Feminism In Grandma And The Dancing Girl

Feminism, and the idea of gender equality, clashes harshly with the cultural sense of traditionalism in both Grandma the Progressive and The Dancing Girl through male and female perspectives. Within these stories, traditional stigmas and unequivocal prejudice is placed on Thai woman causing conflict and a reevaluation of gender equality. Although humorous, Grandma the Progressive focuses on an aristocratic and traditional idol for the granddaughters to become. Grandma dwells on the past and uses her matriarchal position to impose her traditionalist stigmas to her future generation. The Dancing Girl uses a unique male position to draw criticism upon the male prospective of woman in the society. Through the thematic setting of fishing, essential …show more content…
Grandma always refers to being, “Progressive…” as well as telling the girls to always be “keeping up to date if you want to be happy in the world.” These theories and traditional stigmas that are placed upon these girls, take a dramatic turn when Noy comes to Grandma asking for help. The readers find Noy to be smart, clean in her house work, and fully capable of pleasing her man; a perfect traditional woman by Grandma’s traditional standards. Yet, Noy has discovered that her husband is in love with another woman; a conflict that contradicts the traditional marriage. Comparing to Noot, the lazy, incompetent, and dimly witted granddaughter, a complete opposite to the traditional Noy, is happily married to her husband with a child. This liberal type of woman clashes is with the traditional stigma that the author is criticizing. Junlada Phakdiphumin, the author of Grandma the Progressive, used dramatic irony to show that Noot, the liberal example, has a happy marriage to a man who, unbeknownst to her, is cheating on her constantly. The irony is that, although breaking the traditional ideals set by Grandma, she is much happier in life then Noy the traditional example by being simply