Feminism in Sultana's Dream

 Feminism Perspective From Sultan’s Dream written by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

"Sultana's Dream," written by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain in 1905, takes us to a different world where things are quite different from our own. In this interesting story, the roles of men and women are switched. Women are in charge of things outside the home, while men stay at home.

Imagine this world where women are the ones who do important jobs and make decisions in public life. They are like the captains steering the ship. On the other hand, men are in the background, taking care of things at home. It's a big change from how things were in real life at that time.

The story shows us a world where women have the power and freedom to be leaders and thinkers. She wanted to show what it would be like if women had the opportunities that men had.

In this story, the author brings out her dreams and also her criticisms of how men and women were treated. She was part of a movement called feminism, which aimed to make sure that women had the same rights and opportunities as men. In simple words, "Sultana's Dream" is a story from a long time ago that helps us think about how things could be different.

Here are some important things to know from a feminist point of view:

Women's Empowerment and Freedom:

"Sultana's Dream" shows women being strong and having the freedom to make choices. There's a quote that explains this: " "In this world women are free and men are confined." This means that in this special world, women have freedom, and men are the ones who have limitations. This quote helps us see how the story is about women having power and opportunities.

Changing Roles for Thought:

"Sultana's Dream" talks about how things would be different if men and women switched their usual roles. There's a quote that helps explain this: "Why should men be bothered with so many household duties?" This quote shows that in the story, men are doing tasks usually done by women. It helps us think about how changing roles can make us see things in a new way.

Pacifism:

 In "Sultana's Dream," peace is important. A quote that explains this is: "There is no war in this country." This means that the world in the story doesn't have wars. This quote shows us that the author is trying to say that a world led by women might focus more on peace. It's a way to show that violence and fighting are not the only ways to solve problems.

Scientific Progress:

"Sultana's Dream" talks about women and science. A quote that shows this is: "They have made marvellous progress in various branches of science." This means that in the story, women are doing really well in different fields of science. The quote tells us that women can be great scientists too, even though some people used to think they couldn't. It's a way to say that everyone, no matter their gender, can be good at science and other important things.

 In the story, women are good at science and care about the environment. This is a way to say that women can be great scientists, which was not often believed back then. This idea challenges the stereotype that women aren't good at science.

Different ways of looking at "Sultana's Dream." Here are some different perspectives:

Literary Merit: Some experts think the novella is clever and well-written. They see it as a clever way of making fun of how things were in the past when men had more power. They don't think the story asks for women to rule, but instead, it shows the silliness of the old way of doing things.

Radical Feminism: Some groups see the story as a strong example of radical feminism. They think it's trying to directly challenge the old ideas about men being better than women.

In the Time of Colonization: When the story was written, Bengal was under British control. Some critics say the story goes beyond just talking about women's rights. They think it also talks about the big changes happening in society at that time.

Feminist Utopia vs. Reality: The story is a really important start, but some people think the extreme role changes it shows are nice to dream about but not easy to make real. They want a more practical way to make things equal between men and women.

Thinking about Power: The story doesn't just talk about men and women. It also talks about how too much power can be a problem. It says that if one group has too much power, they might not use it well. This is true for both men and women.

 

From a neutral standpoint, it's important to critically examine feminism, even while appreciating the significance of "Sultana's Dream":

Not Everyone's Experience is the Same: Some people criticize feminism for treating all women's experiences as identical. They believe this approach ignores individual struggles influenced by factors like race, how much money a person has, and their ethnic background.

Issues with Extreme Role Changes: Hossain's story, with men in confined roles, might be seen as a problematic solution. True equality should be about respect and teamwork, not just swapping one dominant group for another.

Focusing Only on Gender: Feminism sometimes talks so much about gender that other big problems like money differences or racial biases can get overshadowed.

Concerns About Hating Men: Some forms of feminism can lean towards not liking men. In the story, men are shown as naturally aggressive, which could spread bad ideas, similar to the ideas feminism is against.

Understanding Biological Differences: Feminism can sometimes downplay the clear physical differences between genders. This might oversimplify debates about whether behaviour is from nature or how someone is raised.