In literature, the notion of “womanhood” can be very dynamic. Oftentimes, a girl becomes a woman through a series of life-changing events, the common ones being getting her period for the first time and another losing her virginity. For Mala, this process and notion were thrown out of sorts when her mother left and her father began abusing her and Asha. Mala and her sister lacked a maternal figure, so Mala was obliged to become that figure, in more ways than one. Women, by a societal definition, perform certain roles and tasks, such as cleaning the house and pleasing the husband. Mala becomes a sort of perverted version of this where she is compelled to do household chores and answer her father’s calls. While Mala’s body is forced to perform the role of a woman, Mala is still a girl in her heart and mind.
“For the first time in her life Mala felt like a woman, a feeling both thrilling and frightening. She lifted her shoulders upright and her small breasts quietly announced themselves” (Mootoo, 196).
Mala feeling like a woman could have several implications; given that she references her breasts, it could mean that she is starting to feel comfortable with sexual attention when it is from someone she likes. In addition, this could mean that she feels comfortable starting to defy her father, as he does not want Mala to form connections with anyone in town. In this way, being a woman would also mean being independent, as opposed to being obliged to work around the house and obey her father. Ambrose’s return symbolizes Mala being able to transition into the role of a woman on her own terms instead of being compelled to perform this role. Consequentially, Mala’s version of a “woman” is different from the stereotypical notion of a woman, which is essentially a housewife, as Mala seems to equate womanhood with independence and comfort in her sexuality.
I agree that to an extent Mala recognizes and defines herself as a woman with her independent sexual encounters but I also think her definition of womanhood is marked by her making her own decisions. She isn’t waiting for her father to call upon her but rather is doing it herself and doing what she wants to do. This is also a mark of a child to me though. She was aggressive in the nature of her acts and I think children have to test the waters to find out good and bad, right and wrong, and likes and dislikes. I think that’s what she was doing; which is why in the quote you used, it was thrilling and frightening. I can just relate to this a lot too. I know my first time deviating from the innocent child roles and entering into an intimate setting with a man and I was petrified. I trusted the man completely but it was new so it was scary to me. Change is scary. Growing up is scary.
I think this is a very interesting idea. The connections between traditional roles for women, Mala’s abuse and the identity of woman. This isn’t a fully formed thought, but your post made me think about the changable nature of the word woman. The fact that Mala does not identify as the idea of ‘woman’ but that’s still the word she uses. I’m curious about how those different definitions are also…the same?
It’s interesting to think about all the ways in which Mala took on the maternal role within her household, not only taking care of Asha, but pleasing her father, as you stated.
This is an interesting point, but I think about it in somewhat other terms. Since the abuse of Mala began as a child, she had no notion of what sexual desire was, only that what her father did was painful, but nonetheless her duty. She wanted to protect her sister from the same abuse, from the same ripping, burning, pain and shame. A rapist’s ultimate goal is to humiliate, control, and punish his victim. Performing the normative role of wife such as taking care of the house isn’t what made her feel a woman, it was the awakening of a sexual self, the birth of a new, clean Mala. “For the first time Mala felt no pain. It was the first time she felt what it was like to be touched and to have her nipples licked and tasted as though they were a delicacy.” (Mootoo, 218) The awakening of her own physical, sexual desire and experiencing a type of pleasure for the first time was a kind of a metamorphosis. The transformation from abused child to a consenting, welcoming recipient of reciprocal sexual attention and desire. The beauty of this experience liberated from the former identity bathed in shame, for herself and her father. After this experience, the rape that followed was worse than anything she had lived through until that moment. The subsequent rage she felt at the realization of what her father had taken from her was too much to bear. He had ruined the possibility of any other reality for her.
As said in the comment earlier, I think Mala does start to come into womanhood with the identification of her body as her own possession, and by starting to do things she wanted (seeing Ambrose, doing special meals and such). I think that really solidified her own special coming of age process, the realization that things can be done for her and she can accept or deny what she wants. I think that is a coming of age story that a lot of people can relate to. Becoming comfortable in the skin you’re in, setting boundaries, and self love are all important in defining yourself and appreciating the person you grow into.