Understanding The Malays: Images of Malay Women in Shahnon Ahmad's Selected Works

• Main Author: Normazla Ahmad Mahir
• Format: Conference Paper
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://dspace.unimap.edu.my/xmlui/handle/123456789/1794; http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1794

Gender discrimination phenomenon not only exists in 'male-centered' literatures where 'doublestandard' treatment is apparent in the writings of local male writers, but also can be seen in the twisted yet stereotypical images of the female characters. By unveiling the social values and practices of the Malay society, only then these misperception and misrepresentation of women characters can be understood. Their interpretation of characters is shaped by the Malay society's customs, traditions, and taboos. Using sociological and feminist approach, this paper attempts to rectify the three stereotypical images (an 'object', the 'other' and 'being female') of women characters as created by Shahnon Ahmad in No Harvest but Thorn (1972), Rope of Ash (1991), Srengenge (1974) and "Woman" (1980). These images shall be revealed implicitly through glimpses of the women characters' inner conflicts and explicitly through the development of characters and their relationship with the society.