Nor
Hashimah Isa
Universiti
Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia
Abstract
This is a
comparative study of short stories from Wales and Malaysia, countries which are
in many ways as culturally distant as they are geographically remote. There are several corridors which might lead
to a fruitful comparative study. Both
countries have more than one official language and have a history of cultural
tensions arising from different legacies of colonialism including prominent
discourses of authenticity and rootedness positioned against imported cultures.
The National language of Wales and Malaysia is Welsh and Malay
respectively. But, the two short
stories, one from each country that will be discussed are written in the
English language. The ways in which women’s loyalties may be divided between religious
or national affiliations and feminist aspirations are also interesting to
compare. This research acknowledges key differences how women writers from
Wales and Malaysia negotiate feminist aims in often conflicting cultural,
national and religious contexts. Stories from post war Welsh and Malaysian
women writers are compared. Interesting findings include different ways of
resolving conflicts in a patriarchal society where the Welsh women are more
vocal and ensure that their voices are heard in one way or another. The
Malaysian women on the other hand are voiceless and relentlessly suffer in
silence. The Welsh woman as depicted in
the story is deprived of help in her dreaded daily chores and all she could
possibly do is to shout and scold her husband to no avail. .
Keywords: Feminist criticism, Patriarchal society.
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