When Wounds Become Language: The Woman's Body and Performative Gender in Two Women's Literary Narratives

Abstract

This article examines the representation of the female body and gender performativity in two contemporary Indonesian novels: Hold On, It Hurts by Noveni Adelia and Perempuan yang Tunggu di Lorong Menuju Laut by Dian Purnama. Using Judith Butler's performative gender theory, this article analyzes how social constructions of femininity are challenged, negotiated, and subverted through the experiences of wounding, trauma, and alienation of female characters. The female body in both narratives becomes not only an object of power but also a site of resistance against heteronormative and patriarchal norms. This research demonstrates that wounding and suffering are not merely personal traumas but also political language that articulates women's collective anxieties over social repression. Thus, the female body presents itself as an open text, demonstrating that gender performance is a practice constantly negotiated.