الفهرس 
Joanna Russ and Buchi Emecheta’s Visions of ConformityOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
This thesis attempts to analyze the status of Women and their dilemma between conformity and resistance in The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta and The Female Man by Joanna Russ and highlights the issues and challenges of women’s empowerment as depicted by the two authors. The study reveals that, in spite of their different heritage and backgrounds, women in both novels are relatively disempowered and they enjoy somewhat lower status than that of men. The thesis argues that the investigation of the two novels reveals that women’s marginalization and their acceptance of unequal gender norms are still prevailing in the society and attributes them to the dominance of patriarchy and its grip over reality and fiction. In addition, the thesis traces the reasons behind women’s conformity to the prevailing patriarchal gender roles and the consequences women bear as a result of showing resistance. Moreover, the thesis previews the two authors’ depiction of the role of women in their own subordination or liberation, and highlights Russ’ and Emecheta’s stress on the necessity of women’s collaborative efforts to achieve other women’s emancipation; in reality and in fiction. The thesis concludes by an observation that the study of the two novels show that both Emecheta and Russ place a premium on women’s access to education, work and economic independence as vital instruments to empower women and end their dilemma between conformity and resistance. The thesis is divided into three chapters and a conclusion. Chapter one points out the reasons behind choosing the two novels under study and highlights some of the main used terms and concepts. Also, Abstract II it provides a thorough analysis of women’s dilemma between conformity and resistance in the two novels under study and traces its relevance to Virginia Woolf’s criticism of the fallacy of the angel in the house. Chapter two, in the form of a comparison, highlights the two authors’ criticism of patriarchy as the main perpetuating force of women’s dilemma between conformity and resistance. It poses patriarchy as the breeder and sponsor of this male-biased allocation of gender roles. In addition, a considerable amount of attention is paid to tracking the two authors’ attempts to unleash women from the grip of patriarchy through dispelling its demeaning mechanisms and debunking its gender based fallacies. Chapter three previews a comparison of the strategies suggested by Russ and Emecheta to empower women and end their state of dilemma and subordination. It investigates how education, work and economic independence are presented in the two novels as enabling factors to women’s empowerment and sheds light on the two authors’ emphasis on the role played by women and their collaborative efforts in paving the way for a better future for themselves and other women. Finally, the conclusion sums up the findings of the thesis.