"Females’ Oppression and Revolt in the Power by Naomi Alderman: A Feminist Overview"

Abstract

Naomi Alderman's novel The Authority is an enthralling exposition about a woman’s capacity to shock her counterpart with a jolt of electricity and the next alteration in her society's power structure. This paper applies feminist critique on the works of Simone de Beauvoir and Judith Butler. Alderman’s study on the consequences of power struggle of a woman who gains prowess by shocking men into helplessness is framed in a fantasy reality and she contemplate the question: is there any empowerment in subjugation? The answer lies in the drive to subjugate women and the accompanied violence which this study tries to constrain within ethical boundaries of feminism. Notably this paper argues that The Power offers a critique of gender inequalities because, despite the oppression crafted within the narrative, equal acceptance is suppressed through exertion of violence. Alderman proposes the idealistic view that assertive domination and force are irrelevant to real power which is needed to shatter the systems mandating inequitable distribution of power. The analysis enhances debates on relationships between feminism sociologistic and Alderman's novel to highlight how modern discourse on the notion of empowerment is challenged.