01-07-2014, 02:51 PM
THE ISSUE OF IDENTITY IN “THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK” BY DORIS LESSING
THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK” BY DORIS LESSING.pdf (Size: 238.2 KB / Downloads: 15)
Introduction
The Golden Notebook, by Doris Lessing, was written in the time when women were not seen as writers and women in literature were found redundant. When approaching the matter from the historical point of view, the ability to write was a skill and a quality which was given only to men. Since it was published in 1962, at the time when the Second Wave of Feminism began to emerge, the novel was given many epithets, such as being called a “feminist bible”, it also drawn negative criticism as well as negative reviews clamming that the novel provokes “man hater” and “ball breaker” attitude in women.1 For many reasons Doris Lessing disagrees with the claim that “the Golden Notebook” is a feminist novel claiming that her “major aim was to shape a book which would make its own comment, a wordless statement: to talk through the way it was shaped.”2
The Golden Notebook, by Doris Lessing is certainly a type of a book that influences the reader regardless of sex. It is in its own manner a reflection of different thoughts, believes, emotions and feelings of a women which are present and which followed her through her life. We, as readers, are given an insight to the complexity of human nature, in this case to the different layers of our protagonist’s life. Doris Lessing gives us Anna Wolf who in a way cannot be perceived as an adventurous person, a person who does not have much going on in her life, so to say nothing much happens. These are some of the reasons why it is easy for other women to identify with this woman who can easily be perceived as a vulnerable creature but at the same time powerful within
The issue of social identity
The Golden Notebook as a novel consists of several notebooks through which we are given different experiences of our protagonist Anna Wulf. In these notebooks we find different issues such as motherhood, social relationships, and politics and so on. Her social identity is mostly built through her relationship with Molly, her best friend, as well as through other people she comes in contact with. Both of them are perceived as “Free Women”, who in a way are emancipated in the sense of traditional women figure. In several occasions, Anna expresses her opinion on the way of societies attempt to label women in accordance to their relationships with men. It appears that the society, as she states, does not see the status of “free women” as a positive characteristic of Anna and other characters who lead they lives in such manner.
The issue of gender and sexuality
The novel was written in the time when second wave feminism was in its rise, when women decided to take matters in their own hands to be free to decide of their future. Women were given a chance to gain control over their lives, to fight against injustice, sexual harassment and other kinds of mistreat of women.
There are various other issues that “new women” face. Along with key issue of this novel, human relationships, the relationship between men and women portray an image of a modern society. When it comes to sexuality and gender issue, from this novel we already understand that changes concerning sexual liberty are highlighted, which suggests that changes were necessary.
Even now, in the 21st century, although social status of a “free women” is different from the time when this novel was written, it seems that the image of “new women” lingers from the past, thus portraying them sometimes as immoral and loose, and sometimes as powerful and authoritative. Even now, when portrayed by male as well as female authors, “free women” are taken with a grain of salt
Conclusion
There were always two personalities in her, the “communist” and Anna, and Anna judged the communist all the time.4 Even though this novel deals with Communism as such, we can see that the development of our heroine and her identity is the main focus. It could be interpreted that Anna stands for those women who believe that they can make a change in the world. After all she was seen as a woman, mother, communist and a writer. It is clear that throughout this novel, her identities, or better said personalities intertwine with one another. We are always given fragments of Anna’s personalities. Sometimes it is a woman who is struggling with her career other times with her single parenthood and all the prejudices that the society throws at her.
Throughout the novel we can see how Anna is determined to establish herself as a “free woman” without being judged and criticized by the society. For this and many other reasons, this novel, or better said, Anna has influenced many women, encouraging them to fight against stereotypes and norms which are imposed by their society. Doris opened a whole new world of possibilities for women through her heroine. Anna is definitely not just a model of every woman in the world who is fighting with her “daemons”; Anna represents every person who is still trying to find their way in the world they are living in