“Widow Trumps all other Identities”: The Portrait of a Widow in Joyce Carol Oates’s A Widow’s Story: A Memoir as a Reflection of Selected Linguistic, Psychological, and Cultural Aspects of Widowhood

This article looks at the identity of the widow from linguistic, cultural, psychological, and literary perspectives. The basis of this analysis is Joyce Carol Oates’s grief narrative A Widow’s Story: A Memoir. First, the term “widow” and its connotations are examined and illustrated by appropriate examples from Oates’s memoir and psychological research. Next, I present an overview of the situation of the widow in selected developing countries where the state of widowhood becomes a serious deterrent to forming a new identity after a loss. Finally, I address the definitions of the widow in Joyce Carol Oates’s memoir, A Widow’s Story: A Memoir