfillment in them.Circe also breaks the myth of perfection of Gods and scorns their outer beauty and unravels their inner imperfections , cold heartedness, cunningness and perpetual indifference . Circe at last renounced the divinity and embraced mortality with all it's fragility , weakness , imperfection because she knew life is beautiful as it has an end. Many before Miller have drawn inspiration from this enigmatic woman but Miller's powerful writing has re -introduced her in contemporary time , where woman are still fighting against establishment. The writing style is smooth and enthralls reader without entangling them in complex vocabularies, retains mysteries and keeps readers hooked till the next chapter. Author has build a bridge between greek mythological character Circe and modern day woman as the world around them has changed or evolved but not their challanges, they are perpetual. But this tale of CIRCE inspires us to take the journey, brace the scars, survive and explore what's within and outside.