In a dystopian tale, a society enforces gender roles through laws that control women’s bodies and identities, illustrating which concept?

• A. Power in Literature
• B. Justice
• C. Existentialism
• D. Oppression

Answer: (D)

The main idea this scenario highlights is oppression. When a society uses laws to control women’s bodies and identities, it shows a systematic exercise of power that denies a group their autonomy and rights. This coercive control is what makes the situation oppressive: it enforces conformity, silences dissent, and turns law into a tool of domination rather than protection or justice.

Power in literature is involved in such a world, but the emphasis here is specifically on oppression—the sustained, harmful domination of a marginalized group. Justice would require fair treatment, which these laws violate, and existentialism focuses on individual meaning and choice rather than the broader pattern of coercive social control.