BETWEEN MEMORY, IDENTITY, AND TRADITION: FEMALE CHARACTERS IN THE SHORT STORIES OF ALICE MUNRO AND NAZAR ESHONQUL

Abstract

The representation of women in contemporary literature has emerged as a significant area of literary inquiry due to evolving social structures, changing gender perceptions, and transformations in cultural values. In both American and Uzbek literary traditions, female characters serve as important mediums through which writers explore questions of identity, social responsibility, personal freedom, and human existence. The short stories of Alice Munro and Nazar Eshonqul provide rich material for examining how female images are constructed within different cultural and literary contexts while simultaneously reflecting universal human experiences.