Problem Formulation Objectives of the Study

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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Study

Resistance and Oppression in Suchen Christine Lim’s Novelsby SanthiMathyRamdas is to study the gender oppression in Lim‟s numerous novels, such as A Bit of Earth, Fistful of Colours, Gift from the Gods, and Rice Bowl. Under his study, Ramdas would like to highlight the resistance in female characters in the concepts of “subjugation”, “alienation”, “separatism”, “confrontation”, and “escapism” in gender oppression and patriarchal practices 2010: 97. Ramdas‟ study on Gender Oppression and Resistance aimed to resolve the confusion of the idea of patriarchy. The notion of men„s presence were the only things that created sickness to women‟s life in the social setting, thus the notion of patriachal practices lead another issue which caused women to oppress another in many manners without knowing condition. Such condition is called, gender oppression. Those ideas were much detested concept by feminist because it embodies all the ill that men can bestow upon women. the area, however, provides the forte from which patriarchy or social construct has recruited women to be agents of in oppressing another women in any manners. Ramdas, 2010: 97 Through Ramdas‟ study, he observed that Suchen Christine Lim portrayed the chinese w omen to be the contrary version of “obedient, unassuming, yielding, timid, respectful, reticent, and unselfish in character” Ramdas, 2010: 96. He also stated the characters within novel experienced the depression; loneliness 2010: 96, the depressed characters were depicted to alienate themselves from the outside world and living with their imaginary world. However, during the oppression, the characters experienced the humiliation which caused Suchen put a psychological effect which driven the characters to experience “the high spirited and resistant” to the social construct of gender oppression. In adverse pyschological effects Suchen Christine Lim has developed the characters, projecting them as high – spirited and resistant to the stereotypical portrayal of the female as weak. Ramdas, 2010: 96 The high spirited character caused themselves to confront the oppressor by using the radical feminist term “escapism, confrontation, separatism, silencing, subjugation, and alienation” 2010: 96. According Ramdas‟ study, the characters set themselves apart from the oppressor and started to live as new human and independent beings, leaving and forgetting their past. The writer agreed that women had the lack of capability showing their emotion, behaviour and thought within the presence of men however they were showing the resistance toward those who oppressed them. Despite the standing point of agreement with Ramdas‟ study, the writer also noted that there were missing point that writer wanted to complete, unlike the previous study from Ramdas, the writer wanted to elaborate the essence of society‟s influence in the psychological preferences of the chosen character with the different theories and approach but using the same terms, such as “alienation”, “escape” and “sisterhood”.