1. Feminism Issue In Dey Raju by
Saras M Manickam
By Dayang Khairunnisa binti
Abang Mohammad
PISMP 1.09 TESL

2. FEMINISM ISSUES
1. WOMEN’S TYPICAL CHARACTERSTICS
a) Obsession towards romantic movies
b) Women loves compliment ; men
makes use of that fact
2. GENDER STEREOTYPING (ACTIVITY-DOMAIN)
3. WOMEN AS FAITHFUL AND PIETY WIVES (SERVE
THE HUSBAND)
4. WOMEN AS A SYMBOL OF BEAUTY (MEN ARE
ONLY ATTRACTED TO THAT)

3. 1. WOMEN’S TYPICAL
CHARACTERISTICS
A. Obsession towards romantic movies.
a) As portrayed in the short story, Raju’s
mother was so obsessed with Tamil
movies that she brought Raju with her
into the cinemas and would not want to
miss any movie, regardless of her-
motherly-tasks.

4. T.E. – “When I was a baby, mum used to
smuggle me into the cinemas….”
“To miss even one Tamil movie was
unthinkable. Mum wasn’t going to have
any of that-baby or no baby.”
 This characteristic is very common
among woman subjects and it could be a
very offensive way of portraying women
as a creature of habit and unable to
separate themselves from obsession.
(personal VS works)

5. b) Women loves compliment; men makes use
of that fact.
 Despite of the bride’s beauty, she had a
weakness. She was squint-eyed.
 However, Raju was not bothered by the
eyes and thought it was charming.
 T.E. – “When I was born, I brought my
father tremendous business luck. He didn’t
want to ruin it. Does my…does it revolt
you?” (the bride)
 “I think it’s charming” (Raju)

6.  At first, the bride was worried and angry.
She thought that Raju would be bothered
by her squint eye.
 However, the bride lost her temper and
slowly became more comfortable when
Raju told her that her squint-eye was
charming.

7. 2. Gender stereotyping
(activity-domains)
 It was portrayed in the story that women
were attached to their own gender-fixed
tasks, such as being in the kitchen and
doing all the cooking, cleaning and
women-related tasks.
 T.E.
a) “She was not in the kitchen where
women stirred curries and cleaned…”
b) “Mum wasn’t in the bedroom
either, where my aunts were arranging

8. 3. Women as faithful and piety
wives (serve their husband)
 Although the marriage was arranged by
the family, greater power was
possessed by his father on that matter.
The mother just obeyed and do what
she was supposed to do, which was
helping with the preparation of the
marriage.
 T.E.
a) “….go ask your father, he arranged
everything.”

9.  The textual evidence implied that even the
mother has no objection or whatsoever
suggestion towards the marriage.
 Her husband controlled and arranged
“everything” and her task was to serve him.
(doing the work and preparation)
 They(the women) were raised that way
and eventually, they were used to the idea
of letting “everything” on their husband’s
hands.

10. 4. Women as a symbol of beauty
and men are only attracted to
their beauty.
 At first, the bride was mistaken for a fat
and ugly woman. Raju was terrified.
 T.E. – “She was built like a warship…. My
insides shriveled up. I swear I could feel
them curling up to die.”
 Raju wanted to call-off the wedding.

11.  However, he met the actual bride and
fell in love with her on the spot
because she was beautiful.
 T.E. – “She was neither Savithri nor
Padmini; neither fat nor skinny. She
was just beautiful…. Her eyebrows
were delicate new moons and her
nose, her mouth…”
 This implied that men are only
attracted to women for their beauty.
Raju refused to marry the “fat girl.”

12.  This is the negative effect of gender-
stereotyping, where Raju expected or
wanted his bride to be as beautiful as
Savithri and Padmini, the actresses he
used to adore for their beauties.
 When women were portrayed to men (in
mass media, arts..) as creatures of perfect
beauty, men will expect every woman to be
as beautiful as what has been portrayed to
them.

13.  Raju was somehow affected by what he
saw
from the Tamil movies.

14. Summary of The Short Story
Dey Raju by Saras M
Manickam
 The story tells about Raju, who has
been raised in a Tamil-household.
 Despite of being highly
educated, Raju, not like any other
young men, is still so conservative
and he holds to his Tamil
culture, which is the “arranged
marriage”.

15.  He does not know his future bride and
he does not love her either, but he does
not go against the idea of arranged
marriage.
 It is when he actually meets his future
bride that he fall in love with her on the
spot because she is a very beautiful
woman, not like Savithri and
Padmini, the Tamil actresses he used to
adore for their beauty, but she is just
beautiful. It is a sweet story of love at
the first sight.