The Intersectionality of the "Other" : Dorris Lessing's "An Old Woman and Her Cat"

Doris Lessing’s An Old Woman and Her Cat explores the intersectionality of marginalization through the lens of abjection and commodity fetishism. This paper examines the protagonist, Hetty, a Romani woman whose alienation is shaped by her ethnicity, financial instability, and refusal to conform to societal expectations. Drawing on Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection and Marxist notions of commodity fetishism, this analysis highlights how Hetty’s value as a person is dictated by capitalist structures and how her internalized shame manifests in her relationship with her cat, Tibby. By unpacking the external and internal dimensions of Hetty’s exclusion, this study reveals the systemic nature of oppression and the inescapable cycle of alienation faced by those deemed the “Other.”