THE SUBALTERN CONDITION OF WOMEN IN THE NOVEL THE OTHER EINSTEIN BY MARIE BENEDICT (A STUDY ON WOMEN'S DISCRIMINATION)

Abstract

This research aims to identify the forms of discrimination experienced by subaltern women who are trapped between various hegemonic power regimes that limit their access, and to show how these subaltern women deal with the discrimination they face despite their limitations. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method and applies the Subaltern theory by Gayatri Spivak. The research analyzes the female protagonist in the novel The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict. The main female character in this novel is an intelligent woman who strives in the male-dominated world of science, which was unwelcoming to women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This novel is well-suited to be examined through the lens of Gayatri Spivak’s Subaltern theory. According to Spivak, all women situated within a patriarchal social structure are considered subaltern. Subaltern women cannot speak and are not heard; when they do speak, their voices are twisted or erased by various power systems that oppress them. The findings of this research reveal 21 data points relevant to the research questions: 3 on the erasure of intellectual roles, 3 on gender and geopolitical discrimination, 3 on social discrimination, 3 on domestic discrimination, 3 on resisting through education, 3 on making independent decisions, and 3 on creating works. This research shows that Maric’s character reflects the reality of the subaltern unable to speak and whose existence is unrecognized by the power structure.