Tracing Verticality: A Critical Study of Island of a Thousand Mirrors

Abstract

This paper investigates the (de)construction of binaries vis-.-vis the verticality of women in domestic and epistemic domains in Nayomi Munaweera’s Island of a Thousand Mirrors. In doing so, the study employs Greeta Gaard’s concept of naturalization of women and feminization of nature which refer to the process of using binaries as a means to ensure that women remain on a horizontal position in the vertically moving structure of power. Being in a horizontal position, both women and nature are not powerful. Through this theoretical lens, this study explores the reasons of horizontality by investigating the patriarchal thoughts of society that categorize women as aquatic, domestic and wild animals through the use of animalistic language to show their restricted movement. The animalization reflects the subjugation of women in the hands of capitalist man. The study also focuses on feminization of nature which is feminized because of its caring and reproductive attributes. These shared attributes allow patriarchal ideologies to dominate women and nature through oppressive strategies. The discussion on animalization and naturalization underscores the constraints imposed on women and their mobility within sociocultural context. Furthermore, this paper takes into consideration the traumatic experiences, sufferings and exploitation of rape victims and highlights how female characters break the societal sanctions, and resurface in order to move vertically while deconstructing the binaries of male-female, Sinhala-Tamil, and human-nonhuman. The deconstruction of binaries creates an inclusive society without discrimination of the oppressed and the privileged. It also highlights that we need to treat all living creatures equally with compassion. I use Catherine Belsey’s method of textual analysis in order to analyze the selected text.