Journal of Language and Literature Studies
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): March

Feminist and Intersectional Analysis of Healthcare and Gender Oppression in Alice Walker's Strong Horse Tea: A Feminist Literary Criticism

Hussain, Syed Muzamil (Unknown)
Zahra, Syeda Tehzeeb (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
16 Mar 2026

Abstract

The short story "Strong Horse Tea" by Alice Walker is examined critically in this article through a feminist and intersectional lens.  Set in the mid-twentieth-century rural American South, the short story chronicles the difficult life of Rannie Toomer, a poor Black woman whose frantic attempts to save her ailing child reveal the interconnected effects of class, gender, race, and health care inequalities.  This study, which is based on qualitative textual analysis, uses contextual interpretation, thematic analysis, and close reading to analyze Walker's story. It pays special attention to how systemic neglect, illiteracy, silence, and limited access to education are represented. The theoretical framework draws on feminist literary criticism, intersectionality, and Black feminist thought to interpret her experiences. The analysis shows that Rannie Toomer's repeated physical journeys to seek help symbolize embodied resistance within limited social structures. In contrast, her silence in medical and social settings reflects internalized discrimination shaped by racial and socioeconomic exclusion. By situating the story within the broader tradition of African American women's literature and health humanities scholarship.By showing how mobility, caregiving labor, and silence function as entwined methods of helplessness and resistance in the lives of marginalized women, the article advances Black feminist literary criticism.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

jolls

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Other

Description

Journal of Language and Literature Studies is an open access journal which provides perspectives of languages, language teaching, and literature studies. This journal has the Focus and Scope at presenting and discussing outstanding contemporary issues in line with Applied Linguistics, English ...