Öz
The novel ‘Handan’, written by Halide Edib Adıvar and published in 1912, tells the tragedy of a female character who is dragged into depression due to her inner world full of contradiction sand conflicts. In the novel, the reflection of the renewal period, in which both traditional and modern valuesco-exist, on the individual and social positions of women are examined through the themes of forbidden love and marriage. In this study, the fiction of the novel’s characters, particularly Handan, is evaluated. The approach of the characters to the concept of domination, particularly in male-female relationships, is examined in the novel, where contrary elements are frequently included. The reasons of contradictions and internal conflicts of Handan, who is told through the eyes of different characters and dragged to death due to forbidden love, are handled. Personel identity of Halide Edib Adıvar, an important writer who has fought for women's education, political rights, and social rights, is reflected in Handan's identity construction in the novel. In this study, the answer was sought to the question: what is the perspective of the author on the contradictions and conflicts in the world of the characters in the novel? An ambiguous situation is evaluated in the novel Handan in which an author who is known to have worked hard to ensure women's visibility in social life and gaining their rights, bravely tells about forbidden love. In the novel’s chapters titled "Handan's visions" and "From Handan's visions", mirroring the inner world of the female character and revealing the suppressed feelings has an important role in these arch for selfness. By referring to Halide Edib's autobiography and some of the articles, the attitude of the female character towards the pursuit of freedom, theprojections of her perspective on femininity and gender in the novel are evaluated.