Abstract

Gender identity is seen as a personal perception of oneself as male or female. This definition is closely related to the concept of gender role, defined as the sum of external manifestations of personality that reflect gender identity. Gender identity is self-identified as a result of environmental factors. This self-identification has been the subject of fiction writers for a long period of time. Katherine Mansfield, one of the prominent modernist writers of short fiction, produced short stories that provide an accessible exploration of identity and gender as contemporary concerns in everyday life and as key concepts in social sciences. Her own childhood and teenage experiences were highly effective as sources for her writings. The obvious fact of Mansfield's stories is that women, whether they are married or single, whether they are submissive housewives or try to liberate themselves, are the victims, while the men around them play the main roles. This author criticizes the marginalization and victimization of women due to a male dominated ideology. This study will concentrate on the dilemmas of feminine identity in modern and contemporary society, as they are figured inMansfield’s stories.