in question. To provide corroborating evidence and prove the credibility of the study, the researcher employed triangulation method. According to Vanderstoep
and Jhonston 2008:189, triangulation is the way to establish the trustworthiness of the data using more than methodology to address the same question. There are
four types of triangulation namely multiple and different sources or data, methods, investigators, and theories triangulation Creswell, 2007:208.
In this research, the researcher engaged multiple and different theories and methods. To collect the data, the researcher conducted multiple techniques which
were reading and note taking. The theory applied in this study was not only feminism, but also some other supporting theories related to social problems and
gender discrimination. Investigator triangulation was employed to prove the trustworthiness of this
study. The research consultation was conducted with her two advisors who are competent in the study of literature. In completing triangulation techniques, the
researcher also made a discussion with two peer-reviewers who conducted the studies using the same theory, namely feminism.
To increase the credibility of the research findings, the researcher also conducted multiple and data sources triangulation by gathering evidence taken
from a variety of data sources such as books, theses, journals and websites which were related to her research matter. Each type of source of data strengthened the
evidence and gave different insights regarding the phenomena under study.
52
CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
This chapter elaborates the findings and discussions of the research on the novel A Thousands Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Furthermore, the findings
and discussions are divided into two parts, which are based on the objectives of the research, i.e. 1 to reveal what kinds of gender discrimination faced by women
in the novel and 2 to reveal the attitudes of women towards discrimination they face in the novel.
A. Kinds of Gender Discrimination in Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns
Patriarchal system, which assigns men special privilege, has established male domination within the society. When men occupy a superior position, they have
the power to control women‟s lives. Men determine the chances of women to access opportunities, such as from education, public facility, carrier, etc. The
power men have over women later raises gender problems between men and women, which are known as gender discrimination. Gender discrimination is an
unequal treatment based on gender someone has. Hosseini‟s A Thousands Splendid Suns is a novel that shows the plight of
women who suffer from gender discrimination in a strong patriarchal society, Afghanistan. With the feminist theory and women‟s problems as the background,
the researcher explored the novel and she found that gender discrimination depicted in the novel is complex. Four kinds of gender discrimination namely
violence, subordination, stereotype, and marginalization are found in the novel.
Those forms of gender discrimination are experienced by the three main female characters namely Nana, Mariam and Laila.
1. Violence
Violence against women is the most obvious form of gender discrimination since it shows real acts of discrimination, such as rapping, kicking, slapping, etc.
and it leaves negative impacts on the victims either physical, psychological or sexual harm. There are three types of violence namely physical violence,
psychological, and sexual violence Annisa, 2010:10-11 and all of that are found in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns.
a. Sexual Violence
Sexual violence includes all actions performed by resorting to force without the consent of the person such as rape, sexual harrasment, marital rape and incest
Annisa, 2010:11. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, the female characters experience rape and marital rape. In the first chapter, the first female character
named Nana is raped by her employer, Jalil. It is told that
“Nana had been one of the housekeepers. Until her belly began to swell” Hosseini, 2008:6. Although
it is not written explicitly, but the quotation means that Nana is rapped until she gets pregnant. As a woman whose job is a housekeeper, Nana becomes more
vul nerable to rape. In the other hand, Jalil‟s positions as a man, where in
patriarchal society has more power than women, and as Nana‟s employer trigger him to rape Nana. The rape Jalil does to Nana leaves scars in her life. She has to
bear disgrace in her whole life after she gets pregnant and gives birth to a harami or bastard girl named Mariam, who is later on abandoned by Jalil.
