Female Oppresion in Wide Sargasso Sea

A Turkish scholar approach to Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea:

Exploring Female Oppression in ’Wide Sargasso Sea’ and ’Damascus Bitter Sweet’ Through Voices of Silence

Lara Abaziz
UFÜ Sosyal Ve Beşeri Bilimler Dergisi(1), 23-43

An essential aspect of literature is its function as a medium through which cultural beliefs can be studied in a society. This study aims to study patriarchy as experienced in different societies and, thus, looks at two novels, Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea and Ulfat Idilbi's Damascus Bitter Sweet, in a qualitative analysis. By utilizing feminist literary theory, this research delves into the struggles, power dynamics, and suppression faced by female characters, as well as gender stereotypes and the violation of women's self- assertion within various cultures. The study examines how gender inequalities are depicted in various texts by analyzing the oppression and violence faced by female protagonists Sabriya and Antoinette. Studies suggest that women are constrained within confined Victorian patriarchal societies, leaving them powerless and exposed to submissiveness and exploitation. This includes using psychological, economic, and sexual strategies to keep women in a subordinate position to men. However, it also highlights the resilience and strength of these women in the face of such adversity, inspiring us with their courage.