I.

Exploration of Maria’s Sex as a Power

The present research work analyses the strategic use of sex in Paulo Coehlo’s

novel Eleven Minutes, where the protagonist revolts against the oppressive patriarchy.

The novel depicts Maria’s strategic use of sex and tries to explore the issue why she

involves herself in the profession of prostitution. Likewise, why she sells her own

body for material purpose? But when she meets Ralf Hart, she falls love with him,

decides to marry him and returns to her own birth place with the feeling of success for

achieving her dream into reality without any regret to her past life.

Basically, this research explores the issue of sex, sexuality, class, gender,

location, capitalistic patriarchal system and so on. It also focuses on Maria, the

protagonist, who uses her sex, sexuality and class as the strategy of living. It also talks

about the Maria individualism, frustration and independent etc. Maria being a very

optimistic to complete her dream of fame and fortune, she departs from the country

and enters into the foreign country Switzerland. Although the situation of earning

money, fame and adventure life, she prefers but sound quite out of her expectation.

Like other Brazilian women, she also becomes the victim of the Swiss man deception.

In the Switzerland, she engages herself in the profession of sex worker from

high class restaurant dancer to complete her dream of becoming rich in short period of

time and to return back to her own motherland. Likewise, after returning she wants to

and lives happy life with her family. While, working as a sex worker Maria, goes

through different trials and triumphs. On the way of her sexual life, she meets her own

prince charming Ralf Hart a painter, who truly loves her, she leaves job of sex worker

and unites with him and return to her motherland.

In same way, she uses sex as a resist tool to overcome from capitalistic

patriarchy system and creates her identity. She also uses sex to as well as to overcome
 2

from her economical crisis .similarly, she concludes sex can be uses in both way as a

destructive force or creative force. Sex is not the thing that makes man happy rather it

is the union of both sex and love like, between her and Ralf Hart. After the

experiences she collected from her sex worker profession, she understands life

philosophically; she takes sex as natural human traits, which is necessary to both male

and female. She takes her life as an adventure- a voyage of self discovery because she

realizes her true ‘inner light’.

This research attempts to show how Maria, the protagonist of the novel

succeeds to break the convention of capitalistic patriarchy and discovers herself

through the means of her sex worker profession. Moreover, drawing upon, Marxist

feminist Susan S. M. Edward and her essay “Selling the Body, Keeping the Soul:

Sexuality, power, the Theories and Realities of Prostitution” and also Judith Butler

and her essay “Bodies that Matter”. This research also focuses on how Maria uses her

sex and sexuality as the strategy of living and exploring herself.

In same way, Maria, in the novel Eleven Minutes is a young girl from a remote

village of Brazil who belong to the middle class family. From her childhood period,

she has to faces tragedy in love affairs so, she thinks that she will never find a true

love in her life. Along with love she discovers many sexual curiosities and their

solution. Because of her sexual discoveries, she lost her virginity on the back seat of a

car in her early age. She discovers masturbation, she reads erotic magazine for

pleasure, and then she begins to write a diary examining her own body.

Maria is very high ambitious girl, she departs from her country and enters in

Switzerland by not satisfied with the work of a shop. Unfortunately, her dream of

earning fame, fortune, money, adventure and her identity shatters when Swiss man
 3

deceptive her and Like other Brazilian women, she also becomes the victim of Swiss

man.

In Switzerland, she engages herself as a Samba dancer profession of

prostitution from high class restaurant. She involves in this profession to earn more

money in short period of time to fulfill her all those dreams which are not fulfill from

her childhood period because of being middle class. Likewise, earning more money to

return her own homeland and after that wants to live with her family members.

Similarly, Switzerland is strange country for her, nobody know her and she does not

need to give anyone explanation why she chooses such profession of sex worker?

Moreover, by the means of sex worker profession, she tries to explore the

female sexual desires and curiosities which are not allow talking in patriarchy society.

Same like, she chooses such profession to revolt capitalistic patriarchy who do not

allow women to go outside for anything. Who only think women as a puppet of their

interest and do not take prostitution as a profession. So, becoming a female, she

chooses to be sex worker to illuminate and deconstruct capitalistic patriarchy

traditional thought norms; values stereotype image, suppression, domination And so

on.

Paulo Coelho’s almost all books have had a life enhancing impact on millions

of people. With the publication of his novel Eleven Minutes, he became an overnight

literary sensation like his other novels made him and he too had received numerous

critical limelights from various perspectives. Paulo Coelho who is the prominent

author of Brazil and has become one of the most widely read and loved authors in the

world. Especially, for The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes.

Likewise, after the publication of this novel Eleven Minutes, Coelho is

recognized as an international best-selling author. According to the critic Arias, that

 4

Coelho was always a non-conformist, a seeker after the new leading him to try

everything bad that appeared along the way (9). In this context, he left his home. Then

he began to work in theatre which is his new dream and made enough money as an

actor. Moreover, the title of this novel that Paulo Coelho has taken is inspired Irving

Wallace’s novel The seven Minutes published in the 70s. This novel Eleven Minutes

based around a young Brazilian prostitute, her love, her problems and her various

adventures.

While analyzing the novel Eleven Minutes from critical eye, most of the critics

have interpreted the novel from the perspective of philosophical exploration of ‘Sex

as Sacred Sex’ (Sexual Love). Jacket Kirkus puts his idea about the novel that “Sex is

sacred, is more pervasively written, perhaps because it feels taken form a real life”

(1). According to him, the novel present sex as a natural process as well as the story is

based on real things.

Another critic, Paul Di Filippo comments on the novel, “Sacred Sex. A

Paradoxical, Utopian impossibility or a life sustaining attainable goal? This major

question that underpins Paulo Coelho’s new novel, Eleven Minutes, the tale of Maria,

a naïve young woman from Brazil who become a high class prostitute in Switzerland”

(1). Paul Di Fiippo critic that the novel is about the tale of Maria and he comments

sacred sex presented in novel.

Regarding the novel Eleven Minutes, Harper Collins remarks:

In Maria, however, the author has created a strong a sexual

young woman, who grabs our sympathy from the first, as she suffers

unrequited love as a child, launch a bit about sex as a teenager and, at

19, makes the ill-advised decision to leave Rio on a Swedish stranger’s

promise of fame and fortune. Maria’s trials and triumphs-she goes

 5

from restaurant dancer to high- prostitute- would make for an

entertaining of rather prosaic novel, but Coelho, unfortunately, does

not leave it there. (288)

Thus, he expresses that, this novel Eleven Minutes is the story to boils a rather

predictable romance tarted up with a few sexy trappings.

Similarly, the author himself elaborates the idea of sex as something that is

important in life in one of his interviews Paulo Coelho puts his ideas:

We believe there is standard for everything and we believe too,

that if we stick to the stand we will be safe. Because of this, we have

created a kind of ‘Standard sex’ which, in fact, consists of nothing but

the string of lies: Vaginal orgasm, virility above all else, that is better

pretend them to disappoint your partner, etc. as a direct consequence of

this millions of people have been left feeling frustrated, unhappy and

guilty. It also lays at the roots of aberrant behaviors, for example,

pedophilia, incest and rape. Why do we have in this way with

something that is important? (57-59)

Hence, he shares that sex is important in our human life, why to disappoint our

partner which make our partner unhappy, frustrated and guilty.

In this regard, it has become clear that the text has been analyzed from more or

less similar perspectives. For instance, philosophical exploration of sex as sacred sex

(sexual love), novel as a tale of Maria naive young woman from Brazil. Maria as

mythical hero, novel as spiritual and sacred one. Similarly, the author himself

elaborates the idea of sex as something that is important in life. Coelho usually write

about self-awareness, spiritual-quest or awakening, self-identities, self-discovery,

myth, reality scared and so on in his novels.

 6

Regarding the idea of spiritual quest, Coelho explain in one of his interviews

with the critic, Juan Arias, that “you start in darkness not knowing what you’ll find,

although wanting to find clues to meet up with yourself, with your destiny” (7). Life

is journey. We start our journey in darkness of unfamiliar world, without knowing

whether, we find what we destined or not, though there are some clues. But it is

necessary to live the essential life and always be on the way so that one can recognize

the clues, which will show your destiny.

Beside these, all critical perspectives the approach of sex as a strategy for self-

discovery has not been applied yet. Thus, this projects significant contribution mainly

in three areas. First, this research studies, Maria discovers herself through the means

of sex. Secondly, this research studies, sexuality as a natural phenomena or human

traits which is necessary to both male and female. And lastly, this study also shows

Maria uses prostitution as a profession to resist against the male constructs boundary.

Thus, this project study different from other because it includes more female

issues like female sex and sexuality as a resist tool against male hegemony, norms,

value and stereotypical construction which is totally new. The primary objectives of

this study is to bring Marxist feminist discourse of resistance to explore the female

issue and to subvert male hegemony, norms, values and stereotypical construction and

their ideologies which blames that female are inferior.

In addition to, this research also concerns with the motives of raising the social

status of the woman sex workers and also to present sex and sexuality as natural

human traits. This project also gives the significant knowledge to woman, that the

major problem of their long lasting backwardness is none other than the capitalistic

patriarchy itself.
 7

Marxist feminism is the theory which studies to resist capitalistic suppression

and domination of women. Marxist feminism is a sub type of feminist theory which

focuses on dismantling of capitalism as a way to liberate women. Marxist feminism

sees the oppression of women and seeks its resolution from Marxist point of view.

Marxism can be used to help us understand, “how economic forces have been

manipulated by patriarchal law and customs to keep women economically, politically

and socially oppressed as an underclass” (Tyson 93). Marxism which used to

understand the feminist issue economically, politically and socially is called Marxist

feminism.

Although there are many Marxist feminist but this research encompasses only

Susan S.M. Edward and her essay “Selling the Body; Keeping the soul, sexuality,

power, the theories and Realities of Prostitution” and also Judith Butler and her essay”

Bodies that matter.”

Both of these Marxist feminists Susan S.M. Edward and Judith Butler in their

essays talks about female issues. Likewise, both of them and their essay talks about

the female body. Here, in this research also the protagonist of this novel Eleven

Minutes, Maria wants to discover herself by being the agent of her own body through,

the profession of prostitution.

Prostitution is practice of engaging in sexual activity, usually with individuals

other than a spouse or friend, in exchange for immediate payment in money or to

other value. Susan S.M. Edwards defines, in her same essay “prostitution is in the

public mind, defined as the sale of sexual intercourse woman who sell sex become

prostitute in the commodity exchange of sex for favor in kind or for money” (351).

Women do not have money because capitalist are property owner. That’s why women
 8

are commodity for men, in patriarchal society who are source of economy in the

family.

Prostitution begins with marital relationship because a wife sleeps with her

husband whenever he wants so that she can get support for livelihood. It doesn’t mean

that before marriage women do not suffer from sexual exploitation. For her survival a

woman sleeps with a man but that is wrong because she is helpless, she doesn’t have

money but male has money. Money protect him where as lack of money is curse for

the female of same participation.

Women are compelled to adopt profession of prostitution. Man exploits

women in home and then they are treated as work and passive and paid less than

sufficient to survive in this society. They are compelled to sleep with the male who

give money. They have to do according to will of men. It may be sexual emotional,

physical, psychological etc. Men use women whenever and wherever they want

because men can buy women easily as capitalist can buy a work.

In working place women do not get proper salary for survival. Then they are

compelled to sell their flesh, means they become prostitute or sex worker like Maria

of this novel Eleven Minutes, who also sells her body to earn more money in short

period of time. Therefore, prostitution is a class phenomenon. Economically

dependent women sell their bodies to men in order to support themselves and in some

instance; their children follow this to fight against capitalism patriarchy system.

In same way, Maria also sells her body to support herself and her family as

well as to resist the capitalistic patriarchy system. Likewise, Susan S.M. Edward

states that, “Prostitution represents the interface of two areas of power and

powerlessness, gender and class” (353). She means to say, prostitution represents
 9

either the powerfulness or powerlessness. Here, in this research also Maria chooses

prostitution to resist the capitalistic patriarchy system and also for her survival too.

Moreover, Susan S.M. Edward essay also explores about the female sexual

desire and curiosities like Hand relief and oral sex. Like Susan S.M. Edward, Maria of

this novel Eleven Minutes also focuses on female sexual desire and female

masturbation. In same way, another essayist Judith Butler in her essay, “Bodies that

Matter” she writes “In this sense, then, “sex” not only functions as a norm, but is part

of regulatory practice that produces the bodies it govern, that is, whose regulatory

force is made clear as a kind of productive power, the power to produce- demarcate

circulate, differentiate- the bodies it controls” (1). Thus, “sex” is a regulatory ideal

whose materialization is compelled and this materialization takes places or fails to

take place through certain highly regulated practices.

In other words, “sex” is an ideal construct which is forcibly materialized

through time. Judith Butler further writes:

It is not a simple fact or static condition of a body, but a

process whereby regulatory norms materialize “sex” and achieve this

materialization is necessary is a sign that materialization is never quite

complete, the bodies never quite comply with the norms by which their

materialization is impelled. (2)

Thus, she means to say a process of a regulatory materialize ‘sex’ which

achieve materialization and it never quite.

Likewise, there will be no way to understand “gender” as a cultural construct

which is imposed upon the surface of matter, understood either as “the body” or its

given sex. “Sex” is, thus, not simply what one has, or a static description of what one
 10

is, it will be one of the norms by which the “one” becomes viable at all, that which

qualifies a body for life within the domain of cultural intelligibility.

Thus, Butler argues from this essay, that the body as well as identity is

constructed. Here too, Maria also uses her body to constructs her identity by being the

agent of her own body and uses her body as a disruptive force against capitalist

patriarchy system.

Conclusion, first of all women should get economic independence. If the

economic bases are changed, the women will get full freedom, which will be the end

of capitalistic patriarchy society. Here, also Maria after being independent

economically she is succeeds to create her self-identity or self-discovery herself and

also able to resist against her trials, triumphs and against the capitalistic patriarchy

system.

Basically, in the first chapter entitled “Exploration of Maria’s Sex as a

Power”, follows the Introduction of this thesis. I have tried to document the female

issues while critiquing the capitalistic patriarchy system. I argue that even, if the

official ideal of Marxist feminism talks about giving female equal rights and

economical freedom like male, but the reality is not as such. Still the influence of

capitalistic patriarchy system is available in this modern society. Moreover, in this

first chapter, I have tried to examine Maria’s Sex as a strategy of living and resisting

tool against capitalistic patriarchy.

In same way, the subsequent chapter, “Maria’s Quest for Self-Discovery, Sex

Profession and Financial Security”, I have attempt to analyze how Maria succeeds to

discover herself by the means of her sex profession. In addition, I also explore sex and

sexuality as natural phenomena or human traits. In the Final chapter, “Existence of

Maria’s Dream into Reality”, I have analyze how Maria succeeds to achieve her
 11

dream into reality by the profession of sex worker. Finally, I have come up with the

conclusion that the financial quandary and freedom are the main things in women life.
 12

II. Maria’s Quest for Self-Discovery, Sex Profession and Financial Security

This research attempts to show how Maria, the protagonist of the novel,

succeds to break the conventions of Capitalistic patriarchy and discovery herself

through the means of prostitution or sex worker profession.

The primary objectives of this study is to bring Marxist feminist discourse of

resistance to explore the female issue and to subvert male hegemony, norms, values

and stereotypical construction and their ideologies which blames that female are

inferior.

In addition to, this research also concerns with the motives of raising the social

status of the woman sex workers and also to present sex and sexuality as natural

human traits. This also gives the significant knowledge to woman that the major

problem of their long lasting backwardness is none other than the capitalistic

patriarchy itself. Marxist feminism is the theory which studies to resist capitalistic

patriarchy traditional norms, values, suppression and domination of female.

Marxism which used to understand the feminist issues, economically,

politically and socially, is called Marxist feminism. Thus, one of the primary tasks of

Marxist feminism “is to create the kind of world in which women will experience

themselves as whole persons, as integrated rather than fragmented of splintered

beings” (Tong 45). Although there are many Marxist feminist but this research

encompasses only Susan S.M. Edward and her essay “Selling the Body; keeping the

soul, sexuality, power, the theories and Realities of Prostitution” and also Judith

Butler and her essay “Bodies that matter.”

Both of these Marxist feminists Susan S.M. Edward and Judith Butler in their

essays talks about female issues. Likewise, both of them and their essay talks about
 13

the female body. Here, in this research, also the protagonist of this novel Eleven

Minutes, Maria, wants to discover herself through the means of her of sex profession.

Prostitution begins with marital relationship because a wife sleeps with her

husband whenever he wants so that she can get support for livelihood. It doesn’t mean

that before marriage women do not suffer from sexual exploitation. For her survival a

woman sleeps with a man but that is wrong because she is helpless, she doesn’t have

money but male has money. Money protects him whereas lack of money is curse for

the female of same participation.

Prostitution is practice of engaging in sexual activity, usually with individuals

other than a spouse or friend, in exchange for immediate payment in money or to

other value. Susan S.M. Edwards defines, in her same essay “prostitution is in the

public mind, defined as the sale of sexual intercourse woman who sell sex become

prostitute in the commodity exchange of sex for favor in kind or for money” (351).

She says that profession of prostitution is sale of sexual intercourse and women sell

sex for money.

Women do not have money because capitalist are property owner. That’s why

women are commodity for men, in patriarchal society who are source of economy in

the family. Women are compelled to adopt profession of prostitution. Man exploits

women in home and then they are treated as work and passive and paid less than

sufficient to survive in this society they are compelled to sleep with the male who

give money. They have to do according to will of men. It may be sexual emotional,

physical, psychological etc.

Men use women whenever and wherever they want because men can buy

women easily as capitalist can buy a work. In working place women do not get proper

salary for survival. Then they are compelled to sell their flesh, means they become
 14

prostitute or sex worker like Maria of this novel Eleven Minutes, who also sell her

body to earn more money in short period of time. Therefore, prostitution is a class

phenomenon.

Economically dependent women sell their bodies to men in order to support

themselves and in some instance; their children follow this to fight against capitalism

patriarchy system. In same way, Maria also sells her body to support herself and her

family as well as to resist the capitalistic patriarchy system.

Likewise, Susan S.M. Edward states that, “Prostitution represents the interface

of two areas of power and powerlessness, gender and class” (353). She means to say,

prostitution represents either the powerfulness or powerlessness. Here, in this research

also Maria chooses prostitution to resist the capitalistic patriarchy system, also for her

survival and to fulfill her dreams into reality. Moreover, Susan S.M. Edward essay

also explores about the female sexual desire and curiosities like hand relief and oral

sex like Maria of this novel Eleven Minutes also focuses on female sexual desire like

female masturbation and hand relief too.

In same way, Judith Butler in her essay, “Bodies that Matter” she writes “In

this sense, then, “sex” not only functions as a norm, but is part of regulatory practice

that produces the bodies it govern, that is, whose regulatory force is made clear as a

kind of productive power, the power to produce- demarcate circulate, differentiate-

the bodies it controls” (1). Thus, “sex” is a regulatory ideal whose materialization is

compelled and this materialization takes places or fails to take place through certain

highly regulated practices.

In other words, “sex” is an ideal construct which is forcibly materialized

through time. Judith Butler further writes:

 15

It is not a simple fact or static condition of a body, but a process

whereby regulatory norms materialize “sex” and achieve this

materialization is necessary is a sign that materialization is never quite

complete, the bodies never quite comply with the norms by which their

materialization is impelled. (2)

Thus, she means to say a process of regulatory norms materialize ‘sex’ which achieve

materialization and it never quite.

Likewise, there will be no way to understand “gender” as a cultural construct

which is imposed upon the surface of matter, understood either as “the body” or its

given sex. “Sex” is, thus, not simply what one has, or a static description of what one

is: it will be one of the norms by which the “one” becomes viable at all, that which

qualifies a body for life within the domain of cultural intelligibility.

Thus, Butler argues from this essay, that the body and identity both are

constructed. Here too, Maria also uses her body to construct her identity by being the

agent of her own body and uses her body as a disruptive force against capitalist

patriarchy system by involving in the profession of prostitution.

Prostitution is practice of engaging in sexual activity, usually with individuals

other than a spouse or friend, in exchange for immediate payment in money or other

value. Susan S.M. Edwards defines, “prostitution is, in the public mind, defined as the

sale of sexual intercourse. Woman who sell sex become prostitutes in the commodity

exchange of sex for favor in kind or for money” (351). She says that profession of

prostitution is sale of sexual intercourse and women sell sex for money.

Women do not have money because capitalist are property owner. That’s why

women are commodity for men, in patriarchal society who are source of economy in

the family. In working place women do not get proper salary for survival. Then, they
 16

are compelled to sell their flesh means they become prostitutes or sex worker like.

Maria of this novel, Eleven Minutes,who chooses the profession of sex worker

because of monetary reasons.

The very first reason is the Swiss man cannot fulfill the contract which he

promises to Maria before they come to Switzerland that is “work? Dollar? Brazilian

star?”(24). This Swiss gentleman is cunning clever. He knows what an ordinary girl

of the internal of Brazil wants in her life that is adventure, money and husband. And

thus, he become able to convince Maria through the inter mediator, Moulson, to work

as a ‘Samba Star’ in abroad where she can have both fame and fortune, work and

dollar.

The situation though she prefers, of becoming famous with name and money,

sounds quite out of her expectation. Like other Brazilian women, she also becomes

the victim of Swiss man’s deception. Maria feels the ground shifting beneath her. She

expressed her feeling:

I didn’t even have time to recover from the long flight, I had to start

smiling and dancing on the very first night. There are six of us and not

of us is happy and none of us knows what are doing here. The

customer drinks and applauds, blow kisses and privately make obscene

gestures, but that’s as far as it goes. (39)

Thus, Maria finds that Swiss man is very cruel person, he does not let her to rest and

she also finds the job of Samba is disrespectable.

Similarly, she knows that she can’t earn more money from the job of Samba

dancer. She expresses that, “I got paid yesterday, barely a tenth of what we agreed,

the rest according to the contract, will be used to pay for my flight and my stay here”

(39). Maria finds that, she gets less than tenth of what they had agreed. Thus, she
 17

starts her unexpected journey of life in a new land. However, Maria discovers that she

has enough will power to overcome from the situation, where she is a Samba dancer

who earns less money. Then She determines to be bold.

Now, she thinks that, “there she was in a strange city where she knew no one,

but what had been a torment to her yesterday, today gave her a tremendous sense of

freedom, because she didn’t need to explain herself to anyone” (59). Maria takes the

advantages of strange city. There she lives the life which she does not feel in Brazil

because of the presence of her parents and relatives.

Likewise, the second reason is to earn more or enough money in short period

of time so that she can return to her homeland Brazil soon and buy a farmland. She

asserts that:

In ninety days’ time she would return to the extension of Brazil, where

she would buy a small farm (she had earned rather than she had

expected), a few cow (Brazilian, not Swiss invite her mother and father

to come and love with her, take on a couple of workers, and set the

business in motion. (93)

Thus, she further says that after having enough money in ninety days, she will leave

Switzerland and live in Brazil with her family, doing farming business.

Likewise, she belongs to middle class family. She does not experience the

luxurious life before. She wants to spend happy life with her family after earning

money in ninety days from Switzerland. Maria used to work as a shop girl, in order to

support her parents economically. Beside this, she also learns the advice of the mother

about the important of money, where her mother valorizes money than marriage and

love. Her mother further says, “My dear, it’s better to be unhappy with a rich man

than happy with a poor over there you’ll have far more chance of becoming an
 18

unhappy rich woman. Besides, if it does not work out, you can just get on the bus and

come home” (32).

Her mother means to say that money is more important in our life, even more

than love and marriage, so, better to be rich although unhappy and unsatisfied in love

and married relationship.

In same way, the last reason she wants to resist the capitalistic patriarchal

boundary, which does not allow women freedom, respect and money as equal to men.

As Maria involves herself in prostitution, she has to go through roads of trials and

tribulations. But Maria admits “Odd enough, I have no sense of guilt” (57). She has

no sense of guiltiness for selecting the profession of sex worker and she also feels a

kind of freedom in strange city where she doesn’t need to answers anybody, why she

has choose such profession?

She takes life of prostitute thinking as it is just the one phase of her life. She is

ready to face every trial that comes in her way. Her bold assertion about this phase of

her life is evident in her diary. In her dairy she asserts, “What does the world want of

me? Does it want me take no risks to go back where I came because I didn’t have

courage to say ‘Yes’ to life” (26). Maria is gallant and determinate to accomplish her

journey. She is ready to face any kind of risk.

She doesn’t want to miss this opportunity of earning money, which she waits

so eagerly. She further intends that, “I can choose either to be a victim of the world or

an adventurer in search of treasure” (39). Maria is ready to struggle in any conditions.

Maria is very courageous like a real hero, who wants to revolt for her rights and

challenges the capitalistic patriarchy by choosing the profession of sex worker.

The profession which she chooses is not openly accepted by capitalistic

patriarchal society; it is taken as low graded work but Maria takes it with a dignity.
 19

For instance, she confidently says to Ralf Hart that, “do you understand, Mr. Hart?

I’m prostitute through and through, from head to toe- and that’s my one great quality,

my virtue” (106). Although, Maria felt ashamed of what she did, when the painter

Ralf Hart asked her about her, profession for the first and short time but beside that,

she never felt ashamed for what she is doing because she already learns to respect her

profession.

Finally, she takes her profession of sex worker as a virtue. She is happy that

she becomes able to handle all the obstacles which are in her way. Maria experiences

a strange sense of pride that she is glad that she doesn’t run away. She shares that,

“But life was teaching very fast- that only the strong. To be strong, she must be the

best, there’s no alternative” (75). She says that life teaches her that the only strong can

survive in any difficult situation so, she just decides to be strong carry on her dreams,

then she makes sure that she is the best and she has to do something, which she has

never done before, that is the job of sex worker.

Therefore, she chooses the profession of sex worker to show her power. Susan

S.M. Edward states that, “Prostitution represents the interface of two areas of power

and powerlessness, gender and class” (353). She means to say, prostitution represents

either the powerfulness or powerlessness. People involve in prostitution because of

poverty and suppression of capitalistic patriarchy society which do not allow women

to earn as equal to man, which shows the powerfulness of male and powerlessness of

female. Unlike them, Maria chooses prostitution to resist the capitalistic patriarchy

society and to show her powerfulness, through which she discovers her enough will

power to overcome from any difficulties. So, she stops crying every night for her

wrong decision.
 20

Now, she thinks that what she needed to do; she has to earn money, to know

the foreign country and return home victoriously. Similarly, the painter, Ralf Hart

further says to her, “Please, don’t talk,’ said the man ‘I can see your light now” (101).

She doesn’t know what he was talking about, but the man also talking about her will

power. Due to her will power, unlike all prostitutes, Maria can play the role of both

the ‘Innocent Girl’ and the ‘Understanding Mother’ depending on the clients.

Maria writes in her diary that, she is struggling for existence of soul but not to

lose it. She discovered that one in every five clients don’t want her in order to have

sex, but simply also to talk. She further adds:

They paid for the bar tab and the hotel, room and when the moment

came for them both to take off their clothes, the man would say, no,

that won’t be necessary. They wanted to talk about the pressures of

work, about their unfaithful wife, about how lonely they felt, how they

had no one to talk to (something she knew about too well). (82)

Hence, she shares that some of her clients come to her for the solutions of their

problems about work, business, relationship etc. but not for the sex.

In same way, Susan S.M. Edward says that, “These prostitute client

negotiations teach us not about ‘what is sex’ but ‘what is intimacy’, the latter often

dislocated from the act of sex itself” (360). Susan tries to explore that sex worker can

teach us about intimate relationship more than what is sex, although that intimacy

relationship has no space in sex or in sexual profession. Maria uses this profession of

prostitution to earn for her living. She also takes her intimate relationship with her

client side by side.

Nevertheless, Maria has spent the last nine months in Switzerland controlling

world around her. She has found that she is capable of living without demanding
 21

anything in return and of suffering for no reason. For Maria, “It was if life had chosen

this strange, sordid way of teaching her darkness” (152). Maria says that, there is

presence of two women within her: one wants to have all the joy, passion and

adventured that life can give her and the other wants a slave to routine, to family life,

to the things that can be planned and achieved. She says:

I’m a house wife and a prostitute, both of us living in the same body

and doing battle with each other. The meeting of these two women is a

game with serious risk. A divine dance when we melt, we are two

divine energies, two universes colliding. If the meeting is not carried

out with due reverence, one universe destroys the other. (153)

Thus, Maria proves that, she can handle both roles of a housewife and a sex worker at

the same time.

In the same profession, she has to perform the role of both housewife and the

prostitute. But these two roles clash with each other. To maintain both roles at the

same time is a great risk. This can only maintain by divine figure. This means, she has

crossed the boundary of a normal woman who doesn’t have both qualities at the same

time. So, Maria reaches the divine state by carrying energy of both housewife and

prostitute at the same time. Otherwise, one will destroy the other.

With passing time, Maria gets used to the life of prostitute. Instead of

regretting, what she is doing, she uses the same socially low graded profession as her

medium to attain the fulfillment of her dream. Being in prostitution, she came to meet

different face of men and come closer to the actual reality of life and she learns that,

prostitution business from her one of the colleague, who said, “Prostitution isn’t like

other business: beginners earn more and the more experienced earn less. Always
 22

pretend you’re a beginner” (78). One of Maria’s colleagues says that all business

needs experiences but prostitution business ignores it.

After learning that, age is a determining factor in the profession of

prostitution; she also learns the experiences about many more things. Being a sex

worker, she learns that there is no alternative for her than sex worker in her the then

period, after spending as sex worker a week later from her diary, “I am not a body

with a soul, I’m a soul that has a visible part called the body” (75). She learns that

soul is more important than body.

Economically dependent women sell their bodies to men in order to support

themselves and in instance their children follow this to fight against capitalism. “To

fight against prostitution whatever from it take, including marriage because most

women will not have access to meaningful work at a decent wage until the capitalist

system that depends upon their exploitation’s smashed”(Tong65).The end of

capitalistic system is therefore, the end of prostitution. Prostitution is also alienated in

capitalistic society because they are treated as if they are commodity.

Likewise, the research study that in Capitalistic patriarchy male’s attitudes

towards females is not better than the attitude and behavior to the object. Although,

their roles are varied, all women are subservient because of culture and old rigid

tradition and value. Maria also expresses her feelings further, “Some people were

born to face life alone and this is neither good nor bad it is simply life Maria in one of

those people” (75). Maria expresses the absurdist meaning of life which proves that

she is feels alienation and frustration in the Switzerland. In same way, Tong gives

reason why prostitutes are alienated:

Selling oneself whether as wife or a prostitute one, alienates ones from

one’s work because, that work is being done for another not for
 23

oneself. This concept is particularly applying in the case of prostitute,

for what she is selling is what is close to her; her body, her sexuality.

So under capitalism worker sexuality becomes a commodity. (104)

Thus, Tong says that selling body as an object in other hand, in capitalistic society is

commodity.

Both wives and prostitutes are alienated, essential human capacity is

alienating. They are dehumanized and their real existence and proper values as a

person is turned and reduced into market value. They can earn as much as they can

sell themselves. Selling and buying become the means of their survival. They get

examined as if they are sellable commodities in the capitalist market. So, in this

novel, Maria says, “I’m living the future not the present” (42). Maria takes life of

prostitute is just the one phase of her life.

According to Maria, after collecting enough money, one day she will leave

Switzerland and return to her own motherland and live her future happy with making

a large deposit in Swiss Francs at the bank. But, Susan S.M. Edward further adds,

“Unlike the worker who ties to fight against alienation and separation from the

product of his or her labor, alienation and separation for prostitute women is essential

to personal survival. Prostitution is the epitomization of alienation.” (361) According

to her, alienation, frustration, separation encourage sex worker to continue their

profession from where they earn more money.

Money matters more in human life like in the life of Maria. From Maria’s

diary, after the night she walked barefoot in the Jardin Anglais in Geneva, “I don’t

care whether it was once sacred or not, IHATE WHAT I DO. Its destroying my soul,

making me lose touch with myself, teaching me that pain is a reward, that money

buys everything and justifies everything.” (207) From Maria’s diary, it is known that
 24

Maria also gives more importance to money which only shaped her identity as well as

fulfills all her dreams into reality.

Beside this, money only supports in her to return back her homeland. To end

these treatment women as commodity, first of all, women should get economic

independence. If the economic biases are changed, the women will get full freedom,

which will be an end of patriarchy. “Patriarchy cannot end without fundamental

economic change” (Bryson 258). That is why; the dependence and exploitation

remain forever, until women do not fight for their right of getting equal wages like

man.

Women have to fight against the patriarchy and the capitalism to come out of

their commodities condition like Maria in this novel. In this novel, Maria encounters

the restricted life of restaurant and its owner Roger who doesn’t allow her a public

life. Maria disobeys Roger and dares to come out of four walls of his restaurant. As

she enrolls in French language class, she comes to know the word ‘lawyer’ and she

also knows the rule of law in Switzerland is very strict. Maria is young but not fool.

She uses the word ‘lawyer’ to threaten Roger for his exploitation. In return, she gets

five thousand dollar in compensation.

Beside this, Maria also redraws the Brazilian superstition about the opening

the front door only by the owner of the house when a guest leaves. She shares that,

“She got up, kissed him and left. This time she opened the front door herself, since,

according to the Brazilian superstition, the owner of the house only has to open the

door on the first occasion that a guest leaves” (167). Here, Maria shows her

subverting nature against Brazilian superstition of opening the front door.

According to her, “Brazilian have a strong superstition: when you visit

someone for the first time you must not be the one to open the door when you leave,
 25

because if you do, you will never return to that house and ‘I want to come back’”

(133). Hence, she wants to come back in that house or in Ralf hart life again. She does

not want to lose him. So, she asks Ralf Hart softly to open the door for her.

In the same way, when Maria was child, she was usually busy in doing

masturbation, which is the third thing she discovered; when one day her father saw

and slapped her without explain anything. She still says, “Nevertheless, despite all

these risks, she continued to pleasure herself at least once a week, usually on

Wednesday, when her father went out to play cards with his friends” (13). This shows

her revolutionary nature against Patriarchy as well as this also shows that patriarchy

system do not allows women to do and talk about female sexual curiosities and it

solution. But Maria, the protagonist of this novel Eleven Minutes talks openly and she

also gives the solution of female physical desire by doing masturbation which she

usually do on Wednesday when her father went outside to play cards with friends.

This also shows her courageous nature.

Unfortunately, she chooses the socially low graded profession of prostitute, to

accumulate large amount of money so that she can change her dream into reality and

discovers her identity. Paulo Coelho, the writer, asserts, “Like all prostitutes, she was

born innocent and a virgin, and, as an adolescent, she dreamed of meeting the man of

her life (rich, handsome, intelligent), of getting married (in a wedding dress), having

two children (who would grow up to be famous) and living in a lovely house (with a

sea view)” (1).

The protagonist, Maria, is not born prostitute by her birth, Maria tries to

explore about sex and sexuality as a natural human traits through her profession

prostitution.
 26

‘Sex’, ‘Sexuality’ and gender are the terms whose relations and uses are

almost irremediably slippery. They are so much interrelated that, while talking about

one of them, the next comes automatically, and we cannot talk about them as separate

entity. Sexuality is generally broader in meaning encompassing erotic, desire,

practices and identities. Sexuality refers to sexual attitudes, emotion, desire and

behaviors. Though, this is a very intimate and personal matter, it is regarded by the

sex role system it used to include our sense of ourselves as women or men.

Similarly, the term sexuality is not limited to ‘Sex acts’ but involves our

sexual feeling and relationship, the ways in which we are or aren’t define sexual by

other as well as the way in which we define ourselves. There is a difference between

sex and sexuality. Sex means biological maleness and femaleness and sexuality means

the behavior related to copulation. Both are closely related as sexuality refers to the

kind of relationship between male and female in copulation. Thus, sexuality refers to

the whole area of personality related to sexual behavior of copulation is to occur but

this propensity is usually held to be different in male and female.

In patriarchal society male assume the dominant position in sexuality. They

shape sexual behavior to suit their own interest. Women aren’t respect as autonomous

individuals but are treated as dehumanized sex object. Sexology treated sexuality as

biological and psychological phenomena. Similarly, “essentialist” sees sexuality as

something fixed that exists in society.

The essentialist view of sexuality assumes that the sexuality is co-existence

with existence. It can mean that every experience of existence has sexual significance

or that sexual phenomenon has existential important, it is taken as a natural

phenomenon that is universal and unchanging; something, which is a part of the

biological make up of each individual. From this perspective ‘Sexuality’ is described

 27

basically as fulfillment of heterosexual biological desire that is conceived as normal

and natural.

Heterosexuality is a major practices, which appears natural and the normal.

Heterosexuality is a sexual intercourse between man and female. It is a means of

procreation. With the concept of heterosexuality, there is no possibility of human

existence. Heterosexuality always involves attraction and intercourse between two

people who, whatever else may be the case, are primarily differentiated by one

category: gender. Heterosexuality is taken for granted because of tits necessary for

procreation.

For the continuation of human existence, heterosexuality is needed to

everybody. It is taken as natural because of its persuasive nature. Foucault in his book

History of Sexuality also talks about heterosexuality. He opines:

The discursive explosion of eighteenth and nineteenth centuries caused

this system centered on legitimate alliances to undergo two

modifications. First, a centrifugal movement with respect to

heterosexual monogamy. Of course, the array of practices and pleasure

continued to be referred to it as their internal standard; but it was

spoken of less and less, or in any case with a growing moderation. (38)

Thus, heterosexuality is a concept used to delineated, and so regulate the nature of the

contemporary sexual relation.

Likewise, Maria also further asserts that, “they could make love now; it would

be the most natural thing in the world, and it might be good, but all this is no new she

need to control herself; she does not want to spoil everything” (214). Maria also tries

to explore the concept of sex and sexuality as natural human traits. She says, “Sex,
 28

sex, sex, that’s the basis of life” (260). She means to say that sex is necessary and

natural process.

Likewise, the category of “sex” is from the start, normative; it is what

Foucault has called a “regulatory ideal”.

Judith Butter in her essay, Bodies that Matter, writes, “In this sense then,

”sex” not only functions as a norm, but part of regulatory practice that produces the

bodies it governs, that is, whose regulatory force is made clear as a kind of productive

power, the power to produce - demarcate circulate differentiate- the bodies it

controls” (1). Thus, “sex” is a regulatory ideal, whose materialization is compelled,

and this materialization take place or facts to take place through certain highly

regulated practices. In other word, “sex” is an ideal construct which is possibly

materialized through time. Judith Butter further writes:

It is not a simple fact or static condition of a body, but a process

whereby regulatory norms materialize “sex” and achieve this

materialization is necessary is a sign that materialization is never quite.

Complete, those bodies never quite comply with the norms by which

this materialization is impelled. (2)

Thus she means to say a process of regulatory norms materialize ‘sex’ which achieve

materialization and it never quite.

Likewise, there will be no way to understand “gender” as a cultural construct

which is imposed upon the surface of matter, understood either as “the body or its

given sex. “Sex” is thus, not simply what one has or a static description of what one

is: it will be one of the norms by which the “one” becomes viable at all, that which

qualifies a body for life with the domain of cultural intelligibility. Likewise, from

Maria’s diary a week later: of becoming sex worker she says that, “I’m not a body
 29

with a soul; I’m a soul that has a visible part called the body. All this week, contrary

to what one might expect, I have been more conscious of the presence of this soul

than usual. It didn’t say anything to me, didn’t criticism me or sorry for me: it merely

watched me” (75). According to Maria, she is a soul that has a body which doesn’t

say anything to her about her profession because for her it was just setting her time for

living.

In same way, she says, "of course, everyone spoke ill of her profession, but

basically; it was all a question of selling her time, like everyone else” (226). She

means to say that whatever the profession, but the theme of all profession is selling

the time, which is done in every profession. Maria expresses that her soul having body

not complains about her job because according to her, “Our bodies learn to speak the

language of the soul, known as Sex” (141).

According to Maria, language of soul is sex which is performed by body. In

this sense, Judith Butler offers productive ways to read gender construction. Her work

in gender identity and the way in which the body’s performance of gender is key to

either supporting or questioning gender’s stability serves as a basis for my model,

where the body’s performance is central to defending or subverting gender norms. In

same way While her first book Gender Trouble, introduces the concept of gender

performativity-arguing that gender is not stable, but a repeated performance of the

body. In an even more radical sense, Butter argues that the bodies as well as identity

are constructed through discourse. Butler calls the concept of matter (that is, the

materiality of the physical body) into question when she read it “not as site or surface,

but a process of materialization that stabilize over time to produce the effect of

boundary, fixity and surface we call matter” (Bodies, 9).

 30

Here also, Maria used her body to descriptive forces which questioning the

capitalist patriarchy system which assumes of male superiority and female

subordination and to create her identity. She also discover many things about sex.

While talking about sexual discoveries, from the beginning of her childhood period,

she lost her virginity on the back seat of a car in her early age. For sexual discoveries,

she made love with the same boy a few more time to learn and try in every way so

that, she could understand what is pleasure that come having sex with a partner.

In same way, she discovered masturbation. She also read erotic magazine for

pleasure then, she began to write a diary, examining her own body in the hope that,

she might find some unwanted hair, which she immediately tweeze red it. She says

that, “She noticed a small gland above her vagina; she began touching it and found

that she couldn’t stop; the feelings provoked were so strong and so pleasurable and

her whole body- particularly the part. She was touching – become tense.” (12) Thus,

she also says that hand relief gives great pleasure that she no longer sees or hears

anything.

Everything appeared to be tinged with yellow and the she moaned with

pleasure that was her first orgasm. Then, she understands that sex was. Likewise, she

heard various tales from her some girlfriends, “Masturbation gave you spots, could

leads to madness or even pregnancy. Nerveless, despite all these risks, she continued

to pleasure herself at least once a week usually on Wednesday when her father was

out to play cards with his friends” (13). Although she hears danger about masturbation

but she doesn’t stop it because from the pleasure which she get after doing

masturbation. This also proves that sexual curiosities are also in female.

She talks openly about female masturbation, female sexual desires. She also

shares that from her early ages, she tries different masturbation techniques like hand
 31

relief. She discovers different sexual desires or curiosities. Susan S.M. Edward says

that, “Hand relief and oral sex allow that identity of the transsexual prostitute to

remain concealed from the client” (363). Susan tries to say these two methods, hand

relief and oral sex especially done by the person, who emotionally and

psychologically feels that they belong to opposite sex. Like this idea, Maria in Eleven

Minutes also feels same thing before, she involves in sex profession and satisfies her

clients.

But her profession of sex worker helps her to learn more about orgasms, the

clitoris or the G-spot (which was only discovered in 20th c) similarly, about

prostitution and sex problems. She does many activities such as; “Maria had watched

a few porn movies, hoping to pick up tips for her work” (84). So that she can easily

dissolves in her profession.

In the same way, she also states that, “she has bought five pornographic

magazines in order to study the kind of thing she would have to do, waited or

darkness to fall and then went back to Rue de Berne” (66). She reads pornographic

magazines to support her profession and she shares that all these steps help her to

discovers the Ralf Hart disinterestedness in sex as well as she succeeds able to arouse

interest in Ralf Hart. Who is the same person that germinates a seed of love in her life,

which she had buried a long ago. She feels a kind of happiness even in his absent by

only thinking about him.

After all the times, she has spent with the people who come in Copacabana,

she reaches in the conclusion that sex use as some kind of drug in order to escape the

reality, to forget about the problem and to relax. This is a harmful and destructive

practice. But she comes to discover, that if sex is taken as a union of two soul like her
 32

and Ralf’s relation, it is not harmful rather it is life enhancing and it will insecure the

divine peace.

However, Maria though has to face pain, suffering because of her sex worker

profession Maria, thinking that loosing and gaining is a part of life. Like the

mythologist, Campbells in his book says, “In order to found something new, one has

to leave the old and go inquest of the sad idea, a germinal idea that will have the

potentiality of bringing forth that new thing” (167). But finally, she achieves her goal

of pleasure by getting money and love of Ralf Hart. Beside these all, she also learns,

making love is art of life, when she makes love with Ralf Hart. Here, she clarifies:

It wasn’t eleven minutes, it was an eternity, it was if we had both left

our bodies and were walking joyfully through the gardens of paradise

in understand and friendship. I was woman and man, he was man and

woman. I don’t know how long it lasted but everything seemed to be

silent, at prayer, as if the universe and life had ceased to exist and

become transformed into setting scared, nameless and timeless. (264)

Thus, she tries to define, the meaning of eleven minutes which is sacred pleasure and

which is near to the God or God's bless.

Regarding this, she comments, “If I don’t think about love, I will be nothing”

(76). Love is important in her life. So she wants to think about it. She further adds, “If

I need to write about love, I need to think and write about love. Otherwise, my soul

won’t survive” (76). Hence, she compares her and Ralf love with Soul and God.

After nine months of her involvement in prostitution, she argues that "[. . .]

enough money to buy a farm, she had her youth a head of her, a great deal of

experience of life and a great independence of soul” (271). This means, her quest of

discovering herself has been fulfilled along with enough money and by the love of
 33

Ralf Hart. On the one hand, she still has her youth to love fully a head of her; on the

other hand, she has gained a vast knowledge about life through her own experiences

which is the ultimate boon that she has acquired from her journey.

To sum up, Maria, the protagonist of the novel Eleven Minutes, overcome

from her all difficulties purely by the dint of her own intelligence, charm and will

power. She also which discovers herself along with the enough money, from the

profession of sex worker. Her sex profession buys her ticket to return Brazil and a

farmland along with good house, on the other hand and love of Ralf Hart. Beside

these all, she discovers many more things about sex, sexuality like female’s

masturbation and female’s sexual desire.

Eleven minutes defines as equal to scared God or, happiness which is

necessary in human life. Similarly making love is an art of love, which is not harmful

rather it is life enhancing the divine peace. Maria, from her early age tries to discover

sexual discoveries. For that, she tries masturbation, reads erotic magazine, watches

porn movie etc. Likewise, her selection of profession as sex worker plays addition

role to know more about sex. And also from the same profession, she learns the

disinterestedness of Ralf Hart in sex and also able to increase interest in him and

finally that change into love.

In same way, after learning about love, she explores that body performes the

order of the soul and making love is also the order of soul which is performed by

body. Both bodies and identities are constructed. Here, Maria uses her body as

disruptive force to question the capitalist patriarchy system and to discover herself by

earning from selling her body or sex.

Sex and sexuality are closely related. Sexuality refers to the kind of

relationship between male and female in copulation. Sex and sexuality is taken as
 34

basis of life or natural phenomena. Sexual desires are not only limited up to man but

found in female. Maria, in the novel Eleven Minutes, tries to explore the female’s

sexual curiosities and desires. She discusses about female sexual desires and their

solution openly. She is very revolutionary from her childhood. She continues doing

masturbation beside, her father slap for doing masturbation.

Likewise, she breaks the Brazilian superstition of opening the front door, only

by the owner of the house, but she opens the door. In same way, she also encounters

the restrict life of restaurant of Roger. Maria fights against the capitalist patriarchy

who does not allow female freedom, money and right equal to man which creates

alienation, frustration in female life. Therefore, she chooses the profession of sex

worker to subvert the capitalist patriarchy system and to change her dream into reality

by earning enough money in short period of time.

Economically dependent women sell their bodies to men in order to support

themselves like Maria. Maria compares with divine God because she carries energy of

both housewife and prostitute. She performs role of both according to her clients

demand. Due to her will power and boldness, she succeeds to earn enough money

from the unknown country and return home victoriously.

In same way, Ralf Hart also identifies Maria’s ‘inner light’ from which she

challenges her trials. She is very courageous like the real hero. She challenges the

capitalist patriarchy by choosing the profession of prostitution which capitalist

patriarchy thinks as low graded profesion. Beside this, from the same profession she

also earns money which discovers her dream of buying farmland, house etc. in short

period of time.

Likewise, she selects such profession because the Swiss gentleman cannot

fulfill his vow of giving work with enough dollars and making her famous ‘Brazilian
 35

star’. She wants to earn more money in short period of time so that she can return in

Brazil where she could buy farmland and live happy life with her family members.

She also learns from her mother that money is more important than love and marriage.

Finally, by choosing the profession of sex worker, she revolts against capitalist

patriarchy which does not give women freedom, respect, money, right and so on equal

to man. She discovers different female sexual desire and their solution by the means

of her same sex profession. She experiences a strange sense of pride that she didn’t

run away. Maria in this novel, Eleven Minutes first swalled by the desire of material

prosperity and fame in Switzerland, a new country. But at the end of the novel, Maria

succeeds to discover her identity through her sex which earns enough money and love

of Ralf Hart. Still she has also youth ahead with great experiences of life to support

her near future.

At last she learns to, appreciate life how it come to her and also get knowledge

about the joy and pain of her life. She also learns from her experience that just living

is not big thing, but living each and every moment meaningfully is the big thing. This

is a kind of self discovery, which she discovers at the end of the novel Eleven

Minutes.
 36

III. Existence of Maria’s Dreams into Reality

The novel is about the protagonist Maria’s quest for the self discovery by

exploring the issues of sex and sexuality, class, location gender and so on. The novel

critiques on the capitalistic patriarchy society and their stereotype image and value

which they have given to women. The protagonist, Maria in the novel undergoes

arrays of attempts in the novel to fulfill her dream of success. The dream of success

doesn’t appear so much feasible and easy for her as she had dreamt, when she

migrated to Switzerland.

Moreover, this research shows that, Maria finds the reality coarser than she

has ever imagined to accomplishing her quest of identity, inner light which help her to

fulfill her dreams. The novel concludes that, Maria being bold and courage, she is

prepare to encounter and tackle each and every trails and tests that come in her way

because she doesn’t want to lose the opportunity to fulfill her dream which she wants

so eagerly.

Likewise, Maria, the hero of the novel is first swallowed by the desire of

material prosperity and fame in such a new country. As she becomes familiar to this

alien world, she tactfully comes out from the world by becoming victorious. The

desperate needs of money for her survival in foreign land compel her to involve in the

profession of sex worker and also a sense of freedom that she feels in unfamiliar

world. She makes prostitution as a profession to earn money and to fulfill her dream

of fame and fortune in short period of time.

The novel concludes that women are compelled to make prostitution as a

profession because of male hegemony, restriction and stereotype image given to

women by male. Here, Maria also chooses this profession of prostitution to complete

her dream and she is experimenting sex profession it by thinking it as one phase of her
 37

life. Beside, that woman makes prostitution as profession because of poverty, the

unequal wages given to women and lack of freedom too.

In the respect , this study through the critical analysis of Eleven Minutes

comes to the conclusion that the representation of Maria, in the novel is very bold and

courage character, who has to go through different challenges but she never bows

down her head before any critical situation. In the novel, Maria presents as an

‘innocent girl’ as well as ‘understanding mother’s at a same time. This realization is a

kind of apothesis where Maria reaches a divine state.

Likewise, the writer through the help of female character and her sex worker

profession tries to explore the female sexual desire and curiosities which do not allow

women to talk in patriarchy society. Same like, she also tries to explore the way of

chooses sex profession of Maria is to revolt against capitalistic patriarchy who doesn’t

allowed women to go outside for anything, and which only think women as a puppet

of their interest. Here, the writer is presenting the positive and active image of female

character Maria as well as trying to explore the condition of sex workers too.

Moreover, the novel tells about Maria, who uses her sex and sexuality as the

strategy of living. Maria’s hard labour, skill, determination and passion lead her to the

success. After nine months of her involvement in prostitution, she succeeds to achieve

her dream into reality along with enough money. From that same money so that she

buys tickets to return Brazil. On the one hand, she has still her youth to live fully a

head of her. On the other hands, she has gained a vast knowledge about life through

her own experience which is the ultimate boon that she has acquired from her journey.

To sum up, basically, the whole project explores that Maria uses her sex and

sexuality as a strategy of living when she was in Switzerland, from where she earns

lots of money in short period of time so that she can return as soon as possible to her
 38

own motherland. Likewise, she uses her sex and sexuality as a resistance tools against

capitalistic patriarchy which do not allow women to go outside for work and also not

give women equal wages like men. Similarly, again resist against the capitalistic

patriarchy who do not take prostitution as a profession but take as low graded one.

Maria wants to be individual and independent who can take her own decisions. She

likes to illuminate and deconstruct capitalistic patriarchies’ traditional thought about

women.

In same way, the study also focuses on female sexual desire. Maria talks

openly about female masturbation in patriarchy society, which do not, allowed female

to talk about their sexual interests. But she is subverting it by talking about female

sexual curiosity and desire as well as about their solution. She explores that sexuality

is human traits, which is necessary to both male and female.

Finally, Maria’s passion, hard work, and determination, money, philosophical

idea about life and love from her experiences, which she collected from her sex

profession succeeds to achieve her dream into reality. Likewise, the true love of Ralf

Hart, which makes her life adventure and helps to discover her ‘inner light’ so, she is

taking her life as an adventure a voyage of self discovery.

Thus, it is proves that Maria’s talent, skill, hard work, determination, passion

and so on lead her to discover herself by the means of her ‘inner light’ and by the true

love of Ralf Hart. Although, Maria gets success in her life, the novel suggest, it is

very tough to achieve all dreams, to the one who comes from the lower level because

the capitalistic patriarchy do not allowed everyone to be success. Therefore, achieving

success is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Despite this fact, the novels suggest us, that loosing and gaining is a part of

life. For instance, Maria also looses many things like she has to involve herself in sex
 39

profession . Therefore, the novel suggest, if we hard work, have determination and

passion towards our work, we will definitely achieve success otherwise we, will not

achieve success. The novel asserts that Maria definitely discover herself by earning

money, love of Ralf hart and many more experience from her past life. The issue of

the novel tries to prove that the novel is modern one because it talks about modern

issues openly by the means of a female character Maria.

 40

Works Cited

Arias, Juan. Paulo Coelho, Confessing of Pligrim. India: Collins publishers, 1999.

Bryson, Valerie. Feminist political Theory. New York: Paragon House, 992:258

Bulter, Judith. "Body that Matters." Feminist Theory and the Body. Eds. Price Janet

and Shildrik Margsit. London: EUP, 1999. 235-245.

Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York:

Routledge, 1990.

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University

Press, 1973.

Coelho, Paulo. Eleven Minutes. Trans. Marget Jull Costa. London: Harper Collins,

2003.

Edward, Susan S.M. "Selling the Body, Keeping the Soul: Sexuality, Power, the

Theories and Realities Prostitution." Body Matters. Eds. Scott S. and Morgan

D. London: Falmer Press, 1993. 89-104.

Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality: An Introduction. London; Penguin, 1980.

Orlanto, Glaucco. “An Interview with Paulo Coelho.” World literature Today April-

June. 2003:57-59 Print.

Rev. of Eleven Minutes, by Eds. Harper Collins. Publisher Weekly 15 Mar. 2004: 288

Print.

Rev. of Eleven Minutes, by Jacket Kirkus. The New York Times 15 Feb. 2004: 1 Print.

Rev. of Eleven Minutes, by Paul D. Fillippo. The Washington Post 17 Feb. 2004: 1

Print.

Tong, Rosemarie. Feminist Thought. Boulder: West View Press, 1989: 45-104.

Tyson, Louis, Critical Theory Today. New York: Garland publishing Inc, 1999:93.
 41

Tribhuvan University

Sex as a Strategy for Self-Discovery in Paulo Coelho’s Novel Eleven

Minutes

A Thesis Submitted to

Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts in English

By

Bidhya Gurung

Central Department of English

Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

July 2011
 42

Tribhuvan University

Central Department of English

University Campus, Kirtipur, Kathmandu

Letter of Recommendation

Ms Bidhya Gurung has completed her thesis entitled “Sex as a Strategy for

Self-Discovery in Paulo Coelho’s Novel Eleven Minutes” under my supervision. I

hereby recommend her thesis be submitted for the final viva voce.

Harihar Jnawali

(Supervisor)

Date: ………...

……………
 43

Tribhuvan University

Central Department of English

University Campus, Kirtipur, Kathmandu

Letter of Approval

This thesis entitled “Sex as a Strategy for Self-Discovery in Paulo Coelho’s

Novel Eleven Minutes” submitted to the Central Department of English, Tribhuvan

University by Ms Bidhya Gurung has been approved by the undersigned members of

the research committee.

Members of the Research Committee:

_____________________ ____________________
Internal Examiner
______________________

_____________________ ____________________
External Examiner
_____________________

_____________________ ___________________
Head
Central Department of English
Tribhuvan University
Date..............................
 44

Acknowledgements

This thesis is an outcome of the inspiration and support of different people. In

writing this thesis, I am really indebted to some people. People deserve my sincere

thanks. This thesis would not have been written without their help whom I really

extend my honest thankfulness. I am pleased to take this opportunity to express my

deep sense of gratitude to my thesis supervisor Harihar Jnawali, lecturer at the Central

Department of English, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, for providing me

with this topic, format and the materials and for his continuous support and genuine

suggestions, and directions.

Similarly, it is my pleasant occasion to acknowledge the help provided to me

by Dr. Amma Raj Joshi, the Head of the Central Department of English and Mr. Pam

Bahadur Gurung lecture at Central Department of English, for encouraging me with

their insightful and inspiring suggestions.

This acknowledgement would be incomplete without mentioning my deep

appreciation for the love and continuous financial, moral supports and humble

concerns of my parents Sitaram Gurung and Dhan Maya Gurung. I am equally

thankful to my Husband Laxmi Raman Dahal, Brother Uttam Gurung and Sister

Premmaya Gurung.

I also would like extend heartfelt valuation to my friends Shubhekchha Rai,

Chetana Koirala, Mira Gurung, Nirodha Giri, Sijan Regmi, Tarani Pokharel.

And especially thank Mr. Sarose G.C to unselfish support and encouragement and

keeping my spirit high.

Bidhya Gurung
 45

Abstract

This research outlines the female assertiveness in Paulo Coelho’s novel Eleven

Minutes (2003), against capitalist patriarchy. This research explores the issues of sex,

class, genders and location. Basically, it is the story of Maria the protagonist quest for

self discovery. Moreover it examines Maria’s talent, skill, hard work, determination,

pain and passion which lead her to discover herself by the means of her sex

profession.

Likewise, her sex profession buys her ticket to return to her own motherland

and a farmland along with good house on the one hand. Similarly, love of Ralf Hart

on the other hand. Although, Maria gets success in her life, the novel suggests, it is

very tough to achieve all dreams to the female who comes from lower level because

the capitalistic patriarchy do not allow everyone to be success.

 46

Contents

Page No.

Acknowledgements

Abstract

I. Exploration of Maria’s Sex as a Power 1-11

II. Maria’s Quest for Self-Discovery, Sex Profession and Financial Security 12-35

III. Existence of Maria’s Dream into Reality 36-39

Works cited