Orientalist Feminism; Representation of Muslim Women in Two American Novels: Terrorist and Falling Man

Several novels have appeared after the September 11 attacks whichdeal directly or indirectly with the effect of the event on individuals, both insideand outside of the United States. Though, the novels often claim to deal withthe post- traumatic aftermath of the incident, the writers regularly use Orientaliststereotyping and it seems that after 9/11 this attitude toward Muslims has hardenedand even strengthened the old Orientalist discourse. Besides representing allMuslims as terrorists, the representation of women in these novels is of significanceas they often reiterate and perpetuate the image of Muslim women as oppressedsubhuman who live in the state of abject slavery imposed allegedly by Islamic rules.While Oriental women in general and Muslim women in particular are representedas the oppressed ones they are also regarded as being seductive, submissive andoften an epitome of immorality and transgressive sexuality.This paper shall focus on John Updike’s Terrorist and Don Dolillo’s Falling Manas both novels were New York Times bestsellers and both novelists are prominentfigures of American literature. The paper attempts to examine the ways in which thenovelists have represented Muslim women in the context of the post 9/11 novels andhow Muslims and their ideologies are represented with regard to women.