The main conflict in the novel, The Golden Notebook, revolves around gender roles, specifically, the roles attributed to woman. Women find themselves caught and trapped trying to be all of the things different people need them to be. They have to be a mother to their children; a lover to their husband or significant other; a cook, cleaning woman and general household manager as well as other various roles. These conflicting roles cause the resentment Anna feels. Unlike some women,
however, she chooses to fight against this resentment, a fight that exhausts her.
The Golden Notebook