FRENCH WOMEN DISCRIMINATION AND THEIR RESPONSES DURING THE WORLD WAR II IN HANNAH’S THE NIGHTINGALE

Abstract

Abstract

This study aims to identify the kinds of French women discrimination, and the way they respond to discrimination in Hannah’s The Nightingale. The researcher uses feminist literary criticism. It belongs to a qualitative research employing content analysis method. There were five steps of data analysis; reading and re-reading the data, re-arranging the data, interrelating the data, interpreting the data, and making the interpretation into storyline. The researcher finds four results. The first one is related to gender discrimination which are (1) marginalization: marginalization in private life, and society; (2) subordination: alienation, and restriction; (3) stereotype: weakness, foolishness, and harmless; and (4) violence: psychological, physical, and sexual violence. The second result is related to women’s responses towards discrimination which are (1) struggling: showing their resistance and taking collective actions; and (2) accepting: having no resistance and least engaging in collective action. The third finding is the unexpected agenda in the novel that emphasizes men as heroes in the war.

Keywords: French women discrimination, women’s responses, feminist literary criticism, The Nightingale