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The second is biographical approach, which has the main idea that a work of art is a reflection of the author personality. Therefore, readers need to know
about the author’s life and development to understand the author’s writings. Biographical materials also provide useful facts that could put readers in a better
position to understand and appreciate the literary objects 7-8. The third approach is Sociocultural-Historical approach. Rohrberger and
Woods 9 state, “Critics whose major interest is the Sociocultural-historical approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the
civilization that produced it”. It means that in order to analyze and understand a literary work we need to analyze and to understand the social background and the
historical background when the literary works are produced. What happens in the society, in the time the literary work is produced, influence the understanding of
the story. By knowing the Sociocultural-historical and historical background, the proponents will get the meaning of the story and can give the esthetical response
to it. The next approach is mythopoeic approach. This approach tries to discover
certain recurrent patterns, to find expression in significant works of art. The universal recurrent patterns are found in first expression in ancient myths and folk
rites of human thought that have meaning for all men 11-12. The last is psychological approach which involves the efforts to locate and
demonstrate certain recurrent pattern. This approach uses various theories of psychology in order to understand and explain the character’s personality in a
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story. The proponents of this approach believe that the behaviors of the characters in a story can be referred to the psychology of human being.
In this study, I would like to use the sociocultural-historical approach to analyze the women’s positions in Iran. However, the study will focus more on the
socio-cultural background because this factor has more influences in finding the women’s positions in Iran.
2.2. Women’s Position in Iran in the Late 20
th
Century
This section presents the women’s position in Iran in the late 20
th
century. This section is divided into two. They are position in the family and position in
the society.
2.2.1. Position in the Family
Iran is an Islamic country which has similar culture with those other Islamic countries, that is why, primarily, most Iranians are Muslims. The New
Encyclopædia Britannica also mentions that Iranian speak in Arabic and F ārsī, the
most important and most specifically Iranian language 862-863. In most cultures, women’s activities are primarily confined their roles as wifes and
mother, family interactions is important for understanding the situation of a women. Hughes stated those women’s roles and duties to be child bearing and
care taking, and providing comfort and satisfaction to husbands. However, Iranians also believe in subordinate position in the family. According to Fathi 5,
the status of women in the family in Iran has a great extent been influenced by
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Islamic culture, but similarities in patterns of behavior are not always associated with similarity of religious belief. The relationship between men and women in
Iran has also been influenced, especially in the present century, by western ideas and ways of life. A suitable accommodation between the western and native
cultural elements has not yet been achieved in Iran. Hughes stated that men were granted the power to make all family
decisions, including the movement of women and custody of the children. Your wife, who is your possession, is in fact, your slave, is the mullah’s legal view of
women’s status. The misogyny of the mullahs made women the embodiment of sexual seduction and vice 22. To protect the sexual morality of society, women
had to be covered and banned from engaging in immodest activity. Women must cover their hair and body except for their face and hands and they must not
use cosmetics 23. The legal age at which girls can be married is 9 years formerly 18 years. Polygamy is legal, with men permitted to have four wives
and unlimited number of temporary wives. Women are not permitted to travel or acquire a passport without their husband’s written permission. A woman is not
permitted to be in the company of a man who is not her husband or a male relative. Public activities are segregated. Women are not allowed to engage in
sports in which they may be seen by men; or permitted to watch men’s sports in which men’s legs are not fully covered 23.
Furthermore, The New Encyclopædia Britannica mentions that the organizational principle of Iranian kinship is patriliny. This means several things:
1 Formal authority is vested in males. 2 Males are the primary property holders
