A Study on the Body Control and Resistance in The Edible Woman

The purpose of this study is to discuss the violent structures, ideologies, and methods of resistance against the male-centered order that women can experience within a patriarchal society. The Edible Woman, a work by Margaret Atwood addresses the issue of femininity within a male-dominated order. Basically, femininity has a symbolism associated with food as an object to be eaten. The female protagonist rejects animal food, which has a symbolism associated with masculinity, as a rejection of the male order. Afterwards, the female protagonist closely associates all foods, including animal foods and plant foods, with femininity within the male-centered order as objects to be eaten. In the end, the female protagonist establishes her femininity as a subject of eating, not as an object to be eaten, by directly creating and destroying food that has femininity.