Subversion of Conventional Gender Roles in Mohja Kahf’s The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf
Date
2018-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Art in English
Abstract
This research analyzes the issue of subversion of gender roles by a Muslim
girl, Khadra Shamy in the novel The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mohja Kahf. More
than a novel this is a Bildungsroman written by Kahf, who is a diasporic writer living
in America. The protagonist of the novel, Khadra Shamy migrates along with her
family from Syria to Indiana, America, where she is groomed in a devout Muslim
family and taught to follow norms and values of the Quran. However, she rejects
conventional notion of gender roles assigned by her religious community and
succeeds to achieve her dream as a photographer. The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf
accounts the journey of Khadra from a girl to mature woman who revolts against the
patriarchal values and proves herself as the capable one to live her life freely. In this
journey she encounters hardships but her perpetual courage and confidence takes her
to desired life. Khadra Shamy, by rejecting the conventional notion of gender role
subverts the role and makes her identity as a successful woman. This research project
applies the ideas of Judith Butler and Simone De Beavoir presented in Gender
Description
Keywords
gender roles, Subversion, conventional