Volume VI Special Issue VI September 2026

Name of Author : Abitha Thomas T.S

Title of the paper : Empowerment and Resistance in Gloria Naylors Linden Hills: Reclaiming Identity against Social and Patriarchal Oppression

Abstract: The American dream in the African American middle class is subjected to a deep criticism by Gloria Naylors Linden Hills. Gloria Naylor was an accomplished AfricanAmerican novelist who delved into the issues of race, gender, class, identity and community in American society. The novel highlights the moral and psychological corruption that comes with materialism while also bringing into focus the small, yet significant, acts of resistance by the downtrodden people, especially women and artists. This article explores empowerment as it arises out of opposition to patriarchy, class oppression, expectations of race and cultural assimilation. The study is based on the concept of empowerment as a reclamation of identity, memory, voice and humanity as illuminated in the work of Black Feminist criticism and resistance theory. The characters who defy conformity contest the oppression of the Nedeed family and the social hierarchy at Linden Hills. The novel ultimately concludes that true freedom is in keeping oneself true to oneself and not to material gain.

Keywords : Empowerment, Resistance, Black Feminism, Patriarchy, Identity, and African American Literature.

DOI :

Page Number : 144-148