Gender and inequality in Anthimakaalam [Gender dan ketidakadilan dalam novel Anthimakaalam]

Authors

  • Saravanan P. Veeramuthu School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
  • Manonmani Devi M.A.R Annamalai Faculty of Languages and Communication Human Sciences, Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia.

Keywords:

Female, Gender, Libiality, Character and Characteristic, Novel, Anthima Kaalam

Abstract

The process of creating a work begins from the inner experience of the author sees his life from social, cultural, political, economic, religious, moral, or gender aspects. Therefore, the result of his writing is often influenced and based on the attitude, background and beliefs of the authors themselves. one of the interesting aspects to be studied in the literary works is about the presence of female’s character and their characteristic. This study is based on the realization that literary works by male authors often illustrate women unfairly. Therefore, this research tries to find out how far this position stands out in the Re. Karthigesu’s novel and determind how this kind of response is truth. In addition, this study also attempts to approach the female’s character and their characteristic in the Anthima Kaalam novel to prove that women have their image, experience, voice, desires, insights, languages and cultures contaminated by injustice. There are seven female characters in this novel. The characters are Janaki, Radha, Annapurani, "Attai", Mrs. Sivamani, Mother Maggie and Mrs. Janaki. The study will be clarified using these seven female characters by referring to their story background and position in the plot of this novel. Therefore, the five manifestations that Mansour Fakih (2002) has put forward will be used as a platform to illustrate the injustices faced by female's character and their characteristic in this novel. Re. Karthigesu is definitely more comfortable defending his characters than female characters. Apparently in developing the story, Re. Karthigesu has been chosen to see female as the only complement to the male world. Hence, the characters of the woman are bound and immersed in conventional values that make up the author's response.

[Proses penciptaan sebuah karya bermula daripada pengalaman batin pengarang melihat kehidupannya dari aspek sosial, budaya, politik, ekonomi, keagamaan, moral, mahupun gender.  Lantaran itu, hasil penulisannya itu yang sering kali diwarnai dan didasari oleh oleh sikap, latar belakang dan keyakinan dan kepercayaan pengarang itu sendiri. Salah satu aspek yang menarik untuk kita kaji dalam karya yang dihasilkan ialah kehadiran watak dan perwatakan wanita. Kajian ini bertitik tolak daripada kesedaran bahawa karya-karya sastera oleh pengarang lelaki sering menggambarkan wanita dengan tidak adil. Oleh itu, penelitian ini cuba menyelami sejauhmana pendirian ini menonjol dalam karya Re. Karthigesu dan melihat adakah kebenaran dalam tanggapan seumpama ini. Di samping itu, kajian ini juga cuba mendekati watak dan perwatakan wanita dalam novel Anthima kaalam membuktikan bahawa wanita mempunyai imej, pengalaman, suara, keinginan, wawasan, bahasa dan budaya mereka yang dicemari oleh ketidakadilan. Dalam novel ini terdapat tujuh watak wanita. Watak tersebut ialah Janaki, Radha, Annapurani, “Attai”, Ibu Sivamani, Mother Maggie dan Ibu Janaki. Kajian ini akan dikupaskan menggunakan tujuh watak ini dengan merujuk kepada latar cerita dan kedudukan mereka dalam garapan plot cerita ini.  Untuk itu, lima manifestasi yang telah dikemukakan oleh Mansour Fakih (2002) akan digunakan sebagai landasan untuk membicangkan ketidakadilan yang terpaksa ditempuhi oleh watak dan perwatakan wanita dalam novel ini. Re Karthigesu jelas lebih selesa untuk membela watak-watak lelakinya berbanding watak wanita.  Nampaknya dalam membina perkembangan ceritanya, Re. Karthigesu memilih untuk melihat wanita sebagai golongan yang menjadi pelengkap sahaja kepada dunia lelaki.  Lantaran itu watak-watak wanita tersebut terikat dan tenggelam dalam nilai-nilai konvensional yang membentuk tanggapan pengarang.]

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Published

2019-04-08
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How to Cite

P. Veeramuthu, S., & M.A.R Annamalai, M. D. . (2019). Gender and inequality in Anthimakaalam [Gender dan ketidakadilan dalam novel Anthimakaalam]. Muallim Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(2), 207-225. https://doi.org/10.33306/mjssh15