Violette Leduc (1907-72) and Eileen Chang (1920-95) are writers from different societies (France and China respectively) and distinctly different backgrounds. They are brought together in this thesis for their portrayal of women characters in pursuit of a sense of identity and fulfilment in societies where gender roles can function as pseudo-destinies, which can, to varying degrees, be relativized, questioned and resisted. Feminist and psychoanalytic theories, as well as post-Maslowian perspectives help to throw light on the kind of obstacles to fulfilment which the women characters are portrayed as encountering.