From Being to Becoming A Woman: A Feminist Study of Rum’s A Woman Is No Man

Abstract

This study aims at exploring Etaf Rum’s novel through a feministic perspective, by applying a mixed theoretical framework. The novel has been analyzed using the theoretical postulates from Simone de Beauvoir (The Other, Ethics of Ambiguity), Judith Butler (Theory of Performativity) and Chandra Mohnaty (Third-World Woman) have been applied. The study carries discussion over intersectionality of class, culture and gender, along with the traces of resistance and subversion against the male dominance and cultural stereotypic assumptions. The study demonstrates how women are made to believe that it is their duty to prioritize societal expectations over individualistic desires, perpetuating their subservience, how men have privilege and control over women minds and bodies, and how women struggle to resist and revert the male dominance. The research is significant as it sheds light on the persistent struggle of female individuals, highlighting the powers of patriarchal society, forcing them to behave in a certain way.