Comodification of Women in Paulo Coelho'sEleven Minutes

Abstract

Paulo Coelho, in Eleven Minutes (2003), presents the protagonist's involvement of sex industriesas theresultof capitalist society. The protagonist of the novel reaches Geneva where she endures various pain, suffering and oppression caused by the patriarchal ideology, and compels to work in a brothel.Most of the male characters of the noveltreat Maria as an object to fulfill their sexual desire.The profit oriented business under capitalism buys and sells the women as commodity. When the male character consumes Maria to their sexual desire, it is worth to study form Marxist perspectives. Marxist feministthinksthatthe comodificationof woman is the result of capitalism.When the women exchange their sexuality with money, the women become a commodity of men's sexual desire.Poverty,capitalist tendency of consumer culture,gender discrimination, and patriarchal society are the rootcause of the comodification of women.