Rebellious Voice of Subaltern Women against oppression in Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting Novel

ABSTRACT

Post-colonial feminism is defined as the approach to analyze the struggle of woman to resist oppression living in the post-colonized country in the literary work. Further, in this research, the researcher intends to analyze the rebellious voice expressed by the female characters in Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting. The research method of this study is taking the data from the primary source, Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting novel. The data is analyzed using descriptive qualitative technique applies postcolonial feminism point of view. This study is applying literary criticism, focuses on post-colonial feminism approach under Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s voice of subaltern.

This study is aimed at finding: (1) the Subaltern Women rebellion against oppression in Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting (2) the strategies of Subaltern Women rebel against oppression in Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting. This study is practically expected to give the analysis and information in obvious description about the rebellious voice of subaltern women toward the female characters in view postcolonial feminism. Besides, the finding of this study is also expected to be beneficial as the scientific material for further study on the same literary work or theory.

Through the analysis of this study, the researcher finds out that the rebellious voice of subaltern women against oppression is to show that they want to take their freedom to determine their life, to have their own choice to do something and remove the oppression they get both from colonial and patriarchal ideology. Besides, the strategy they take is applying strategic essentialism and nonviolent struggle through their ideas, utterance, or action. Such as protest, breaking the norm, persuading, using a particular tone and gesture.

Strategic essentialism is a strategy by which difference is temporarily muted and unity assumed for the sake of achieving tangible political goals. In applying strategic essentialism, the character acts ‘as if’ identities were stable and presents themselves by miming the negative representation of minority group to affirm a political identity and engage in continuous debates to temporarily essentialize themselves and to bring forward their group identity in a simplified way to achieve certain goals.

In conclusion, the rebellious voice of subaltern women rebel the oppression do not take violence action and wants to liberate themselves to get their right and to be able to have their own choice. Furthermore, the strategy is by applying strategic essentialism to mobilize women in action to achieve a goal. Besides, their strategy expressing voice through ideas, utterance, and act.