Beyond the Veil of Patriarchy: Female Subjugation inNadeem Aslam’s Novel “The Golden Legend”

Abstract

The present study is a feminist analysis of Nadeem Aslam's novel The Golden Legend (2017). The study draws on feminist literary theory that questions the historically and socially constructed gender hierarchies, which work out women as subordinate, irrational and the “Other” as opposed to men. This paper explores the representation of the patriarchy and its maintenance by literature, drawing from important feminist thinkers such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Virginia Woolliscroft, Simone de Beauvoir, and contemporary theorists. The novel is a backdrop to the religious extremism and minority persecution in Pakistan today and hence is a key text for feminist investigation. The study is qualitative in nature, using an interpretative method to analyze secondary data from the novel, research articles, journals, and theoretical texts. The results show that The Golden Legend depicts a society which places demands and limits on women, demands for modesty, limits to the home sphere and primary tasks to the kitchen and housework. Violence or social ostracism is the consequence of any violation of these norms. In addition, the novel illustrates double marginalization, marginalization of women, but also, of the non-Muslim characters Helen and Nargis (Margaret) based on religious minority. It is illustrated how religious extremism prevents widows from remarrying and how honor culture is used to justify honor killings on unconfirmed rumors. Moreover, government officials and state policies are also repressive forces: when a widow must forgive her husband's killer. The study ends with the conclusion that feminist literary theory offers a strong framework to reveal the various and overlapping systems of oppression that limit women's lives. The Golden Legend presents a sort of network of oppression of women, the three forces of patriarchy, religious fundamentalism, and state. In the novel, the individual oppression of women is shown to be caused by a combination of the oppression of women by gendered, religious, and institutional forces. Keywords: Feminist literary theory, The Golden Legend, Nadeem Aslam, patriarchy, religious extremism, women's repression and Pakistan.