A Feminist Perspective on Women as The Other in Hanif Kureishi’s Collected Stories

Abstract

This research analyzes Hanif Kureishi’s Collected Stories (2010) through an existential feminist lens, drawing on Simone de Beauvoir’s concept of women as the “Other” to examine the portrayal of women as the other. The research analyzes Kureishi’s New Stories by using a qualitative analytical approach. The analysis is done by in-depth reading and collecting evidence of the depiction of women as the other in Kureishi’s writings. The study explores how Kureishi’s female characters are denied autonomy, excluded from the narrative center, and often depicted solely in relation to men thus establishing their identity as the other. The research aims to understand the imbalance of gender power in influential fictional literary writings by placing the experiences of fictional female characters within a theoretical framework. The research highlights that Kureishi's stories perpetuate the values of patriarchal structures, in which women are viewed as unimportant, passive, and secondary beings while men as subjects. And their portrayal as mere objects or suppressed characters mirrors the universal gendered imbalance, which is also emphasized by Beauvoir. The findings reveal that women are portrayed as the other, passive, and secondary, serving as narrative supports for male characters rather than possessing independent identities. These portrayals reflect patriarchal values and reinforce gender imbalance, aligning with de Beauvoir’s view that men position themselves as subjects while rendering women insignificant. The study shows de Beauvoir’s theory is important in understanding contemporary fictional literature that restricts the representation of women and reinforces their identity as the other. It also underscores the importance of more inclusive narrative strategies for understanding gender inequality and to highlight women’s representation, identity, agency, and voice in literature, making it a significant contribution to feminist literary criticism.