A Study of Feminism through the Main Female Character in R. F. Kuang's The Poppy War

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the representation of feminism through the main female character, Rin, in R. F. Kuang’s The Poppy War. Rin lives in a rural area that adopts patriarchal values set in the early twentieth century. The method applied in this research is qualitative method. By employing Hall’s representation theory, this research found that feminism in this novel is represented by the main female character in three issues: pursuing women’s education, possessing reproductive rights, and breaking gender stereotypes. These issues are used against the patriarchal system that is persisted in Chinese society due to the long-term effect of Confucianism. In revealing the author’s ideological position, this research found that Kuang as the author of the novel, uses the portrayal of Rin to fight traditional gender roles assigned to women. Those traditional gender roles are persistent to be adopted in the twenty-first century and tend to discriminate against women, especially in rural areas of China.