“Oroonoko” is the work of the first professional female writer in English literary history. Aphra Behn, who is also an important innovator in the novel form, used a narrative voice that combines closeness to her readers with an unusual richness of detail, while the plot itself involves one of the earliest examples of the concept of “noble”. wild” in literature. Its female characters in the novel are quite interesting to analyze in terms of their status, character and role in the development of events. However, these characters have been relatively marginalized in feminist literary scholarship due to their sexual representation, while critics focus on Behn's biography and place in literary history (Jung, 2002). The text's white narrator is the main character that feminist scholars and other critics focus on when analyzing the positive representation of women. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayAs mentioned earlier, the narrator of the story of “Oroonoko” is the main interest of readers and critics who analyze the concept gender roles. from a positive point of view. This white narrator is none other than the writer – Aphra Behn. The black female character in the story – Imoinda – is represented as a woman who interests men because of her beauty and that is why she is less interesting to those who support women's rights, but the narrator, on the other hand, is considered noble. elite and intellectual in the minds of readers. The fact that the narrator is Aphra Behn is another key influence for us to sympathize with her, because we already know something about her life to portray her as the intellectual and noble woman in the work. Behn also appears as a character in the second part of the story, which takes place in Surinam. The fact that Behn uses his own name in the novel has long raised the question of whether the story could be considered autobiographical or not, given the fact that "Oroonoko" is based on a true story. (KLEIN, 1929). This opened a debate among several researchers about the veracity of the reported events as well as the accuracy of the information provided about Suriname's inhabitants, its fauna and its flora. Some critics were satisfied with Behn's work, while others did not consider it a true story and called the author a liar because he presented fiction as truth. The fact that the Behns lived in Surinam does not automatically mean that the story should be completely interpreted as the truth. Before beginning the story of Oroonoko, the narrator says that she is an eyewitness to much of the story and that sometimes the depiction of the outward appearance of certain characters and nature makes it difficult for the reader to see “Oroonoko” as a true story. Behn examines the difference between men and women and explores their rights. Its strong female protagonists are continually searching for feminine power. They have difficulty dealing with male authority and wish to have their own authority. We also see weak and powerless female characters who lead low status lives, due to their gender. The presence of both types of women gives readers the opportunity to draw a conclusion about the general status of women throughout the story. This is why the story of Oroonoko or the Royal Slave is one of the main references for feminist writers. In the first part of the story,the author gives us a very detailed description of the outward appearance of the protagonist – Oroonoko. But the description of Imoinda's is only delivered in a single sentence when we first meet her: "a beauty which, to truly describe her, it is enough to say that she was a woman for the noble male, the beautiful black Venus for our young Mars, as charming as in her person like him and with delicate virtues” (p12). It seems that Imoinda is simply the female equivalent of the magnificent Oroonoko. As a reader, I knew what Oroonoko looked like from the detailed description of her features; but when it came to Imoinda, I had to rely on my imagination to form an image of a beautiful woman. However, later in the text we see a sentimental description of Imoinda. Her “beautiful modesty”, “the gentleness of her gaze”, “the gentleness of her words and her behavior” correspond to the traditional emotional role of women. Sometimes Behn describes Imoinda in a way that would be appropriate for a European woman. Using words like "beautiful queen of the night" is considered a contradiction when it comes to exploring racial characteristics. We also see a similar contrast in the description of Oroonoko, when the author describes her nose as "rising and Roman" and her hair as "straight." The physical representation of these two characters is therefore not necessarily African or European, but a mixture of the two. Even though Imoinda is an illustration of the ideal white woman, her body is strongly linked to African culture. Her body serves as a symbol of her ethnic culture due to the markings added to her skin. These marks symbolize his superior social position. Only privileged Africans were allowed to be decorated with carved flowers and birds. The following passage from the text explains it well (44): “We can imagine then that we paid her a triple respect, and although, as she was sculpted with beautiful flowers and birds all over her body, we considered her as quality. , yet, when we knew that Clémène was Imoinda, we could not admire her enough. I must have forgotten to tell you that those who are nobly born in this country are so delicately cut and shaved over the whole anterior part of the trunk, that it appears as if Japaneseized, the works being raised like a high point around the edges of the flowers. » Using these descriptions we can see that Imoinda belonged to a high social status. Then, due to her attractive beauty and the king's interest in her, her social status became low due to her being sold into slavery. Its extraordinary beauty is one of the most important factors in history. In my opinion, this is “the” primordial factor in the evolution of events. Her feminine beauty was the cause of the conflict between the king and Oroonoko, the downfall of Imoinda herself and also the reason for Oroonoko's self-destruction in the end. In most stories that talk about love and conflict, female beauty is the main cause of downfall because it leads to sexual desire and jealousy. The same things also happen in Oroonoko. Furthermore, the relationship between an uncle and his nephew is damaged due to the former's interest in the latter's beloved. From a humanist point of view, this is quite worrying and difficult to accept. I think this type of conflict is the main moral problem that humanity should avoid. The depiction of the female body as a sexual object in Behn's work is quite disappointing at first, but later the readers' feelings can be neutralized when Imoinda begins to struggle in dealing with the king. As soon as she was taken to King's Otan, her status was no different from that of a slave as she was controlled and hidden from her true beloved. Imoindawas trying to control his body and save it for Oroonoko; but this fact is demotivating for feminists because of the emphasis placed on a woman's "body." According to historian Barbara Bush, "Women's control over their bodies was arguably a major area of ​​struggle involving power relations at the most basic level. Power over women was exercised through control of their sexuality, a form of oppression rarely experienced to the same degree by enslaved men.” Reading Oroonoko, one can see that Behn plays with conventional gender roles. Some characters often possess qualities of the opposite sex. We notice throughout the story how gender stereotypes alternate with gender inversions. Oroonoko is characterized by both his virile actions and his feminine traits (1999, Nevstold). He is presented as a courageous man, for example for having won wars in the Coromantien, fights against enormous tigers in Suriname, etc. He is fearless and deliberately seeks out danger to prove himself and test his strength and power. His masculinity is briefly described in the following passage (46): “He had a spirit all rough and fierce, and which could not be tamed by lazy rest; and although every effort was made to exercise himself in the actions and sports which this world permitted him, such as running, wrestling, casting bass, hunting and fishing, hunting and killing tigers of monstrous size. "Even though he is described as someone possessing inhuman strength, we also see his feminine side. According to Behn's description, he has long hair and a feminine figure. Additionally, he also acts "like a romantic heroine who has been suffering for a long time." Oroonoko is represented as a gentle and sentimental man, qualities typical of women. He expresses his feelings without being shy and is not afraid of his sentimental side. His way of speaking is gentle and passionate, which proves. that he is a very emotional man. “While Orinoco felt all the pangs of love and suffered the most painful torment in the world Oroonoko seems to feel no pain when he cuts himself and is tortured to death.” however, he cannot bear the grief that torments him when he is afraid of losing Imoinda, on the other hand, has masculine features as well as delicate beauty. She stands by Oroonoko in the fight. white slave owners. Although she is pregnant, she joins her husband in a fight. Imoinda is described as a courageous woman and she trusts Oroonoko blindly. She knows how to use the bow and arrows well and manages to injure several people. She even inflicts a mortal wound on the governor with a manly weapon such as a poisoned arrow. Her masculinity is also shown at the end when she rationally accepts the fact that she must die and does not respond emotionally to Oroonoko's proposal. We can say that Imoinda is a character who is both psychologically and physically strong. In the first part of the novel, the reader may find it difficult to develop sympathy for her, but in the following events, we can see that Imoinda is indeed a powerful character. It is essential to explore Imoinda's role as property through marriage. Also. In the novel, the important reason why two people come together is love; However, in African culture, marriage to a beautiful woman was a status symbol and that is why so many men try to possess Imoinda. Being property through slavery is of course much more difficult than the first. When a woman is sold into slavery, she is deprived of any personal rights to her body. They knew that if they opposed their owners, the punishment)