A Feminist Stylistic Pursuit: Investigation of Sidhwa’s The Bride (1990) to Decode Gendered Language-Use

Abstract

By applying Sara Mill’s Feminist Stylistics (1995), the study aims to unfold the implicit gender stereotyping in Sidhwa’s The Bride(1990). The fictional work of Sidhwa is investigated to problematize how gender representation strengthens the proposition of Sara Mills (1995) that men are described linguistically according to their names, titles, profession and physical appearance that lead to make them superior in comparison to women. By implying the feminist stylistics as a “toolkit” (Mills, 1995, p.2), it is to highlight a particular type of sexist language-use in the novel that paints a hegemonic ideology for gender disparity. The key objective of the study is to question through the language use as is recommended by the undertaken framework - word, phrase/sentence, discourse to demonstrate how physical appearances, hair style, title-addresses, names and clothing etc. play an overriding role to uphold gender disparity. The ethnic and religious identification of people are categorized also on their specific dresses and get-ups to manifest disparity based on socio-cultural norms. The findings of the present research recommend that socio-cultural conventional gender taboos are manufactured through a specific language-use to serve masculine’s interests as a sign of authority and dominance over women. The culturally gendered language portrayed in the novel is meant to discriminate against women, if they resist it, they are treated as ‘other’ and ‘unnatural’ by male dominated society.