Abstract

This research investigates how hegemonic masculinity and gender performativity shape the lives of females in Nadia Hashimi’s The Pearl That Broke Its Shell. The novel tells the stories of Afghan females living under strict patriarchal traditions. It provides a rich lens through which to understand how power and gender norms function. Referring to Raewyn Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity alongside Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, the study explores how male authority is both maintained by cultural and political systems and challenged through acts of resistance. The experiences of Rahima and Shekiba highlight how practices such as bacha posh, where girls are temporarily raised as boys, result in a serious gender binary. These portrayals reveal not only the weight of patriarchal control but also the ways females adapt, resist, and reshape their identities. The study suggests that the novel transcends a mere critique of oppressive gender hierarchies; it also opens up possibilities for imagining new forms of female agency.