Female bonding in Natusu Kirino’s Out
Date
2014
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of English
Abstract
This research focuses on Nasuto Kirino’s novel Out, and deals with the issue of female bonding and solidarity. The novel rotates around the women characters and their activities to show how they come together to fight against patriarchal domination. Besides, the pain and frustration of four women characters, their suffering from various kinds of problems, like economic, social, familiar, and existential as well as gender inequality and domestic violence is the focus of the novel. In spite of their different backgrounds and problems, they come together and form a bond to fight against patriarchal excesses. Yayoi, is the female protagonist of the novel, on night her husband Kenji comes home heavily intoxicated and scolds and beats her. He gambles away all their savings. In the fit of anger Yayoi kills her husband. Then she seeks the help of her friends to dispose the crime. Her friends like Masako, Kuniko and Yoshie come together and help her to dispose the crime showing a sense of solidarity. Similarly, they help each other to solve their problems. The friendship becomes beneficial to overcome their difficulties. Thus, the novelist projects the idea that if women come together, they are collectively able to fight against patriarchal domination. In order to justify this claim, this research mobilizes the theoretical concepts of Bell Hooks, Elizabeth Able, Clenora Hudson Weems.
Description
Keywords
Female bonding, Gender inequality, Domestic violence, Women characters