Abstract:

The Aunt' s Story, contrary to what some critics think, is not a modem comedy since it describes the life of an ordinary woman with a profound tragic significance. From the perspectives of the heroine' s crisis of identity with social reality, her spiritual plight in search for true ego, and an inherent crisis of human existence, Patrick White presents Theodora' s knowingly effort of a hopeless resistance against the denial of individuality from society for the sake of defending both individual value and human dignity which ultimately result in a tragedy of existence.

Key words: Australian literature, Patrick White' s fiction, The Aunt' s Story, tragedy