An Analysis Of Monkey Grip From The Perspective Of Poststructuralist Feminism

Poststructuralist feminists think that women can express their thinking and liberation through their bodies and women have right to pursue their own jourissance, so they advocate that women should bravely write themselves regardless of patriarchal definition. Meanwhile they consider that keeping self is very significant for women and women should have their true self. Helen Garner is a famous Australian female writer and she is also a feminist advocate. She admits that the novel is semi-autobiographic. The theory of poststructuralist feminism is believed to be suitable to fully interpret Garner’s feminist ideas. Thus this paper chooses the theory of poststructuralist feminism to analyze the protagonist of the novel. The paper analyzes Nora, the protagonist of Monkey Grip to demonstrate she is a modern woman by applying theory of poststructuralist feminism. In this novel, Nora has three identities which include lover, mother, and her self. Nora falls in love with Javo, a drug addict. She deeply loves him but Javo is a hypocrite and always hurts her. Meanwhile when she is sexually lonely, she finds other men to satisfy her sexual desire. Thus she has complex sexual relationships with a few men. Nora’s behavior of bravely speaking out and satisfying her sexual desire subverts the patriarchal definition of female erotic love and the role of women. Her audacious behavior also redefines the relationship between men and women. Through satisfying her jourissance, she achieves her female autonomy. On the other hand, her sexual desire shows her wish for liberation from hard life. As a mother, she nurtures her daughter with selfless maternal love. As a single mother, she ignores other people’s gossip and bravely pursues her own happiness. Therefore her behavior subverts traditional role of mother. On the other hand, she must undertake the responsibility of being a mother by herself which gives her a great pressure. Thus from Javo, she just pursues a harmonious love. She wishes a man could give her comfort. Nora eventually makes clear that Javo can not give her happiness. And she no longer bears Javo and decides to leave her annoying addictive lover. Most importantly, she clearly knows that she could not give up her true self and her daughter. In the end, she makes compromise with her identity of mother and herself. From this emotional experience, she knows that as long as a woman can not give up her self, every difficulty can be over. There always appears a ray of hope.