Gender Representation in Abi Dare’s The Girl With the Louding Voice

Abstract

Gender is a complex and fluid notion that has evolved beyond the traditional understanding of male and female, encompassing a broader spectrum of identities and performances. In contemporary literature, gender is not just a fixed trait but a dynamic performance shaped by societal expectations, cultural norms, and personal experiences. The idea of gender representation suggests that gender identity is not inherent but is continuously produced and reproduced through actions, behaviours, and roles that individuals adopt in their social environments. This research explores the fluidity of gender roles in contemporary literature, analysing how characters navigate, challenge, or conform to the expectations imposed upon them by society. By focusing on gender presentation, the study aims to understand how literature reflects and critiques the cultural scripts that define gender while revealing the possibilities for resistance and transformation within these scripts. Using strategies of narrative probe, character development, and thematic focus, the paper intensely scrutinises how gender performance interconnects with problems of authority, identity, and support systems within the contemporary space.