Images of gender and the negotiation of agency in Salman Rushdie's Shame

Abstract

This article is concerned with the images of gender in Salman Rushdie's Shame. I focus my analysis on one particular character, Sufiya Zinobia. By drawing attention to two images of gender I want to analyse the fundamental structures of gender with respect to two important concepts in the novel: shame and power. I first strive to unravel the relationship between gender and shame as it is conceptualized in the novel. The second image deals with the image of gender with respect to power. With the help of Julia Kristeva's theory of the abject I pinpoint this image. Finally, I make an allegorical reading based on these two pictures in order to uncover the agency embedded in the character. Since the images are static it is vital to conduct a reading that can entail an eventual shift in the structures. With reference to the Hindu goddess Kali I analyse how agency is negotiated with respect to the character Sufiya Zinobia.