A silent fight to challenge the norm in Matsuda Aoko’s ‘Sutakkingu Kanō’ (2012)

Abstract In Matsuda Aoko’s production, conventional feminist themes – such as gender roles, women and the working environment, marriage and maternity – merge with more contemporary topics linked to gender identity, sex and sexuality. The subjectivities that emerge from this scenario are often young characters (especially people in their thirties or forties, but also younger individuals), looking and fighting for their place in society. What comes to the fore is the evident need for the subjects to set themselves free from established roles and focus on what they wish to become, leaving societal constrictions aside. In this paper I focus on the novella ‘Sutakkingu kanō’, one of the most representative works by the author, and analyze its theoretical impact. I examine to what extent it challenges gender normativity and I reflect on the preponderant use of repetition in Matsuda’s style and its different outcomes. I also show how her works, which are generally focused on women’s characters, in reality defy the male-female dichotomy and reveal an urge for men too to set themselves free from established roles. By doing so, I aim to point out the impact of the great contemporary relevance of Matsuda’s works, which is arguably the reason behind her recent success.