Analyse af Katherine Magyarodys novelle 'Goldhawk'

The short story ”Goldhawk” is written by Katherine Magyarody and was published in 2017. The short story is about sexism and tells the story of the immigrate Dinara Akhmatova. She had emigrated three times before she chose to finally get settled. She works for a company as computer programmers and most of the employees are men. As some Dinara’s co-workers are fired from the company due to budget cuts. Some of her male co-workers complain that the company kept her just because she is a woman. On a normal working day, a remarkable thing happens outside the office building. A hawk hovers over the parking ground. Dinara Akhmatova sees the hawk’s secret place; its nest in the Norway pine. She is the only one that knows where it is.

The story was written in 2017, and the setting could be happening now, 5 years ago, or in the near future. There is not an indication of another period. The only hints that we get is that Dinara Akhmatova is driving in a Toyota Camry (l. 15) and she is a computer programmer “In a company of computer programmers” (l. 20) which indicate that it has contemporary elements in the text. The action takes place inside an office building in America (ll. 48), precisely in North America (l. 67) and elapse over a working day. The scene is set in spring, while the hawk has a secret place like a nest (l. 127) and it refers to “winter-pale faces” (l. 82). Dinara Akhmatova does not have any friends at her place of work, while the other employees talk behind her back even the newly hired “Instead of finishing, he rolled his eyes. He could not find the words” (ll. 18-19). Even though they degrade her with their gossip, they take pity on her in public “The men had laughed for her benefit; even though they resented her, they could not bear to see her softness damaged in public” (ll. 21-26).