Resistance and Silencing of Subaltern Women in the Short Story 'Perangkap' by Isbedy Stiawan ZS

Women’s unequal position within the subaltern social structure is reinforced by their objectification as instruments for satisfying men’s desires. Women’s efforts to break free from this inequality are often interpreted as rebellion, even to the point of being accused of violating social expectations concerning women’s behavior and chastity. In the short story ‘Perangkap’ by Isbedy Stiawan ZS, the female writer character challenges women’s objectification by setting traps that lure men into sexual encounters with her. This study employs a qualitative descriptive method using Gayatri Spivak’s subaltern theory. The findings identify eight excerpts depicting women’s resistance to inequality and five depicting attempts to silence that resistance. The female writer character in this short story draws inspiration for her work from sexual encounters with men and uses her writing to voice injustice against women. However, the dominant group employs various strategies to silence her efforts to speak out against social inequality. This study concludes that the short story ‘Perangkap’ effectively portrays women’s sexual objectification, which persists in modern society. Therefore, it emphasizes the significance of giving women the opportunity to speak out in the ongoing struggle for equality.