Perumal Murugan’s fiction offers a compelling exploration of caste as a pervasive and enduring structure of social oppression in rural South India. Rooted in the lived realities of Tamil Nadu’s agrarian communities, his narratives illuminate how caste hierarchies regulate personal relationships, silence marginalized voices, and normalize everyday forms of violence and exclusion. This article examines the interrelated themes of caste, silence, and social oppression in Murugan’s major works, particularly Pyre and One Part Woman, situating them within broader debates on caste, power, and resistance in Indian society. The study argues that silence in Murugan’s fiction operates both as a mechanism of domination and as a survival strategy adopted by oppressed individuals navigating hostile social environments. Through an analysis of narrative structure, characterization, language, and rural ecology, the article demonstrates how Murugan exposes the tacit codes that sustain caste prejudice while also foregrounding subtle acts of resistance embedded in love, desire, and personal choice. By articulating the lived experiences of those constrained by caste norms, Murugan’s writing challenges the myth of a casteless modern India and underscores literature’s critical role in making visible the silenced histories of social injustice.