feminist criticism

The Portrayal of Traditional Gender Role in Habiburrahman El Shirazy’s Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra Nurrohma Fitriana (120912124) Student of English Department Faculty of Humanities Airlangga University, Indonesia 2012 Introduction Habiburrahman El Shirazy (1976) is an Indonesian writer whose literary works are full of Islamic idea, especially about relationship between women and men. Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra (2006) is one of his novel which reveals traditional gender role of a woman as moslem. It is pretty interested because women’s feminimity has been promoting nowaday. In contrary, this modern novel still defend how Islam portrays women with their traditional gender role without humiliate the God’s omnipotence. Besides, Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra got prestigious award called as ‘Pena Award National Best Novel 2006’. These reasons have became basic reason of Shirazy’s novel is choosen to be the object for analysis. This article is going to reveal the portrayal of traditional gender role in Habiburrahman El Shirazy’s Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra by emphasizing Raihana as its prominent character. Therefore, feminist literary criticism will be the most suitable framework to conduct the analysis. The background of the author also supports how well the feminism issue in Islam was elaborated by the novel is. Habiburrahman’s education background proven that his religious aspect is constructed strong. After graduated from Madrasah Aliyah Program Khusus Surakarta in 1995, he continoued his study to Faculty of Ushuluddin in Al-Azhar University, Cairo until 1999. In 2001, he succeeded his Postgraduate Diploma in Imam Al-Baiquri's The Institute for Islamic Studies Cairo (www.goodreads.com, December 1st 2012). Raihana, the prominent character except the character ‘Aku’ in the novel, is a woman who holds tight Islamic principle as women. Indeed, she proposes the idea of traditional gender role in feminist criticism which is correlated by Islam’s point of view toward woman. The portrayal of Raihana is also shown from another character’s point of view, in the novel he is called as ‘Aku’ –first person’s point of view- whom Raihana’s husband. Therefore, this study is aimed to prove in which way Islam constructs ‘traditional gender role’ within Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra. Yet, who is theorist describes ‘traditional gender role’ at best? Traditional gender role is one issue of feminist literary criticism. Feminist literary criticism is rooted from the understanding of women inferiority while its keyterm is the equivalent of right between men and women (Osborne 45). Further, Tyson (1999) describes traditional gender role division between man and woman that place “man as rational, strong, protective and decisive;...women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing, and submissive” (83). In the novel, Raihana will be analyzed thus she could be categorized as woman who fulfills traditional gender role or not and even she portrays how Islamic women must follow gender role in particular aspect. Thus, O’Conell will be the most suitable theorist for further explanation. This articel will be a qualitative research which is conducted by several limitation; 1) relationship between men and women which are portrayed, 2) Power relationships between men and women, 3) the constitution of masculinity and femininity. Besides, some related studies such as Alfian Rohmansyah’s Perspectif Feminimisme dalam Novel Layar Terkembang Karya Sultan Takdir AliSjahbana (2005) which revealed toward feminism sisterhood and also Novial Alifi’s Fanatisme Figur dalam novel Ksatria, Putri, dan Bintang Jatuh Karya Dewi Lestari dan Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra Karya Habiburrahman El Shirazy (2010) which elaborated protagonist fanaticism in worshiping their lover. Analysis Pursuing women’s attitude as ‘women behaviour’ in traditional gender role is meant women have to create their image as weak and under men’s position in several sides. In feminist criticim, gender has became the main issue to be focused on. As Beasley (2005) stated on his Gender and Sexuality : Critical Theoris, Critical Thinkers ,gender tipically refers to social process of dividing up people and social practices along the line of sexed identities, gender divides sexed catagories into men and women while sexuality divides sexual catagories into hetero and homosexual. Traditional gender role puts women as more irrational and emotional than men. Although many debates toward traditional gender role, Lenahan O’Connell (1993) describes best the issue of gender within Habiburrahman El Shirazy’s Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra. O’Connell does not oppose women to get work although they are still in the scope of traditional gender role. Therefore, it is categorized as liberal feminism in which the equivalent right for women and men to get job is similar (42). Besides, she asserts that raditional female gender role points out the existency women as agent of caregiving and nurturing, not as radical as mentioned by Tyson. A short brief introduction about the novel, Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra is a novel that tells about woman’s loyalty in keeping her love to her husband. Novel, asserted by Wallek, Rene and Warren (1993), is an imagined story that proposes entertainment for the readers (27). There are several stories within this novel. But this article only points out a part entitled Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra which is full of feminist issues. Raihana and her husband have marriage by their parents’ aggreement offer. By having education background in Middle East, Raihana’s husband has been imagining has a Middle East’s wive whose face is as pretty as diamond thus he could not love Raihana as well as he wants. It is mentioned by Shirazy (2006) : Tapi seleraku lain. Entah mengapa. Apakah mungkin telah begitu hanyut dengan citra gadis-gadis mesir titisan Cleopatra yang tinggi semampai? Yang berwajah putih jelita dengan hidung melengkung indah, mata bulat bening khas Arab, dan bibir merah halus menawan. Dalam balutan jilbab sutra putih wajah gadis Mesir itu bersinar-sinar, seperti permata Zabarjad yang bersih, indah berkilauan tertimpa sinar purnama. Sejuk dan mempesona. Jika tersenyum, lesung pipinya akan menyihir siapa saja yang melihatnya. Aura pesona kecantikan gadis-gadis mesir titisan Cleopatrasedemikian mengakar dalam otak dan perasaan dan hatiku… (3) Although Raihana was given bassic necessity of life by her husband, but she was not able to feel a turbulanced love from him. Knowing his husband’s longing made her live in depth sadness. Yet, she still holded on her principle as a Moslem that a wive has to be loyal and submissive belong to her husband. Besides, her choice in working as a teacher was also another reason she is alleged as woman who deals with O’Connell’s gender role ;equivalent right in getting job between man and woman. By still holding O’Connell argumentation that ‘woman is agent of nurturing and caregiving’, Raihana’s choice of her job as teacher is part of traditional gender role’s evidence. Teacher, however, is a job where a person give nurture and caring. Hence , this article believes woman as teacher is part of traditional gender role application. Furthermore, Raihana proves traditional gender role of woman as agent of caregiving. Woman as agent of caregiving has to deliver love and attention toward people around her, in the novel, it is meant for Raihana husband. Although her husband, a lecture, has been subjecting Raihana as only ordinary woman without giving her love from his heart, Raihana still tries hard to love him, as a loyal wive. By hiding her sadness, she tried hard to give attention toward her husband as well as she can. Beside hiding her sadness by only wrote her complaint in secret letter under her pillow, she prayed her husband continously ”…..jangan Engkau memurkai dia, dengan penuh cinta hamba telah memaafkan segala khilafnya, hamba tetap menyayanginya. Ya Allah berikanlah hamba kekuatan untuk tetap setia berbakti dan memuliakannya…” (12). Raihana, in proving that she is agent of nurturing, was struggling to convince her husband that she is the right woman for him to be loved. Beside worked as teacher, she was a good woman as Aida said about her : “...”Mbak Raihana itu orangnya baik kok, kak. Dia ramah, halus budi, sarjana pendidikan, penyabar, berjilbab, dan hafal Qur’an lagi. Pokoknya cocok deh buat kakak, ”komentar adikku, si Aida tentang calon isteriku”(2). Here, Shirazy portrais that woman is agent of nurturing by emphasizing Raihan’s character as friendly, patient, using hijab and so on. From explanation above, Shirazy through his Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra portrays the relationship between woman and man characters. Man is portrait more powerful and has more intention than woman. In another side, woman, as her origin God’s omnipotence must obey her husband’s commands. Although, she is not treated as well as she wants. However, she still has right to get equivalent right in getting job, delivering her opinions or enduring her position. This construction of woman to follow traditional gender role is elaborated well by the novel. The correlation with religious aspect can not betray its feminist issue. Conclusion Habiburrahman El Shirazy’s Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra (2006) is a novel that points out woman’s gender role in family (woman’s manner toward her husband). Raihana, the prominent woman character in the novel, is portrayed as woman who follows O’Connell’s traditional gender role in which a woman is agent for nurturing and caregiving. Indirectly, Shirazy has delivered his understanding of Islam’s point of view toward woman as a wive. Women are bordered as loyal creature who have to obey her husband. Work Cited Chris Beasley . Gender and Sexuality : Critical Theoris, Critical Thinkers. New Delhi : Sage Production. 2005. print Html.Forum.detik.com/hobi/buku-komik/habiburrahman+el+shirazy is accessed on Saturday 8.29 pm December, 1st 2012 http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/489970.Habiburrahman_El_Shirazy is accessed on Saturday 8.29 pm December, 1st 2012 Novial Alifi, Asril. Fanatisme Figur dalam novel Ksatria, Putri, dan Bintang Jatuh Karya Dewi Lestari dan Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra Karya Habiburrahman El Shirazy. 2010. Online : http://geraikata.wordpress.com/2010/08/10 O ' C o n n e l l, L e n a h a n . Plans for Balancing Work and Family Life: Do Women Pursuing Nontraditional and Traditional Occupations Differ? In Sex Roles. Vol. 20 Number 1/2. 1989. Pdf Osborne, Susan. Feminims :Pocket Essential Ideas. Britain : Pocket Ideas. 2001. Pdf Shirazy, habiburrahman El. 2006. Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra. Penerbit Republika, Jakarta Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2006. Print Wellek, Rene dan Austin Warren. 1993. Teori Kesusastraan. Transleted by Melani Budianta. Jakarta: Gramedia.