Gender and Cultural Bias in Danielle Steel’s Silent Honour: A Postcolonial Feminism and Ethnocentrism Perspective

Abstract

This research study investigates the gender and cultural biases represented in Danielle Steel’s Silent Honour using postcolonial feminism and ethnocentrism. Using a qualitative approach, the study looks at the portrayal of oppressed female characters, Hiroko and others, who are subjected to social and patriarchal pressures that prevent them from exercising control over their lives and getting an education. This research investigates how postcolonial power relations and ethnocentric perceptions sustain gender oppression, with a specific focus on how gender is constructed and constrained by cultural norms and expectations. The results show that the novel at the same time challenges and confirms conventional gender norms, including the example of cultural prejudices such as the preference for sons and the denial of education to women. These biases are seen to have adverse effects on the characters’ lives, especially during a war time, when women’s voices are silenced. Also, the analysis of the work shows how the gender and cultural identities and the struggles of the female characters are intertwined. The research underscores the need for a more inclusive and egalitarian approach to gender and cultural practices, advocating for women’s empowerment and greater agency within postcolonial and patriarchal contexts.