The Destruction of Female Possession in The English Patient Essay

In Michael Ondaatjes The face uncomplaining we translate a world completely ravaged by war. The terra firma itself is damaged, sometimes beyond recognition as it is torn apart by bombs. Just as these human-made structures hold in faced the damage of imperialism, so have fe staminate bodies in the fabrication. Ondaatje creates several parallels between mans endeavour to own the land around him and his self-control of the female torso. As we deal in the novel, this attempt at will power almost always ends in destruction, war, and often, death. What I believe Ondaatje is trying to present to us is the impossibility of owning something that should at long last be free, such as the female body (or any body, for that matter.) though some feminist theorists such as Lilijana Burcar have claimed Ondaatjes novel perpetuates the idea of male ownership of female bodies, I believe we see several examples of female empowerment hidden throughout the novel examples of females outwardly rejecting such ownership, as Hanna refuses to be seen as a sexual reject by Carravagio, and even changes her appearance to defeminize herself. We even see gender-roles reverse. The male gaze seems to apply not only to males, but to females as vigorous as Hanna views the sapper, Kip, in a feminized and often sexual way. Most hit of all, however, is Ondaatjes representation of the character Katharine as an almost voiceless sensible body which is undoubtedly owned and consumed by Almasys desire. As we see, this ownership leads to what is arguably the biggest destruction in the novel the destruction of both Katharine and Almasy altogether. forward focusing on the most extreme example of male ownership that is Almasys ownership of Katharine, I want to first exa... ...vere gender-divide that is only unremarkably present in same-sex relationships. This along with Hanas appreciation for her own body and sexuality show readers a new type of relationship. In this way , I feel Ondaatjes novel is progressive and reflects several feminist determine and ideals, though they are often hidden just below the surface. industrial plant CitedBurcar, Lilijana. Mapping the Womans Body in Ondaatjes The English Patient Postcolonialweb.orgBordo, S. 1993. Feminism, Foucault, and the Politics of the Body. In C. Ramazanoglu, (Ed.) Up Against Foucault. Explorations of some Tensions between Foucault and Feminism. capital of the United Kingdom and New York Routledge.181 -202.Butler, J. 1990. Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London and New York Routledge.Suleri, Sara. The magniloquence of English India. Chicago University of Chicago Press, 1992.