‘Why Are Women Compared to Chicken Cages?’: Women’s Image in the Short Story “Ketika Saatnya”

Abstract

Objective: This research aims to reveal Bugis women's social and cultural aspects as subordinate individuals in literature, especially Darmawati Majid's short story “Ketika Saatnya”. The study is confronted with a conundrum regarding the portrayal of women from developing countries in Darmawati's Ketika Saatnya. The problem in this research is “how is the women portraying in the short story “Ketika Saatnya”? Methods: This research uses qualitative research by categorizing it based on specific characteristics and components relevant to the research objectives, with the ultimate goal of obtaining research findings. This work utilizes Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s philosophy of the subaltern. The term “subaltern” denotes a subordinate social, political, and geographical population under the power of a dominant group. A subaltern refers to a group member whose voice is consistently represented and used as a tool for hegemonic activities. It implies the dominance of one group over another in terms of politics, the military, society, and even culture. Conclusion: The research reveals that women, positioned as subalterns, are depicted as a marginalized group striving to express their opinions and gain recognition despite being categorized as “third-world women” trapped between traditional and modern values.