When we talk about the way that Yemeni society looks at women* we notice how the society in all its groups ? both men and women- looks down upon women either through dominance of men or through surrender of women. Consequently* the status of a woman was specified in the family and society as a follower performing her duties assigned by prevailing social customs fulfilling the society and man's desires. We get to know the novelists' view towards women in their literary works and the quality of roles that women play in the narration* as well as the impact of these roles on the social status of women within the society presented in the story. We can do that through analyzing works of Yemeni fiction and the storyteller's view toward women through what he presents to the reader through two main themes as follows:Theme 1: The storyteller's view toward women:A literary man is looked at by the society as its examiner for what his works contribute to raising public awareness* pointing the society in the right direction. He writer does this through criticizing situations that the society members-both men and women- live in. The problem consists in this or that writer's lack of wide horizons. The novelist or the writer's view doesn?t reflect society's ambitions but rather it implants in the story what is prevalent. We point out here that literature in general and narration in particular deals with women's issues in a way that doesn't offer any positive effect that may reflect the writer's awareness of those issues. In addition* they don?t elevate the society's public awareness toward achieving justice and equality.Woman has always been a subject of love* sex and courtship though not a subject of reason and knowledge. Her image scattered in the books of poetry and literature implies that she was created as minor and incapable* and that her incapability is inherent in her nature. Her existence is baseless without a man since she is his follower and part of his property. Based on this concept* we seldom find the woman warrior in history but* instead* we find the minor and bewailing woman. For example* poetry and courtship are restricted to men whereas the ideal mode of the righteous woman is confined to making elegies* speeches and housework. In his story "Piles and Flowers*" Yahya Al-Eryani* a Yemeni writer* describes the heroine's body in depth when she "comes out with her harmonious height and her decorated cloth opened from below showing her legs that are reddish as a sign of good health." Here we can see how the writer attracts attention to the femininity of the heroine describing her clothes as if he still lives the age of female slavery. This concept is fixed in the core and soul of the Arab culture as a result of the paternal authority that forbids real participation of children in building their future. The alternative* then* for children is to be preoccupied with sex and leisure even through borrowing ideas far away from our age. It can also be noticed how Yemeni narrators in their expressions show woman as if she is only able to recall the different ways that confirm her femininity that appeals to men. Zaid Mutee' Dammaj* a Yemeni writer* for example* in his story "Hostage*" describes all women living in the Imam's palace as debauchery-obsessed harlots and they sexually harass in order to attract the man who is held hostage in the palace. Narrating such events and the narrator's place in the story reflects a contradictory social and moral view. It also shows how men are selfish since they don?t recognize women's efforts and contributions in developing the society and maintaining the solidarity of the family. Unless there is development in the narrators' view toward women* all literary works including storytelling will continue to be incapable of expressing the society's real concerns as they present reality in a partial manner. The concept that a woman is merely for sex and serving a man* as illustrated by writers in their stories* will lead us far away from the reality of the life in which we live.Narration expresses the writer's viewpoint toward a woman through dealing with her from small points that don?t reflect the society and its real view toward a woman* which enables her to exercise her rights and participate in the development process. Dealing with women's issues in a narrow manner is [itself] a violation of human rights as she is deprived from her real freedom due to shackles of social traditions. Writers focus on the sexual side of the male-female relationship* paying more attention to the ways a woman should increase a man's sexual desire toward her. Accordingly* male-female relationships are negatively affected* since they focus only on fleeting sexual desire. Hatred comes to the surface as soon as a simple disagreement occurs. This hatred and disagreement between a man and a woman causes psychological problems to children of both sexes and affects their life in future.Mohammed Abdul Weli* a Yemeni writer and novelist* presents a woman in his literary works in a clear image showing her sacrifice and consistent efforts she exerts for her family and society. However* he covers the whole positive image with sex and as a result destroys all of her sacrifice.Theme 2: A woman and her place in the society:When we read narrative works about a woman's place in society and the importance of her role* we expect from the first moment that there is an awareness presented by the writer. Nevertheless* what happens is that storytelling focuses on a certain concept resulting from inclinations on the part of a man toward a woman. This way of narration deepens the prevalent norm in the society and the reader doesn?t receive any information that may help understand the reality of life between the society's two parts: male and female. Take for example the literary works of Mohammed Abdul Weli* who is considered the most famous Yemeni writer and storyteller. His works flourished before he died in the 1970s* during which time immigration was one of the most salient features of Yemeni life. In his story "The land* oh Salma*" he presents Salma who suffers as her husband lives abroad as an expatriate. She carries his concerns and worries about difficulty of her husband's life abroad but her friend disagrees with her* telling her that men forget everything when they are far away from their families since they are concerned only with collecting money and entertaining with other women* maintaining that men remember their families only by their coming back home. This concept of women was also illustrated in Abdul Weli's other stories such as "Dying Strangers*" in which a woman is preoccupied with her labor* hard work at home and on farm* rather than bringing wood for the sake of her family. So with her struggle and hard work* a woman should be active as lest her family may feel hopeless in the absence of the man. Therefore* a Yemeni woman was depicted as living under stress and instability either as a result of the heavy burden with regard to her work for the family or because she lives under pressure exerted on her by the family male members. In spite of all duties performed by a woman* literary works depict her as inferior* as men exploit her worry about children to seize her freedom and a real position in the society. The sexual view toward her by a man also cancels any recognition of her abilities. In his story "Sana'a: an open city*" Abdul Weli shows that the position of a woman in the society is directly associated with her ability to deliver male heirs who inherit their father's wealth in future. Giving birth to female babies is a source of a woman's humiliation and in many cases a reason to get divorced. A woman's sexual habits or establishing relations with people out of the family circle is considered a disgrace and the punishment of such acts is death. Men* on the other hand* have a wide scope of sexual freedom and social traditions don?t consider a man's sexual behavior as a source of shame. On the contrary* Yemeni men feel proud to talk about beautiful women who they meet while working abroad.Yahya Al-Eryani shows a woman in his work as a lowly and submissive person. Her fate is in the man's hands and her opinion is dependent on the man's agreement or rejection. In his story "Piles and flowers"* Al-Eryani shows Zamantal as the sole man in the whole story who was able to dominate women whereas women in the story were only obsessed by the means of giving him satisfaction. Further* he depicts a woman as a burden that hinders a man's progress in life. She is dependent on him* and whatever abilities or wealth she has* she keeps on waiting for a man to stand beside her. Without a man she can do nothing. The writer in this story was unable to renounce the society's prevalent norms and as a result he reflected all these norms in his literary work. Yemeni storytellers and writers are not different from each other in dealing with women's issues in their literary works. They fix the reality of women* though they are expected to work toward correcting misconceptions and elevating the awareness of the society to stop the male-female circle of conflict. Instead of highlighting the woman's personality as a mother* a sister and a friend* they viewed her merely as a source for a man's sexual gratification and a subordinate who should cope with him in all cases. This view doesn?t go with spirit of age* in which roles are given to the person who is most competent* regardless of their sex. The way that Yemeni writers follow is still affected by the dark ages in Europe* which made light of a woman and her position in the society and considered her as an incapable human being who was created only to satisfy a man's sexual desire. It can be said that Yemeni writers and storytellers deal with the image of women in this way for two reasons. The first of which is to attract the attention of more readers who admire such physical descriptions of women. The second reason is represented by their intention to show the real situation of Yemeni women as poor financially* morally* and socially....

المزيد...