Hegemonic Construction of Gender Structures: Analyzing Patriarchal conflict in A Woman is No Man

Abstract

This research undertakes a critical textual analysis of Etaf Rum’s debut novel “A Woman is No Man” to explore the construction of hegemonic gender voices/structures and the pervasive oppression of women through Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of dialogic heteroglossia. Through a close reading of the text, this study aims to illuminate the generational transmission and resistance of patriarchal norms among the voices in the text. Through dialogic interactions among the voices and the evolution of these characters, Rum exposes how oppressive gender ideologies are internalized, perpetuated, and contested within the text. By examining the textualized forms of gender oppression in “A Woman is No Man”, this research aims to promote a more nuanced understanding of the complex patriarchal dynamics at play in literary representations of dialogic interactions of communication among the voices in the text and to signify the need for critical textual analysis in uncovering the ubiquitous mechanisms of gender oppression. This research explores how the novel assembles the social perspective of gender discrimination through its portrayal of Middle Eastern oppressive behavior towards their women. This study highlights how dialogic communication among these varying voices critiques and destabilizes gendered hegemony, paving pathways for reimagining female identity and agency.