Mother Eve deconstructs the fundamentals of religious practice and manipulates its central tenants to focus on the significance of women, namely Mary. Roxy continues to distort the typical values of hierarchy as she begins working at the centre of a criminal organisation, and exuding dominance, she catalyses change and protest, particularly once allied with Mother Eve.Īllie, also referred to as Mother Eve, upholds the position of the religious leader, taking an active lead in the construction of Alderman’s matriarchy. It is here that we witness the final display of unjust male dominance before the development of female resistance in the form of electric shocks (how jolting!).

We are introduced to Roxy, amidst a scene of turbulence as we enter into her home to find two men physically abusing her mother. As readers, we explore and experience the extent of this power through the eyes of four main conduits Roxy, Allie, Margot and Tunde. Skeins reside in the collarbone, and their presence enhances the capabilities of the female body, embellishing them with the ability to administer lethal electric shocks. Indulging in what might be deemed to be an inverse portrayal of sexism, Alderman equips her three female protagonists (as well as the rest of the female population), with a powerful, innate, biological advantage - a physical adaptation known as a ‘skein’. In essence, The Power reprimands societies around the world for their contributions to the subjugation and oppression of women, serving as a receptacle for female empowerment. The significance and relevance of Alderman’s work was thoroughly appreciated among the feminist-literary community, and was awarded the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction following the novel’s reflection on the experiences of women globally. This led me to consider the conspicuous, gender-defined power imbalance that impinges on societies around the world, and in Naomi Alderman’s The Power, I found an unusual, yet cogent example of just that.Īlderman’s 2016 novel offers an insight into the intricacies of a dystopian society dominated by women (yes… women), as she challenges the generic socio-cultural stance that depicts the female gender as inferior to that of its male counterpart. Consequently, I have been looking for ways to develop my understanding of the adversities that are so explicitly ingrained into contemporary societies, as well as considering what steps can be taken in order to promote change. In light of recent events, societies globally are encouraging discussion on the subject of social inclusion. Aimee Dexter examines how a feminist science-fiction novel can shed light on modern-day power relations.

The power novel by naomi alderman