A Golden Age Gender Analysis

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The two main aspects of this paper are – how the key female characters of A Golden Age re-define various social norms or tradition that are result of colonialism and/or female marginalization that has been established through generation of imperialism. The other element is to examine the issue of identity. There are several female characters in this novel, each with their own uniqueness but we will manly focus on the Rehana, the protagonist, her daughter – Maya and Sharmeen, Maya’s friend. Each of these characters tries to overcome their gender identities or roles and pursue something beyond the stereotypical roles women of the South-East Asia adhere to.
Rehana is the most dominant character of the novel. As the protagonist, she lives up …show more content…

Maya, a young girl of 17, demonstrates a strong unyielding devotion towards the liberation movement of 1971, which is the premise of this novel. She is however limited by her gender. When Sohail goes off to join the resistance, she and the reader are painfully reminded the social reality they live in. Although she is strong believer of Bangladesh’s independence she herself cannot join the war front. But this, however, does not keep her in the back seat, she joins the other girls in a mock march at the Dhaka University campus, determined to play her part in the war (Anam 87). She and her mother, Rehana, break many social taboos like joining the boys for the Morning Prayer, which Rehana leads (Anam 112). Maya redefines the traditional concept of women in the near end of the ‘Tikka Khan, the butcher of Bengal!’ chapter. Near the very end of the said chapter she joins the resistance in Calcutta as a typewriter. The job itself might seem quite mundane but it is nevertheless a great accomplishment for her. She was able to break the social norms and realize her dream of helping her country. This event carries further significance as her mother, Rehana, urges her on to go to Calcutta stating “Write some good stories” (Anam

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