This thesis examines bell hook’s concept of homeplace in three major works of African American literature: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and The Street by Ann Petry. Hooks defines homeplace as a site of resistance where Black women create spaces of dignity and care. However, this thesis also explores the ambivalence hooks feel about this role. While it offers politically significant action and protection, it also enforces restrictive ideals of purity, sacrifice, and domesticity. Across shifting historical contexts, the ideals identified by hooks persist and shape how Black women are expected to survive and serve. Each protagonist must navigate both external systems of oppression and her internalized moral standards rooted in gender and community. Ultimately, I argue that homeplace carries both power and constraint and must be continually redefined on one’s own terms.