The Impact of Patriarchal Culture on Female Character in Ahmad Tohari’s Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk, Yasunari Kawabata’s Yukiguni, and Nadia Hashimi’s A House Without Windows
(1) Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya
(2) Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya
(3) Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya
(4) Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
This article investigates the impact of pervasive patriarchal culture on female characters in three novels from different cultural backgrounds: Ahmad Tohari's Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk (Indonesia), Yasunari Kawabata's Yukiguni (Japan), and Nadia Hashimi's A House Without Windows (Afghanistan). Using feminist literary criticism and Sylvia Walby's theory of patriarchy, this study explores how entrenched gender norms, institutional practices, and male dominance systematically confine women in subordinate roles, denying their autonomy, voice, and fundamental rights. The analysis reveals patterns that recur throughout the novel: social stigma, emotional and physical suffering, economic dependence, lack of freedom, and internalization of inferiority among the female characters. Despite differences in setting and tradition, these novels expose similar mechanisms of oppression-sexual objectification, silencing, and moral judgment-that perpetuate gender-based inequality. However, the texts also reveal moments of female resistance, resilience and agency, demonstrating literature's potential to reflect and challenge patriarchal structures. This comparative study underscores the universality of patriarchal oppression and the importance of literature in advocating for gender justice and social change.
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