Identity Quest Of Free Woman

Doris Lessing (1919—), the most prolific English writer, enjoys a worldwide reputation in the literary world for the publication of The Golden Notebook in 1962. Because of its profound and diversified thematic concerns, the novel has attracted increasing critical attention and has been studied under scores of critical approaches, all treating it as a classical literary work that delineates the growth and the liberation of women. This thesis is a study of the free woman Anna Wulf in chaos and her effort to avoid the approaching mental breakdown, with a theoretical basis of feminism. In the novel, there is no real freedom for women, and they need help and support from men. Moreover, they have no right to define and dominate themselves. In order to study Anna Wulf, the thesis makes analysis of the free woman from five aspects. The first part is a brief introduction to the writer Doris Lessing and the content, the structure of the novel The Golden Notebook. The second part is the interpretation of Anna's emotional, professional and political life, illustrating the lofty ideals and the loss of identity. The third part puts emphasis on Anna's seeking process for identity. This exploration road includes free women's own reflection on life, inspiration from others and redefinition and selection of way of life. The fourth one is to expound Anna's final reinvigoration and regeneration in finding her identity with the help of men. The last part sums up the whole thesis. From such an analysis, this thesis may make people more clearly witness how Anna undergoes from fragmentation to unity, from awakening to maturity. In conclusion, what matters to a woman is not an ultimate victory in the gender war, but a sane awareness of her true position and a persistent quest for freedom and identity.