A Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of
Arts-EnglishIn this thesis I explore how Toni Morrison, Kate Chopin, and Margaret Atwood
use the central female characters in their respective novels, Sula, The Awakening, and The
Handmaid's Tale, to showcase the intricate relationship between race, class, and gender
as it relates to the struggle to break free from society's expectations. Differences in race
and levels of class allow for small glimpses of freedom, but in reality the possibility of
true freedom is simply an illusion. From the perspective of Sula, Edna, and Offred, the
ability to transcend the expectations society has placed upon them, which varies based on
class and race, and create a unique self would mean achieving true independence. In
their novels, Morrison, Chopin, and Atwood stress the dangers that lie within this puzzle
of male domination, class rank, and white privilege. I contend that this danger is the
incongruence that exists between society's view of female independence and its meaning
to these women. I also argue that the dominant race and class, white, middle-class
society, controls the illusions of freedom. As long as the female characters play within
the boundaries approved by the "white norm," those around them will view their actions
as the harmless testing of boundaries and as meaningless play, but, to these female
characters, their actions reflect willful and serious struggles to gain autonomy and
freedom.
As these women push the boundaries, they go through a journey of realization.
Through the analysis of the novels, it is clear that these women are not naive in terms of
their limitations as women, but because their respective societies allow them to "play"
within the confines of their gender, early in the novels they believe they can actually
transcend their socially assigned gender roles, but they do not understand the relationship
between their class, gender, and race and the power which white privilege has in
controlling their freedom. As all three women progress toward what they believe to be a
true, independent self, they begin to see the relationship between their class, race and
gender and the unique challenges they face because of these social markers. Ultimately,
these women come to realize that although race, class, and gender provide unique
experiences for them, it is the power of white, middle-class society that holds them back.
Ultimately, once these women realize their experiences will never result in true
independence as long as white, middle-class society determines their boundaries, they
find little hope for the future
