Transition and Transformation of Position of Women in Deborah Ellis’ The Breadwinner

Abstract

The present study attempts to analyze the transformation of female’s position that they are surviving by their own ways in Islamic countries in the novel The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. It focuses on the process of transition and transformation on females’ position in Muslim countries from pre Islamic period to recent time. Thus, this study aims to establish the search of females’ status and position in Islamic world that had been made invisible in the world of dominance in the name of Islam and the misinterpretation of religion by the male authority and the society to gain the goal of gender equality. Therefore, from Qur’anic point of view, Qur’an clearly states men and women as equal and they will earn both rewards and punishment equally. But after misinterpretation of Qur’an and the entry of Taliban, the situation of women becomes worse. They lost all their rights, opportunity and freedom in their own societies. So the females’ characters of the novel are transforming themselves from the meek characters to strong freedom fighter just only to survive in the Taliban rule. So this research tries to explain search for the rights and freedom of females, freedom to dream anything under powerful Islamic communities which is affected by the war and the strict rules of the Taliban society just to achieve the goal of improving on human injustice and gender inequalities in the Islamic countries.