This article examines the construction of female identity in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Fatma Aliye’s Refet. Set in 19th century America, Little Women’s sisters represent four different female identities and bring them together under one family roof. In Refet, the character Refet, who refuses to accept the role assigned to her by society and wants to shape her own life, emerges as a role model.This research aims to examine how gender, identity and social context are related in shaping the lives of female characters by drawing attention to how cultural norms shape women’s roles in literature. The argument of this article is that in both works, strong female characters who shed light on the female identity of the period are particularly associated with the concept of resilience and presented to society as role models. This article also emphasizes how women’s solidarity empowered women in a patriarchal environment.
Little Women, Refet, female identity, female solidarity, resilience.