RECLAIMING THE FEMALE SELF: FEMINIST CONSCIOUSNESS IN MARGARET ATWOOD’S SURFACING

Abstract

Margaret Atwood's works frequently depict women's internal and external difficulties and obstacles. The characters in her novel Surfacing, in particular, provide a fascinating view into how women are losing their individuality, how they are treated, and the quest for finding one's own identity in society. The novel is about feminism, self-discovery, and the conflicts that arise between self and society. Margaret Atwood, a feminist novelist and feminist writer, aims to uncover the inner essence of women and her search for conflict and identity by spotlighting the horrible gender divide. The purpose of this paper is to represent the elements of feminism by examining the events that occurred in the protagonist's life, as well as the unsettling questions of what it means to be feminine and masculine in a culture where basic divisions such as subjects, objects, culture, and nature exist.