3. Feminism
This feminism theory is based on a thought of gender inequality that oppresses women’s freedom. The women movement in 1960s was not the
beginning of feminism. At that time, there was a revision of some old traditions and thoughts of gender equality in society Barry, 2002: 121. The feminist
criticism focuses on how to gain the equality between men and women. The movement of the feminists varies but the first movement they made was in
literature field. Their movement in the field of literature aims to protest the portrayal of
women in the provided literary works at that time Barry, 2002: 121. Their involvement in the literature field has purpose to revise the common portrayal of
women by the male authors. Their portrayal in literature was considered as a form of patriarchal influence since it provided role models which represented women
’s acceptable attitudes and feminine version in the society. In the late of 1970s, there
was a shift attention from andro-texts books by men to gyno-texts books by women Barry, 2002: 122- 123.
Faludi, an American feminist writer, writes reports which stand for the unmarried, career-minded, or divorced women. Those women are often addressed
as spinster because they get the difficulties to get married. The difficulties are the small numbers of single men, busy about the career, and infertility Snodgrass,
2006: 44. Later, she focuses on gender inequality in working field. She concentrates on how women get unjust treatment as workers.
Faludi concentrates on serious matters of unequal pay, mistreatment in the workplace, relegation to pink-collar jobs, unfair layoffs, sexual
harassment, and limited promotions of qualified women Snodgrass, 2006: 44.
Women movement to fight against the patriarchy is the sign of their resistance of the unjust treatment they get:
Calling upon the history of a glorious Indigenous past, Chicano movement discourse introduced the Indian as a symbol of
Mexican-American disenfranchisement and resistance. The use of the Indian has continued to the present as Chicanao activists, artists, and
authors have recovered a variety of Indigenous cultural traditions to elaborate political agendas and identity formations Contreras, 2008: 40.
Resistance means fighting against the rules which oppress her. The forms of the resistance vary such as, passive aggression, social critique, direct action,
and open rebellion grccwomenstudies.files.wordpress.com. Women resistance through direct action starts within their involvement in
literature writing. Laura Esquivel, a Mexican writer also the author of the novel which the researcher uses for this thesis, shows women’s power through the
existence of women characters who strengthen and help each other. She also emphasizes the natural characteristics of women:
The bonding of Tita with her nanny, the wise woman Nancha, and with Tita’s sister Gertrudis attests to the female strengths that dispel
hopelessness … Magical events, particularly Tita’s production of breast milk to feed her hungry enhances themes of womanly passion and mother
love Snodgrass, 2006: 176. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
C. Review of Related Background
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