Deconstructing the Institution of Marriage in Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman (1967) and Lynda Chouiten’ Une valse (2019)

Abstract

Due to the dominance of men in their societies, Western and Arab women are often depicted as objects and symbols that have lost their right to voice their opinions. To bring their voices to the forefront, a number of female writers in both regions resort to sexual liberation and rebellion against society. Margaret Atwood and Algerian author Lynda Chouiten deconstruct the traditional idea of marriage in their respective works, The Edible Woman (1967) and Une Valse (2019). Accordingly, this thesis deals with how the two novels undermine the consecrated institution of marriage and patriarchal power. Drawing on the theories presented by Arab feminist Nawal El Saadawi's The Hidden Face of Eve theory and the Western theories of Simone De Beauvoir's The Second Sex, Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, and Virginia Woolf's A One Room of One's Own. Both authors depict the rebellion and resistance of their female characters. Through their fictional personas' education, body image, sexual desires, and desire to divorce, they show how women can be affected by various issues.