Feminism: How are women portrayed:   Miramar and A woman is no man

 

Introduction:

Feminism has been for long a socio-political movement which was inspired by the pretext of subjugation of women. And the campaign was meant to bring women into the realm of power. Feminism discouraged the control of men over women’s bodies and souls. Women were bound to be as free as their fellow men. The novel Mirmar is based on a story of a young girl Mirmar, who finds herself in a pensionary. The story is about a struggle of a woman who finds herself in a dark, gloomy world of men. Who sees her as an object. The story portrays a poor beautiful woman with an attractive body struggling inside a patriarchal world. She is often threatened, tried to be raped and proposed to, which she rejects. The body of a woman is portrayed as the only source to gain power in a man-centric world. For: the character of Mariana, a faded beauty, inspires no attraction on the part of men. While Zohra is an object of men’s affection as well as lust. Thus, a woman’s body is an agency through which she is objectified.  Zohra symbolises women with attractive bodies as a representative of feminised attributes which are desirable in men. From a body positivist point of view, this portrayal of women as a source of attraction is highly abominable. The novel portrays women as weak individuals who are at the mercy of a patriarchal culture which sees the shape of a women’s bodies as the only beautiful thing. Similarly, another novel “women is no man”, portrays the life of Palestinian American women who find themselves in the confines of Arab culture. They fail to exercise their agency and fail to have an expression. So, both novels portray women as weak creatures who fail to find their place based on their talents. Instead, they remain a victim of a socio-cultural milieu which promotes the dominance of men.

 

 

 

Body:

“Feminists have a lot of differences within.” (Heilbrun, & Carolyn 2). As liberal feminists believe in providing women with equal opportunities as men. And they could make their way through by themselves. However, radical feminists believe in radical changes in relationships with men, like disregarding heterosexual relationships. However, one agenda is common among feminists, no matter what their political agenda might be. And that is, the belief that men’s supremacy or patriarchy has dominated human history, and it requires to be changed. In both novels, it can be seen through the setting that women have to live in a culture of male chauvinism, where women can hardly speak for their rights. They remain victims of male chauvinism. As said by a female character in Woman is no man: “Where I come from, we keep these stories to ourselves. To tell them to the outside world is unheard of, dangerous, the ultimate shame.” (8)

 

In the novel Miramar, the character of Zohra is presented as an object. Thus, objectification of her character is being portrayed. She became the focus of men’s attention around her because of her body. Therefore, she inspires affection and lust on the part of male characters. She remains a victim of violence in a patriarchal culture. The other female character Mariana is portrayed as an unattractive figure and, despite being a caretaker of a pensionary and a reasonably well-to-do lady, is described as null of any charm, primarily because of her age and figure. Thus, the source of a woman’s place in a social milieu is seen through the prism of her body. During the late 20th-century body, positivist feminism emerged. The significant tenets of body positivist feminism was that woman shall not be seen as an object whose identity is subjected to her body. But, inside the novel, there is a reflection of a particular male chauvinist and patriarchal culture which sees women as only “objects” which is there to fulfil their sexual and emotional fantasies. This portrayal is very disgusting.

Another novel, Women is no man, as the title suggests, describes the position of women in a culture where they hardly have any say. All their life remains a pursuit of avoiding shame to keep “honour”. They are not allowed to say anything which they feel or want. In this novel in contrast with Mirmar, women have no singularity of portrayal. Instead, different characters portray different types of girls. Like: the nature of Isra is very silent and meek. She is described as a very humble and, at times, servile individual. In contrast, the character of Deva portrays an outspoken, curious and defiant lady. She is the total opposite of Isra. However, the position of women is described as restricted to their house and marriage. As the mother of Isra says in A Woman is no Man:  “There is nothing out there for a woman but her bayt wa dar, her house and home. Marriage, motherhood–that is a woman’s only worth” (16). However, Deva’s marriage does not bring any happiness to her. As her worries only deepened once she gave birth to four daughters. Since daughters are not as welcomed as may be boys, the character of Rum is portrayed as constantly receiving a beating. Firstly, she gets beaten by her father and then by her husband. And this is how the relationship continues.

 

So, all three female characters represent different types of women, as deva and Rum represent those who make their life subordinate to the circumstances. While Deva remains someone who grabs the courage to tell her story and make a life for herself outside the marriage. Thus, she challenges the traditionally consumed view about women and marriage. Thus, she represents a different kind of lady, brave enough to face social pressures and take a stand for herself.

 

 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, it can be said that women are portrayed differently in both novels, Mirmar and A women is no man. But, both books are set in a sociocultural milieu where male chauvinism is evident. In Mirmar is objectified. As she gains recognition and attraction validation as well as faces violence purely because of her physical attraction. While in the second novel, A woman is no man, different characters represent the position of women within society as well as the expectation from them to have marriage and live happily ever after. However, it is being portrayed that women who marry cannot live happily afterwards. Instead, they remain widely unhappy and feel a sense of being victims of their circumstances. However, a contrast is drawn through the character of Deva, who is defiant of the norms and expectations. And she managed to live a better life where she felt more empowered.

 

 

References:

1-      Heilbrun, Carolyn, and Judith Resnik. "Convergences: Law, literature, and feminism." Yale Lj 99 (1989): 1913.

2-      RUM, ETAF. Woman Is No Man: A Novel. HARPERPERENNIAL, 2021.

 

3-      Mahfouz, Naguib. Miramar. AUC Press, 2003.