Mata Hari as a New Woman in The Spy: Magnifying Hari’s Subjugation through a Feminist Lens

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the character of Mata Hari as a new woman, who, unlike a conventional woman, went to any extent to safeguard her desires and to materialize her dreams in a patriarchal society where she was systematically kept oppressed and at last executed. However, she strongly resisted discrimination and oppression by demonstrating the traits of a new woman. This study analyzed Hari’s character from a feminist perspective and magnified her strong resistance against her subjugation. This study used textual analysis via a qualitative method to analyze the newness in Mata Hari’s character. The finding revealed Mata Hari in The Spy is an unusual, powerful, courageous, sensational, free-sighted, and independent woman who dared to defy the conventions of her times. She is not presented as a dependent, weak, and passive woman as women used to be at that time. She was found as a woman of great charisma and an influential feminine figure.