24th Annual Student Research Conference
The Binary Nature of Sexuality in Xinran's The Good Women of China and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things
Meagan E. McGlasson
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor
In this essay, I hope to show that while Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things and Xinran's The Good Women of China depict sex in a variety of ways, the various acts of consummation can be deconstructed into both symbols and instruments of dual ideologies. The first ideology is the belief that sexuality is a means of defying authority and staying true to human nature, attraction, and impulse; the second is the use of sexuality as a way to force subservience, fear, and vulnerability upon those deemed inferior. Specifically, Velutha's and Ammu's relationship, Estha's and Rahel's sex, and Yulong's disastrous affair all can be assigned to the first ideology. Inversely, Estha and the Lemondrink man, Ammu and the officer, the rape of the Xiao Ying during the earthquake, Yinger and the secretary women, and Taohong's gang rape all can be assigned to the second category.
Keywords: Asian, women, sexuality, Roy, Xinran, rape, English, contrast
Topic(s):Asian Studies
English
Women's and Gender Studies
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 14-1
Location: VH 1236
Time: 9:30