Quest for Female Self in Kathryn Hulme’s The Nun’s Story
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Central Department of English Kirtipur, Kathmandu
Abstract
This research explores the female’s quest for ‘Self ’ in Kathryn Hulme’s The
Nun’s Story. The protagonist of the novel, Gabrielle Van der Mal, turns into a nun as
Sister Luke. She has a strong desire to exit from nunnery life but her father and her
superior, the priest always restrict her to worldly life and stand as barriers in her quest for
self. They are the representatives of the patriarchy and patriarchal society creating the
utmost obstacle for the females. Sister Luke is fed up and tired with society which does
not allow her to make self decision and create her own self. But Sister Luke resists
against the patriarchal rules for feminine freedom and successfully exit from nunnery life.
She is victimized physically and mentally by the male characters and Holy-rules.
However through her consistent efforts she is able to regain the female self and
individuality. At first she refuses to obey the Holy-rules and later does just the opposite to
those rules and regulation and keeps on questioning them. Therefore, she leaves nunnery
life forever in search for her inner self. Thus, Sister Luke (Gabrielle) represents the
female agenda and tries to redraw the boundary of patriarchy prevalent in the society.