This research aimed to provide a qualitative study into existentialist feminism in Etaf Rum's novel A Woman is No Man (2019). The writer examined Arab American women from a three-generation family who emigrated from Palestine to America which affected them in determining their meaning of existence under Arab American patriarchal culture: Fareeda as the first generation, Isra and Sarah as the second generation, and Deya as the third generation. This research used Simone de Beauvoir’s existentialist feminism theory. The findings show two out of the four Arab American women refused to break out from Arab patriarchal culture, while the other two achieved their transcendence. The existence of Arab American women in the novel is not fully achieved based on Beauvoir’s idea that is to claim their transcendence. In conclusion, the four Arab American women characters were influenced by generational differences in the time they were exposed to Arab culture in Palestine. Fareeda and Isra have more anti-assimilation toward American culture than Sarah and Deya who were born in America. Sarah and Deya find meaning in their existence because they achieve their transcendence by becoming what they want to be, namely working and independent women. Meanwhile, Fareeda and Isra find meaning in their existence in the realm of the patriarchal culture which defines them as the Other since neither of them had ambitions for themselves but have always strived to submit to the Arab culture. Thus, Fareeda and Isra defined their meaning in existence as being mothers and wives.

SI23107

SKR BSI 23107

Perpustakaan FAH (Skripsi)

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