چكيده
Feminist ideology is mainly based on the idea of equal rights of male and female. The works by feminist authors deal with womenʹs oppression in male dominated societies. Patriarchal system which is based on male superiority over the female does not let woman have the same rights as man. Womenʹs lack stems from social disadvantages like financial dependence, exclusion from education and lack of privacy in the house. On the other hand, the terms sex and gender are considered to overlap with each other in a patriarchal context. Woman and man are expected to have female and male roles according to their biological sexes. That is to say, the dictation of patriarchal society on man and woman is specifically observable in sexual identity. Patriarchal system assigns not only male and female roles, but also sexual identities. It is obvious that the system does not consider the individualsʹ perceptions of sexuality. In fact sexual categories were taken as something natural, rather than a socially-constructed phenomenon. The reason is that sexuality is there to provide the maintenance for authority to oppress the individuals especially the female for the sake of ensuring a kind of order in relations between people. This view comes from "the Victorian belief that women were partial and defective versions of the full humanity represented by men" (Foucault 148). Angela Carter, the British writer, applies features of feminism approach along with Angela Carter uses this mode as a foil to reflect upon depictions of femininity and also as a way of subverting that patriarchal system that victimized women in family and society are important points to be discussed. The powerlessness of women, their disadvantaged position in society, and their abuse by men are what Carter fights against as a feminist critic and writer. With the help of her female characters such as Melanie and Margaret who are affected by the patriarchal system in the novel, she wants to make the readers aware of the current situation of the majority of women and also to make them realize that they should stand up and fight against this system if they want to get freedom.
