Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Strain theory explains deviant behavior as an inevitable result of stress experienced by individuals in societies withholding adequate means to achieve human values such as equality, free speech, education, etc. The theory asserts five modes of adaptation: conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Strain theory is applied to feminist dystopian literature, focusing on deviance expressed through communication used to undermine, destroy, or overthrow an existing oppressive system. Russ’ “The Female Man” (1975), Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” (1985), Jordan’s “When She Woke” (2012), and O’Neill’s “Only Ever Yours” (2014) are feminist dystopian novels exploring worlds in which individuals, especially women, experience oppression via gender politics. Focusing on verbal/nonverbal/symbolic discourse, the subversive communication used for both female oppression and feminist activism is explored. Examples of this include oppressive messaging in vocabulary and restrictive phrasing, naming of people/places as property, types/colors of clothing for position/function, and taboo messaging via semaphore, silence, amputated speech, hidden inscriptions, pictographs, and disruptive interactions. Several characters/plot points are analogous to historical and contemporary activist movements to suggest unsanctioned language is critical for progress toward equality by providing connection, resistance, and resilience.